St. Johnsbury-based Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital is rethinking where, how and by whom mental health patients will be cared for, according to VTDigger.
The hospital is moving psychiatric patients from the emergency department to a medical surgical care unit.
"We want a calmer environment," said Seleem Choudhury, DNP, MSN, the hospital's chief nursing officer. "We want them to feel safe, and we want the rest of our staff and patients to feel safe."
Northeastern is also planning an ED expansion with an area designated for mental health patients.
Outside of making physical changes, Northeastern hired a part-time psychiatrist and is enhancing training on caring for psychiatric patients, such as educating current employees "in de-escalation and dealing with violence in the workplace," Dr. Choudhury said.
"We can't be, and we don't intend to be a psychiatric unit," Dr. Choudhury said. "But what we want to try and do is start some of that care that should be started."