A new center for adults experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis is opening in East Providence, R.I. on Wednesday.
The Behavioral Health Link Triage and Call Center, or BH Link, will be open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, for psychiatric consultations, emergency medications and connections to treatment, state officials announced Friday.
The center is aimed at improving improve patient care while reducing costly hospital emergency visits.
More than 15 percent of all visits to hospital emergency departments involve mental health or substance abuse problems, according to a three-year state analysis of medical claims data by the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.
But health officials say mental health and substance abuse problems often can be treated more effectively – and less expensively – in clinical settings.
The new center, at 975 Waterman Ave., East Providence, also will run a crisis and suicide hotline and provide assistance with housing, education and domestic violence assessments and referrals.
The center is funded by a combination of state, federal and private money, including $650,000 from the state and $700,000 in federal grants, according to Jim Ryczek, CEO of Horizon Healthcare Partners, an organization of community mental health centers which helped create the center.
