Contact: Dawn O'Polka 509-837-1543
Toppenish, WA (December 10, 2018) - On December 8, 2018, Astria Toppenish Hospital opened an inpatient unit which will offer new options for care to patients who are experiencing psychiatric crisis. Currently, patients in psychiatric crisis generally receive evaluation and treatment in the hospital emergency room and are then referred to a non-hospital based residential or outpatient program. Astria Toppenish Hospital’s new inpatient unit will allow for the evaluation and follow-up treatment to continue in an inpatient hospital setting, where medical and mental health professionals, working together, can help diagnosis and treat the patient. The unit will accommodate 15 patients with a 10-bed 90-day stay unit, for patient who have been civilly committed, and, soon, 5 additional beds for evaluation and treatment stays of up to 21 days for patient with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders. The new unit takes admissions from referring providers 24-hours a day.
“Astria Toppenish Hospital is excited to bring this new Behavioral Health Center of Excellence to the Yakima Valley,” says Eric Jensen, CEO, Astria Toppenish Hospital. “Our community and communities throughout the Valley have identified a great need for better access to additional behavioral health programs here in Yakima County. This new inpatient unit is Astria Health’s response. It has been developed and designed using evidenced-based best practices. The program’s team of skilled physicians, a psychiatrist, clinical nurse practitioners, nurses and mental health professionals providing these services in a hospital setting helps us to more effectively care for those who have both mental and substance abuse disorders.”
Approximately 46.3 million Americans age 18 and up have experienced some form of mental illness and of those 46% had a substance abuse disorder. Of the 46% with a substance abuse disorder, 39% had both a mental disorder and a substance abuse disorder, known as co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders.
As part of Astria Health’s plan to bring such much-needed behavioral health services to the Yakima Valley, Astria Toppenish Hospital also opened a voluntary inpatient Medical Withdrawal Management Unit in October. Both units are located at the Astria Toppenish Hospital and will be focused on behavioral health issues, including addiction.
Earlier this year, Astria Health also opened an Intensive Outpatient Program focused on helping older adults. This behavioral health program is called the Life Transitions Intensive Outpatient Program and is located on the Astria Sunnyside Hospital campus.
For more information about Astria Toppenish Hospital’s Behavioral Health Programs or to submit a referral for Medical Withdrawal, providers can call 509.865-1590 and for the Co-Occurring Unit, they can call 509.865.1660. Referrals to the unit can be made by physicians, psychologists, social workers, mental health professionals and social services agencies, among others.
Posted December 10, 2018