GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It’s been six months since Pine Rest opened the first Psychiatric Urgent Care Center in West Michigan. Megan Zambiasi, the center's director gives us an update.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is psychiatric urgent care?
Psychiatric urgent care provides same-day psychiatric assessments for adults who can’t wait days or weeks to see a primary care physician but not so serious that it requires going to the emergency room.
When should a person go to psychiatric urgent care?
When having trouble managing daily activities—like going to work, taking care of yourself, etc. —because of psychiatric symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, disturbing thoughts, substance use, etc..
What can someone expect if they go to the Psychiatric Urgent Care Center?
It’s a lot like going to a regular urgent care or your doctor’s office...we’ve tried to make a very comfortable and comforting environment for visitors since we know this is a difficult time. A patient will meet with different members of our care team for assessments. Generally, we’ve been able to serve patients in under two hours from arrival to leaving with an aftercare plan.
What happens after psychiatric urgent care?
Part of our service is to make sure every patient has an aftercare plan before they leave. Most of the time, the aftercare plan will include medication and/or outpatient therapy. If their symptoms are more severe, we can refer them into a higher level of care such as an inpatient psychiatric facility, an intensive daily program of outpatient treatment, or a residential detox facility.
When should a person go to the Psychiatric Urgent Care Center as opposed to the Emergency Room?
If it’s a person’s first time ever experiencing severe psychiatric symptoms, we do recommend they visit the emergency room because this flare up might be related to an acute medical issue. Also, we recommend going to the emergency room if the person has any physical injuries that need medical treatment to stabilize (like cuts, gashes, broken bones) or is impaired from substance use.
Who can use the service?
The program is open for adults ages 18-65.
Do I need to make an appointment?
Walk-ins are welcome, or you can call to find out when shortest wait time is.
Does insurance cover this service?
Most commercial insurance covers urgent care including Medicare and Medicaid health plans. If someone has Medicaid, they should definitely call ahead since some plans require pre-authorization.
Learn more about the Psychiatric Urgent Care Center:
Call 616-455-9200 or visit pinerest.org/urgent
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