EvergreenHealth-Monroe improving psychiatric patient safety

EvergreenHealth-Monroe will use a $10,000 grant from its insurance provider to develop safety protocols and renovate space within the hospital to handle a growing intake of psychiatric patients.

"Our facility, like all the other hospitals around the state, is seeing an increase in psychiatric patients,GÇ¥ said Lisa LaPlante, chief quality officer at EvergreenHealth.

Once Fairfax Behavioral Health opens its 34-bed psychiatric care facility within EvergreenHealth's Monroe campus, the number of patients with mental illness coming through the hospital will most likely increase further, LaPlante said.

In order to improve the safety of those patients and hospital staff, LaPlante applied for a grant through EvergreenHealth's insurance provider, Coverys, which specializes in medical professional mutual insurance.

"We kind of consult with them on regular basis for anything going on in the hospital,GÇ¥ LaPlante said. "I had to identify the problem and the need for the project.GÇ¥

Monroe was one of 17 hospitals and health facilities to receive grants from the Coverys Community Healthcare Foundation, which made more than $140,000 in awards.

Fairfax will provide training to hospital staff and a psychiatric patient safety plan will be implemented within EvergreenHealth-Monroe's emergency department.

Psychiatric patients coming through the emergency department often require medication and being given a room in the hospital while waiting for a bed to open up at a treatment facility, such as Fairfax. LaPlante said availability in the area is lacking.

"These patients deserve care just as much as anyone else,GÇ¥ she said. "We're going to make sure we're able to care for them appropriately.GÇ¥

On top of developing a psychiatric patient safety plan, the hospital is working to identify several rooms to be renovated for holding patients, where harmful objects are able to be locked out of harm's way or easily removed.

"It's an environment where they can't hurt themselves, hurt others,Gǥ LaPlante said."Our normal rooms will have drawers with equipment like scissors and dressing. GǪ You can't have regular lights in there, things that can be broken, sharp objects; those types of things.Gǥ

Currently, the hospital will place psychiatric patients in rooms with one-on-one sitters to make sure they don't harm themselves, which is taxing on resources, LaPlante said.

"We haven't had any bad outcomes,GÇ¥ she said, "but we do want to be as safe as possible moving forward.GÇ¥

EvergreenHealth expects to meet several requirements of the Coverys grant ahead of a set timeline, which includes having a team formed by July to identify risk areas, creating policy procedures and forming a safe room team. The hospital has already entered into a contract with Fairfax for psychiatric telephone consultations. The hospital wants to have an education plan formed by next October and increase security in the emergency room by next November, with possibly more social workers added.