Sacramento, Calif., opened an urgent care clinic for mental health Wednesday to provide patients with an alternative to emergency room treatment, according to The Sacramento Bee.
The urgent care clinic is located next to Sacramento County's Mental Health Treatment Center. Services include alcohol and drug screening, medication, peer support recovery services, psychiatry and clinical services, said Uma Zykofsky, mental health director for Sacramento County.
The Mental Health Services Act is funding the clinic as a five-year pilot program. The clinic's $2.5 million annual budget will pay for a team of psychiatrists, social workers and peer navigators, said Al Rowlett, CEO of Turning Point Community Programs, a mental health service provider hired to run the clinic.
Clinic staff will refer patients to services such as crisis respite, crisis residential or alcohol and drug treatment, depending on their need. As a pilot, the clinic expects to serve 400 to 450 patients per month.