LOUISIANA Community Mental Health Services Block Grant ...

units within general public hospitals. Moreover, Louisiana and OMH have a network of services that
provide alternatives to hospitalization for consumers and families in Louisiana through a broad array
of community support services and consumer-run alternatives. Housing, employment, educational,
rehabilitation, and support services programs, which take into account a recovery-based philosophy
of care, all contribute to reductions in hospitalization.
As an adjunct to current services, Mental Health Emergency Room Extension (M-HERE) Units have
been established in most Regions/ LGEs. M-HEREs provide a specifically designated program
within hospital emergency departments to triage for behavioral health conditions. The services
include medical clearance, behavioral health assessment and evaluation, and crisis treatment of a
person in crisis to determine the level of service/resource need. The M-HERE provides the
opportunity for rapid stabilization in a safe, quiet environment, increasing the person‟s ability to
recognize and deal with the situations that may have initiated the crisis while working to increase and
improve the network of community and natural supports. All patients receive a medical screening
exam and appropriate medical evaluation.
M-HERE services include crisis stabilization and intervention; crisis risk assessment; nursing
assessments; extended psychiatric observation and evaluation; behavioral health co-occurring
evaluations; emergency medication; crisis support and counseling; information, liaison, advocacy
consultation, and linkage to other crisis and community services. The M-HERE model provides the
opportunity for close supervision, observation and interaction with patients. The treatment team staff
can make involuntary commitment decisions secondary to the behavioral health need of the
individual. The mix and frequency of services is based on each individual's crisis assessment and
treatment needs.
The Mental Health Emergency Room Extension (M-HERE) includes:
24/7 on site nursing coverage
Psychiatric physician on call availability
Social Work coverage necessary to assessment and development of discharge plans
Security services
Close patient observation and supervision
Discharge from the M-HERE is to one of the following: (1) an acute inpatient unit, (2) a detox unit
or co-occurring unit, (3) other community based crisis services (i.e., respite), or (4) other community
resources if continued crisis services are not indicated. The goal is to have at least one M-HERE in
each Region/ LGE. In addition, several Regions/ LGEs have at least one mobile crisis team, and
adult and child crisis respite. The status of the MHERE initiative is as follows:
MHSD: University Hospital
CAHSD: Earl K Long Hospital (recently opened)
Region 3: Chabert Hospital
Region 4: University Medical Center
Region 5: Memorial Hospital (This service is not funded for FY 2010)
Region 6: Huey P. Long Hospital –contract ended– never opened and never staffed.
Region 7: none
Region 8: none
FPHSA: none
JPHSA: West Jefferson Hospital (pending)
PART C LOUISIANA FY 2011 PAGE 123
SECTION III: ADULT PLAN – CRITERION 1
COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES -- SYSTEM OF CARE & AVAILABLE SERVICES