Transform psychiatric emergency care at the 2nd Annual EmPATH Summit—a national gathering bringing together hospital leaders, clinicians, policymakers, designers, and innovators committed to advancing the EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing) model.
Connect with industry leaders, gain insights into best practices, and explore how the EmPATH model is helping hospitals solve psychiatric Emergency Department boarding and improve emergency department throughput across the country.
It was an amazing opportunity to connect with passionate professionals who are rethinking the way we respond to mental health crises
The EmPATH Summit is designed for those who are leading change:
🛠 Designing or optimizing EmPATH units
🏥 Driving behavioral health strategy across hospitals and systems
🧠 Creating spaces that support dignity, safety, and recovery
🤝 Partnering across sectors to strengthen crisis response
🌍 Asking the essential question: How can we do this better?
2026 Summit Focus Areas
The EmPATH Impact
Stabilization time for the vast majority of psychiatric crisis cases
Therapeutic outcomes and patient satisfaction through compassionate care
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2025 Agenda
Registration Opens
The conference will commence at 2:00 PM CT, with registration beginning at 12:00 PM. Sessions and activities will continue throughout the day, concluding at approximately 6:00 PM.
Lunch & Exhibition Tour
Welcome to the Summit
Kimberly Walton
Director of Operations, Vituity
Senior Nurse Consultant, EmPATH Consulting
Welcome to Dallas
EmPATH – How it All Began
Creator of the EmPATH Model and Vice President of Acute Psychiatry
Vituity
Panel Discussion: Legislation, Funding, and Government Affairs: Advancing EmPATH’s Future
Imani Barnes
Georgia State Representative House District 86
Georgia General Assembly
Melanie Matney
System Chief Operating Officer & President
South Carolina Hospital Association
Shannon Miles
Assistant Vice President Behavioral Health
Atrium Health
Tony Cirillo
President-Elect
American College of Emergency Physician
Tea/Coffee & Snack Break
Optimizing ER Response to Behavioral Health Emergencies
From Chaos to Care: Effective Strategies For Psychiatric Care Management In Your ER Using Emergency Psychiatric Interventions (EPI)
S. Thomas & C. Carr
Transitioning From Crisis Intervention to The Behavior Support Team (Best): A Proactive Approach to Behavioral Health In The Emergency Setting
D. Betts & C. McMurray-Horton
A Brief Suicide-Focused Intervention for Effective ER & Empath Unit Care
D. Jobes
Christine Carr
Sr. Clinical Advisor
South Carolina Hospital Association
Seth Thomas
Director of Quality & Performance, Vituity Emergency Medicine; Creator of EPI & SMART Medical Cleara
Vituity
Donaldson Betts
Behavioral Support Team (BEST) Manager and Crisis Intervention Nurse Manager
Harris Health System
Charlzetta McMurray-Horton
Administrative Director for Nursing Strategic Initiatives, BEST (Behavioral Support Team)
Harris Health System
David Jobes
Professor of Psychology & Director, Suicide Prevention Laboratory, Catholic University of America
Creator of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)
Breaking Through the Chaos: The Journey of Mental Illness, Recovery and Advocacy
Networking & Exhibition Tour
Yoga (Optional)
Breakfast
Second Day Welcome & Day 1 Recap
Breaking Barriers: How Mental Illness Impacts Us All: Insights from a Super Bowl Champion & Healthcare Visionary
Bryant McKinnie
Super Bowl XLVII Champion, UM Sports Hall of Famer, College Football Hall of Famer
Mental Health Advocate
Imamu "Mu" Tomlinson
CEO, Vituity & Founder, Vituity Cares Foundation
Author, "Less Than One Percent Defy The Odds" and "Ma
One Year In: Lessons, Challenges, and Successes from Launching an EmPATH Unit
Inova Health System EmPATH Unit Spotlight
S. Flood
McNabb Center EmPATH Unit Spotlight
C. Allen
Lexington Medical Center EmPATH Unit Spotlight
M. Dawkins
Panel discussion
Sonja Flood
Senior Director, Behavioral Health Service Line
Inova Health System
Candace Allen
Clinical Vice President
Helen Ross McNabb Center
Tea/Coffee & Snack Break
Breakout: The Nuts and Bolts of EmPATH unit creation- Design, Construction, Hardware, Furnishing
Designing Healing Spaces: Enhancing Safety, Comfort, and Recovery in Emergency Psychiatric Care
S. Parker, D. White & M. Blackie
Care for Others as You Would Care for Those You Love: Lessons From Virginia’s First Psychiatric ED
B. Giebink, S. Johnson
EmPATH Units - A New Tool in The Continuum of Behavioral Healthcare: A Case Study on Geisinger Medical Center, Designed by Ewingcole
K. Heinonen & L. Boone
Neuroscience and the Built Environment: Advancing Brain Health and Resiliency
D. Beck & H. Khorazaty
Designing for EmPATH Success: A Case Study on M Health Fairview Southdale’s EmPATH Unit, Designed by BWBR
R. Levine, R. Johansen & D. Swiontkowski
Panel Discussion
Stephen Parker
Architect, Dedicated Mental & Behavioral Health Planner, Stantec
Author & Award-Winning Designer
Daniel White
Principal, Behavioral Health
Pineapple
Michelle Blackie
Head of Strategic Marketing
Pineapple
Brian Giebink
Architect, Behavioral and Mental Health Practice Leader
HDR Inc.
Stacey Johnson
Hospital President/VP
Riverside Mental Health & Recovery Center
Kelly Heinonen
Principal
EwingCole
LarriJo S. Boon
Clinical Nurse Expert and Design Researcher
EwingCole
Debbie Beck
Health Care Operations & Strategic Planning Executive, Principal
Perkins&Will
Hala El Khorazaty
Senior Healthcare Designer, Living Design Champion and Researcher on Brain Health
Perkins&Will
Rich Levine
Medical Director Adult Outpatient Mental Health and Addiction Service Line
Fairview Health Services
Ryan Johansen
Healthcare Practice Leader
BWBR
Devan Swiontkowski
Healthcare Planner
BWBR
Breakout: Where Does EmPATH Fit Within Overall Behavioral Health and Healthcare Systems?
Building a 21st Century Crisis System: Where do EmPATH Units Fit?
M. Balfour
Becoming a Thought Leader: How One Person at Your Hospital Can Drive Innovation
E. Arzubi
EmPATH in Action: Advancing a 'No Wrong Door' Approach to Community Mental Health Care
J. Bryant
Implementation and Impact at UK Healthcare: Strengthening Community Partnerships for Lasting Impact
A. Cooley, L. Jasinski & M. Woods
Panel Discussion
Margie Balfour
Chief of Quality & Clinical Innovation
Connections Health Solutions
Eric Arzubi
Child Psychiatrist & CEO, Frontier Psychiatry
Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale Child Study Center
James Bryant
Vice President Emergency Services
Centra Health
Andrew Cooley
Psychiatrist & Chief Medical Officer
UK Healthcare, University of Kentucky
Lindsey Jasinkski
Chief Administrative Officer
University of Kentucky Healthcare
Marc Woods
Chief Nursing Officer
University of Kentucky Healthcare
Lunch & Exhibition Tour
Breakout: Emergency Behavioral Health for Adolescent & Child Populations - Creating Pediatric EmPATH Units
Designing and Operating California’s First Pediatric and Adult EmPATH Unit: A Dual-Population Approach to Behavioral Health Care
S. Cardenas
Designing for Your Youth in Crisis
K. Turner & S. Reyes
EmPATH Unit Design for Adolescents: A Think Tank on Innovative Design Approaches Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Physical Mock-Up Simulations
R. Jafarifiroozabadi, S. Parker, K. Sopchak & C. Zhang
Advancing Pediatric Behavioral Health: University of Iowa Health Care’s EmPATH Expansion, ED Performance Gains & Enhanced Care Within Infrastructure Limits
A. Harmon & V. Pankey
Innovative Integration of EmPATH in Pediatric Emergency Pathway (EmPATH) Care: Quantitative and Qualitative Outcomes – an Atlanta Perspective
S. Khan
Silvano Cardenas
Behavioral Health Project Manager, Loma Linda University Health
Adjunct Professor, La Sierra University
Kevin Turner
Principal Architect
human eXperience
Sherri Reyes
Principal & Behavioral Healthcare Consultant
human eXperience
Roxana Jafarifiroozabadi
Texas A&M University
Stephen Parker
Architect, Dedicated Mental & Behavioral Health Planner, Stantec
Author & Award-Winning Designer
Kelly Sopchak
Clinical Director
UT Health San Antonio
Cheng Zhang
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Texas A&M University
Alison Harmon
Director of Nursing in Dept. of Emergency Medicine & Transport Services & Crisis Stabilization Unit
University of Iowa Health Care
Virginia Pankey
Principal/Behavior Health Practice Leader
HOK
Sofia Khan
Breakout: The “T” Of EmPATH Stands For Treatment - Treatment Modalities and Insights for EmPATH Care
The Therapeutic Power of Compassion Focused Therapy: Creating Connection and Safety in the EmPATH Unit
Y. Kim
Suicide Prevention, Identification, Management and After Care in the ER
A. Chu
The Art and Science of De-Escalation: Building Skills for Effective, Compassionate Emergency Psychiatric Care
K. Walton
Seamless Transitions: Achieving Responsible Discharges with Data-Driven Care Coordination
T. Longo
Young Kwon Kim
Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Inova Fairfax EmPATH Unit
Licensed Professional Counselor & State Board Approved Supervisor (MD/VA)
Adam Chu
Assistant Director
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Kimberly Walton
Director of Operations, Vituity
Senior Nurse Consultant, EmPATH Consulting
Tea/Coffee & Snack Break
Panel Discussion: Building a High-Performing EmPATH Team: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Success
Nicole Williams
Psychiatrist; Assistant Medical Director, TelePsychiatry
Vituity
Rachael Kieffer
Nurse Manager, EmPATH Unit
MHealth Fairview Southdale Hospital
Kim White
Clinical Supervisor EmPATH Unit and Emergency Department
MHealth Fairview Southdale
Drew White
Interim Medical Director, Psychiatric Emergency Services; Lead APP, Psychiatry & Behavioral Health
Centra Health
Greg Renck
Founder and President
QLER Physician Medical Group
Closing Remarks
Announce EmPATH Team of the Year