Trumbull Regional Medical Center hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday to celebrate the opening of their new Behavioral Health Suite Thurday, Aug. 19.

President of Trumbull Regional Medical Center, Krista McFadden says this addition was necessary to the hospital to provide the behavioral health population with a space that meets their needs. McFadden notes that behavioral health patients have unique needs and the fast-paced environment of the emergency department could hinder treatment.

"What we have found is when you have behavioral health patients in the middle of the department, often times the fast pace that the emergency department keeps can often exacerbate conditions and cause patients to act out more and cause issues surrounding their receptiveness to care and our ability to deliver that care to them," McFadden said.

Department of Emergency Medicine Chairman, Robert Moosally notes that in addition to providing a safe and accommodating environment for patients, this new addition also makes treating these patients easier for staff.

"We felt that we needed to create an area that would give them the tools that they needed right at hand rather than having to run around the department to look for them, give them the staff that they needed and the environment that gave them direct access to the patients at all times while they were here," Moosally said.

Coleman Health Services' Director of Access Services, Katie Cretella says Coleman Health Services has been waiting for this expansion for quite some time and she is happy to see it completed. 

Coleman Health Services is a non-profit organization with locations in nine counties throughout Ohio and servicing 22 counties total. The organization is partnered with Trumbull Regional Medical Center as well as Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board providing behavioral health care.

"It's great because [patients] are triaged and then they're brought right back to the behavioral health area so then they're able to be seen back here. Our Coleman staff are able to get to them in a timely manner, be able to complete the assessment and then direct them to wherever they need to go," Cretella said.