How behavioral health crises strain Alaska’s emergency rooms
SPONSORED: Emergency medical personnel say that they can, will and do help patients in crisis - but that a new approach would benefit everyone involved.
Author: Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
Published March 8
Part 3 of 6
A broken arm. A heart attack. A manic episode. Thoughts of suicide.
All of these are emergencies, and any one of them might land you in the nearest emergency room. But the clinicians who work in those emergency rooms say the same high-energy, high-intensity environment that is life-saving for medical emergencies can also be high-risk for patients who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis.