Psychiatric Emergency Department Visits After Regional Expansion of Community Health Centers

What is it about?

• Community Health Centers (CHCs) supply primary care and mental health services to low-income populations in the US. • Access to affordable preventive care may reduce reliance on Emergency Departments (EDs) for psychiatric care. • The analysis of over 18 million ED visits across 143 counties in 9 US states (2006-2011) indicates that an increase in patients seen at CHCs corresponds with a reduction in outpatient psychiatric ED visits. • By integrating mental health services into primary care, expanded CHC coverage appears to reduce psychiatric ED visits.

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