Fairfax Co. new emergency room unit aims to better help those in a mental health crisis

A Northern Virginia hospital is opening a new unit in one of their emergency rooms next week that’s specifically designed to treat patients undergoing a mental health crisis. According to Inova Fairfax Hospital, it is the first of its kind in the region.

The Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing, or “EmPATH Unit” will offer a therapeutic, low stimulus environment designed to reduce anxiety. The unit hopes to stabilize patients who are having a mental health crisis quicker, to shorten the of their length of stay at the emergency room.

Inova Fairfax Hospital said the building of this unit is in response to a 30% surge in recent years of patients seeking behavioral health services at their emergency room.

“Navigating a mental health crisis is often overwhelming for patients and families alike, especially in the high-stimulus environment of an emergency room,” said Dr. J. Stephen Jones, president and CEO of Inova in a press release. “By investing in EmPATH, we are responding to the needs of our patients and community by taking an innovative approach to care in a supportive setting that is more conducive to healing.”

Inova pointed to research that shows similar units can decrease hospitalization by 70%-80% and shorten the length of stay for those patients from 24 to 16 hours on average.

The EmPATH unit opens on Nov. 19 and is part of a $161 million emergency department expansion and renovation project at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

That expansion will include more adult and pediatric emergency room space to meet the rising volume of emergency visits. The hospital system said in 2023 it saw nearly 175,000 patients at Fairfax Hospital, making it the fourth busiest ER in the nation.

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