EmPATH unit gives patient a safe space to heal amid a scary mental health crisis
In November 2024, Abby woke up with intense depression and suicidal thoughts. She made plans to write a suicide note and hurt herself.
The 27-year-old kindergarten teacher said she had never had thoughts like that before. It concerned her enough to reach out to her doctor for help. She had been taking medication for anxiety for several years but had recently changed her medication. Abby wondered if depression and suicidal thoughts were a side effect.
A nurse immediately called Abby and told her to go to the emergency room to be safe. Abby went to M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital, where she had a panic attack. She was then taken to the EmPATH – or Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing unit.
Emergency mental health care that doesn’t feel like an emergency room.
After a quick medical evaluation by emergency department staff, patients with mental health concerns are welcomed into a calm, living room-style space. With comfortable recliners in an open area, EmPATH is an innovative approach to emergency mental health care.
“In EmPATH, self-care is encouraged,” said Michelle Snyder, MA, LPCC, system director for mental health and addiction services with M Health Fairview. “People are empowered to think about their own self-care and help themselves to snacks or a warm blanket. It’s very different from the emergency department.”
EmPATH provides a safe, supportive environment for people to calm themselves from a crisis. People are given tablets with soothing meditations or music. The space is equipped with sensory rooms. Group programs are available, and people are invited to interact with one another. But everything is optional. No guests or cell phones are allowed as it’s a distraction-free place to heal.
“I was so scared, but I knew I was where I needed to be,” Abby said.
People are typically in EmPATH for 28 to 38 hours, which is not enough to resolve mental health concerns. It's meant to stabilize a crisis and jump start treatment. Each person receives a nursing assessment and full evaluation by both mental health and psychiatry providers. A multidisciplinary staff of mental health specialists, including psychiatrists, licensed therapists, and nurses help people build the skills they will need to face future challenges.
The staff might help the patient with new coping techniques for anxiety or depression, starting or adjusting medication, engaging in skills-based therapeutic interventions, and developing a plan in case another triggering situation arises. The staff can connect patients to follow-up resources and programs, including mental health and addiction medicine programs.
The EmPATH program at Southdale Hospital was the first of its kind in Minnesota and one of a small but growing number in the country. It opened in March 2021. Before the program started, the hospital admitted about 40% of people who came to the emergency department with a mental health crisis. Now, with the specialized care that EmPATH offers, that number has dropped to 16%. In 2024, 3,723 patients were served at EmPATH.
EmPATH is open to any adult who is experiencing an event significant enough to affect their mental health, Snyder said.
“We don’t screen in or screen out based on if we think it’s a big deal or not,” she said. “We do what that patient needs at that moment to get them to a place of stability. There’s no judgment, we’re just glad people are seeking help when they need it.”
Abby said she left EmPATH with new medication, a therapy appointment scheduled, and a clear plan for how to get better. Before the incident, she described her anxiety as mild and easy to manage, but now she has added anxiety that an incident like what she experienced will happen again. She’s working on that with her therapist.
“I want people to know that there are resources like this available,” Abby said. “Asking for help and saying you need additional support doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you're strong and that you are advocating for yourself.”
