Crisis Center serves over 1,200 people
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Cooperstown, NY— It was February 15, 2008 that the psychiatric crisis center at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown officially opened its doors, filling a void created by the termination of psychiatric services at Fox Hospital months earlier. Since then, Bassett’s psychiatric crisis center has helped more than 1200 patients, most of whom are adults. Fifty-two were children 12 years of age or younger and 154 of the individuals who came to the crisis center were adolescents. | | Psychiatric crisis center team (Back row, left to right): Ellen Spencer, R.N., nursing director; Joanne Koscuisko, R.N., Patty Rood, R.N., emergency department; Karrie Novak, transition coordinator, Tom Davis, patient care assistant. (Front row, left to right) Mary McCarthy, R.N., Ken Hotaling, transition coordinator. | | Bassett’s Chief Psychiatrist Dr. Celeste Johns said, “The New York State Office of Mental Health and the directors of community services for Otsego, Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties asked Bassett to step in and provide psychiatric crisis services when the other center closed because there was a clear need. That’s even more apparent now. We immediately exceeded expectations, seeing an average of five people a day and there is no sign that trend is going to let up.”To handle the increased responsibility that comes with operating a psychiatric crisis center, Bassett hired several psychiatric nurses aides and social workers and two additional psychiatrists. There are currently six psychiatrists on staff, and Bassett is recruiting to hire more, at least one of whom will specialize in the treatment of children and adolescents. The psychiatric crisis center hotline number is 877-369-6699 or 607-431-5412 and is open around the clock, seven days a week. Any person experiencing a psychiatric crisis during the day or afterhours may go to Bassett’s emergency department or their nearest hospital emergency department where they will be stabilized and transferred as necessary. Additionally, during daytime hours, a person’s local county mental health clinic is equipped to deal with ongoing psychiatric care and conduct crisis evaluations.
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