psychiatric hospitalization

While MetroHealth opens its new behavioral health center in Cleveland Heights this week, the fate of Cleveland’s only 24-hour psychiatric emergency room is still being debated. After Nov. 15—when St. Vincent Charity Medical Center’s psych ER is scheduled to close—nurses will be without jobs and a facility tailored to the needs of people in crisis will shut its doors.

The future of Cleveland’s only psychiatric ER is in doubt after St. Vincent Charity Medical Center officials announced last week the looming closure of ER and inpatient service. Instead, St. Vincent will offer urgent care services on the site after Nov. 15.

In the world of mental health, emergency hospitalization can be a loaded topic. For some people, the image of a psychiatric hospital brings to mind movies…