Top Hospital Chain Branches Out into Psychiatric Urgent Care

Hackensack Meridian Health, the largest hospital chain in New Jersey, is merging with Carrier Clinic as the first step in staking a claim in an emerging urgent care “specialty.” Hackensack and Carrier, which specializes in treating patients with substance abuse and mental health issues, will open an urgent care facility specifically for patients with such concerns in Neptune, NJ. The aim will be to offer walk-in care for patients in crisis, largely in order to divert them from the emergency room where they could end up waiting a long time to see a mental health professional. It is also expected to cut costs and reduce traffic in the ED. An inpatient facility is planned for Bergen County, NJ, not far from New York City. The New Jersey Hospital Association estimates that between one-third and one-half of patients who go to the ED have an underlying mental health condition.