Connecting patients in crisis with immediate care

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The EmPATH unit transitions patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis from the ED to a therapeutic space designed to meet their needs.

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Joseph Smith, director of critical care at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.

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Dr. Andres Smith, medical director of emergency services at Sharp Chula Vista.

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Nancy Greengold, MD, MBA, chief operating officer at Sharp Chula Vista.

Joseph Smith, director of critical care at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, understands firsthand how stressful emergency departments in hospitals can be, especially for patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis. His sister has schizophrenia, so he uniquely recognizes the importance of bringing a dedicated emergency psychiatric assessment, treatment and healing (EmPATH) unit to the South Bay.

“This effort is deeply important to me personally and because I want the best for each of our patients,” he says. “We know that patients have better outcomes when we’re able to quickly stabilize them and set them up with the support, resources and medication they may need after they leave the hospital.”

Thanks to two philanthropic grants totaling over $6.4 million, Sharp Chula Vista constructed an EmPATH unit in the Emergency Department, focused on crisis stabilization.

“There’s a huge need in the South Bay for high-quality behavioral health care,” Smith says. “It’s important to see our community come together to support this.”

Inside the EmPATH unit

According to Dr. Andres Smith, medical director of emergency services at Sharp Chula Vista, it could take many hours for an individual experiencing a psychiatric crisis to be evaluated in a general emergency room and transferred to a specialty behavioral health facility.

The new Sharp Chula Vista EmPATH Unit, which is located within the Emergency Department, aims to quickly transition these patients into a therapeutic space specially designed to meet their needs and staffed by caregivers who specialize in behavioral health care. “This new space enables us to better serve our community and connect patients in crisis with immediate treatment and resources for their ongoing needs,” Dr. Smith says.

The new unit is possible because of grant funding secured by Sharp HealthCare Foundation, most significantly from the State of California and Price Philanthropies Foundation. Sharp Chula Vista was awarded nearly $3 million — one of only 11 statewide grants — from the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission for the initial costs of establishing the unit.

In June 2024, Price Philanthropies Foundation awarded a $7 million grant to Sharp HealthCare Foundation. The grant is the largest combined behavioral health-related grant in Sharp’s history and includes $3.5 million for Sharp Chula Vista’s emergency department transformation. The County Board of Supervisors approved Sharp Chula Vista’s contract for the ongoing costs of operating the EmPATH unit in January 2025.

“Sharp recognizes the dire need for the community to be able to access mental health and substance use disorder treatment services across different levels of care, including crisis care,” says Nancy Greengold, MD, MBA, chief operating officer at Sharp Chula Vista. “We are grateful to Price Philanthropies and are also proud to partner with the County to provide crisis stabilization services at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in our Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing Unit.”

The Sharp Chula Vista EmPATH Unit features six recliners in lieu of traditional patient beds, open space for patients to move around, 24/7 staffing by caregivers specifically trained to treat psychiatric emergencies, and soothing music and artwork to help calm patients.

The level of detail goes even further, from secure storage so patients can protect their belongings to special door handles that keep them safe while receiving care. “We want the best of the best for the patients and for this unit,” Dr. Smith says.

Impacting the greater community

The Sharp Chula Vista EmPATH Unit is the latest behavioral health initiative offered by Sharp. Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital is the largest private psychiatric treatment hospital in San Diego County. The Shiley Intensive Care Unit, which opened in the fall of 2023, also received $3.5 million from Price Philanthropies Foundation, moving past the $10 million goal through ENVISION: The Campaign for Sharp HealthCare. And Sharp offers intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) that serve individuals dealing with anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

“It’s important that every patient, whether they have a mental health or physical health condition, is treated with high quality, compassionate care,” Dr. Greengold says.

In California, 1 out of every 8 emergency department visits involve a mental health or substance abuse condition. From 2017 through 2021, Chula Vista had the most significant increase (64.5%) in the age-adjusted death rate due to alcohol-related disorders, according to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.

“Nationwide and here in the South Bay, there are many behavioral health conditions that are unaddressed because of a lack of resources,” Joseph Smith says. “I’m proud that Sharp is working to be part of the solution.”

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