Behavioral Health Emergency Rooms: How Connecticut Hospitals Are Redesigning Crisis Care
Behavioral health emergency rooms are replacing chaotic, high-stimulation settings with calmer spaces designed to stabilize adults, children and adolescents experiencing a mental health crisis.
Based on reporting by Katy Golvala for CT Mirror • July 28, 2026
What are behavioral health emergency rooms?
Behavioral health emergency rooms are specialized hospital spaces created for people experiencing psychiatric crises. Models such as EmPATH units provide rapid medical screening, psychiatric assessment, stabilization and discharge planning in a quieter, less restrictive environment than a conventional emergency department.
Behavioral health emergency rooms are changing how Connecticut hospitals respond to mental health crises. Griffin Health, Stamford Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital have created specialized units that emphasize natural light, open space, psychiatric expertise and continuity of care.
Why traditional emergency rooms can worsen a mental health crisis
Busy emergency departments are designed for rapid medical triage, trauma care and acute physical illness. Crowds, alarms, bright lights and limited privacy can increase anxiety, confusion and agitation for people experiencing psychiatric distress.
Safety procedures may also require patients to surrender their belongings and change into paper clothing. While these precautions can reduce immediate risk, they can feel impersonal and punitive during an already vulnerable moment.
How Griffin Health redesigned emergency psychiatric care
Griffin Health’s 12-person EmPATH unit in Derby is physically separate from the main emergency department but remains part of hospital operations. Patients receive a brief medical assessment before moving into the psychiatric treatment space as quickly as possible.
The unit includes natural light, recliner chairs and open areas rather than conventional emergency-room bays. Behavioral health specialists work to stabilize patients within 12 to 48 hours and connect them with outpatient services.
Health systems considering similar models can explore strategic and operational guidance through Inflect Advisory and healthcare innovation programs through Inflect Studio.
3 hospitals
Griffin, Stamford and Yale New Haven are opening or operating redesigned crisis units.
12–48 hrs
Griffin’s EmPATH team aims to stabilize patients and connect them to outpatient care.
50% increase
Griffin reported growth in psychiatric crisis arrivals since 2019.
1,500 yearly
Estimated patients to be served by Yale New Haven’s pediatric crisis center.
Behavioral health emergency rooms for children and adolescents
Stamford Hospital and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital have opened specialized crisis units for younger patients. Both systems designed their programs around the growing number of children and adolescents arriving at emergency departments with depression, suicidal thoughts and other urgent behavioral health needs.
Stamford’s EmPATH-based unit will stabilize children, connect families with community services and continue behavioral health support for as long as 12 weeks after discharge.
Why pediatric follow-up is essential
Provider shortages often leave families without timely outpatient care after an emergency visit. Stamford’s extended follow-up model is intended to close that gap, support families and reduce the chance that children return to the emergency department before receiving ongoing treatment.
Yale New Haven’s Children’s Crisis Intervention Center similarly emphasizes continuity of care. Hospital leaders expect the program to serve approximately 1,500 patients each year.
Connecticut’s broader crisis care network
Connecticut also supports four privately operated Urgent Crisis Centers in Hartford, New Haven, New London and Waterbury. These programs were created as alternatives to hospital emergency departments for children experiencing serious behavioral health needs.
For additional crisis-care information, families and providers can review resources from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and youth mental health data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What the new crisis units cost
Yale New Haven’s pediatric crisis center cost $4.6 million and was funded through state grants. Stamford Hospital’s unit cost $2.7 million and was financed primarily through private donations. Griffin Health did not publicly disclose the cost of its EmPATH unit.
The investments reflect a growing recognition that emergency psychiatric care requires spaces, staffing and workflows designed specifically for behavioral health needs.
Key design principles for behavioral health emergency rooms
- Reduce sensory overload. Natural light, quieter surroundings and open layouts can support de-escalation.
- Begin psychiatric treatment quickly. Patients should not wait for hours in a conventional emergency bay before meeting a behavioral health specialist.
- Preserve dignity and autonomy. The environment should feel therapeutic rather than custodial.
- Plan beyond discharge. Follow-up connections are especially important for children and families facing provider shortages.
- Integrate with the hospital. Specialized units still need access to medical evaluation, emergency services and inpatient care.
A more compassionate standard for psychiatric emergencies
Behavioral health emergency rooms and EmPATH units give hospitals a way to provide immediate psychiatric care without exposing patients to the most stressful elements of a traditional emergency department. Connecticut’s new programs show how hospital design, staffing and care coordination can work together to create a more humane crisis response.
Read Original Article
Read Katy Golvala’s full reporting on how Connecticut hospitals are redesigning emergency care for adults and children experiencing behavioral health crises.