Have you ever had a visit to the emergency room just to sit and wait for four or five hours to be seen?
I am an EMT and have worked at the University of Utah Emergency Department for four years. If a person is in acute mental health crisis and either unsuccessfully attempted suicide or is close to attempting but choosing to seek help instead, they will be seen at an ER.
When a person is seen at an ER for mental health needs a lot of times they will need to be put on close supervision to keep them, and staff safe. This means a staff member will continuously watch the person to make sure they don’t harm themselves or anyone else, until they can be seen by a social worker and then be sent to a facility to begin more extensive mental health treatment.
This takes up precious resources like a room and a staff member. Keep in mind, this is something we are happy to do and want to keep people safe, as well as provide them the resources to get better. But how does this affect everyone else?
There are a lot of days in the ER when we have upwards of 20% of our rooms filled with mental health patients and another 30% or more of our staff taken to assist with those needs. This means your wait time will be significantly increased due to staffing and room availability.
All I ask is that we, the residents of Salt Lake Valley, look out for each other. Hug often and tell your loved ones you care. Together we can raise awareness for the increased demand for mental health.
Alexander Nichols, Riverton