Forbes Hospital in Monroeville adds behavior health suite to emergency department

Allegheny Health Network officials have added a behavioral health suite to the emergency department at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, part of a response to an increase in ER visits by patients with behavioral health needs.

“Being hospitalized or visiting an emergency department is incredibly stressful for anyone, let alone those who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis,” said Dr. Mark Rubino, president at Forbes. “Our intention was to build a dedicated space within our emergency department that is specifically tailored to the unique needs of these vulnerable patients, equipped with innovative therapeutic resources, and staffed by experienced, compassionate behavioral health physicians, nurses and support teams.”

The 2,000-square-foot suite provides additional privacy and security away from the ER’s higher-traffic areas. The centerpiece is three specialized behavioral health treatment rooms along with two convertible exam rooms, a patient-family consultation area and a restroom/shower facility free of any ropes or cords.

The suite also utilizes calming imagery, with a serene woodland scene covering multiple walls, and circadian lighting elements to reduce sensory overload and patient anxiety.

A central nursing station provides a direct line of sight to all of the patient areas within the new suite.

“With the mental and behavioral health treatment needs rising throughout the country and within the many communities we serve, providing safe, healing environments for our patients is vitally important to not only meeting their immediate mental health needs, but also to help improve their overall health, well-being and quality of life,” said Doug Henry, vice president of AHN’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Institute.

Forbes joins three other AHN hospitals — Wexford, Jefferson and Saint Vincent (Erie) — which also include ER behavioral suites.

“We modeled this amazing new space in our (ER) at Forbes after some of the best examples in the country, including several of those we have already opened at other AHN hospitals and that are already making a big difference in our patients’ lives,” Henry said.

Forbes medical staff see more than 2,000 behavioral health patients annually in the ER.

Across the U.S. mental and behavioral health-related ER visits account for about 12% of all emergency trips, according to a March 2023 report by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

Hospitals both locally and nationally have also reported an uptick in violent behavior by patients not just since the pandemic but over the past dozen years including at AHN, where clinical staff participate in crisis prevention training.