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ADAMHS board votes to fund St. Vincent psych ER through 2023

Ideastream Public Media | By Taylor Wizner

Published October 12, 2022 at 4:44 AM EDT

Updated October 12, 2022 at 9:36 PM EDT

St. Vincent's psych ER could close along with most of the hospital's inpatient services on Nov. 15. — St. Vincent's psych ER will remain open even after the rest of the ER begins the process of conversion to an Urgent Care on Nov. 15.

Updated: October 12, 2022 at 5:43 PM EDT

The Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County on Wednesday unanimously voted to fund the psychiatric emergency room at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center for another year.

The board approved about $4.45 million in funding for 2023. The board also decided to hire a third party contractor to evaluate the wider network of mental health crisis intervention in Northeast Ohio, including St. Vincent's psych ER operations.

Updated: October 12, 2022 at 3:49 PM EDT

Officials at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center told Ideastream Public Media they will keep the psych ER open once funding is approved by the Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County.

"If we get the funding, it will stay open," said Rebecca Gallant, a spokesperson for the Sisters of Charity Health System.

The board is expected to announce it will fund services at this afternoon's meeting.

The ADAMHS board held a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon to determine the fate of the psychiatric emergency department at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.

The board voted to approve $4.45 million in funding for the psych emergency room for another year.

For decades, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center has been the only psych ER in Cleveland, providing crisis stabilization and 23-hour observation and assessment for about 3,000 people a year. Advocates and Cleveland EMS said it was a central place for people with mental health emergencies to go due to its specialized psychiatric staff, facilities and location in Cleveland's Central neighborhood.

St. Vincent announced Sept. 14 it would close its ER and move its psychiatric and detox services to outpatient by Nov. 15. At the time, it wasn't clear if the hospital planned to keep running the psych ER.

The ADAMHS Board said St. Vincent reports it has begun to renew its certification with the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, which will allow the board to move forward with funding to keep psych ER services in place.

A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the amount of funding the ADAMHS board approved for St. Vincent's psych ER. It was funded at $4.45 million for 2023. We regret the error.