Children’s Behavioral Health Emergency Department & Urgent Care Center
Children with suicidal thoughts, severe anxiety, or other urgent behavioral health crises need help right away. In the Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) pediatric emergency department, children age 15 and younger can be quickly evaluated by a dedicated behavioral health emergency team. Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) coordinates behavioral health care for children and teens through the pediatric emergency department at YNHH. Teenagers who are 16 and older receive care through the adult emergency department.
Services
Assessment is provided for a variety of symptoms and conditions. Examples include severe depression or anxiety, a suicide attempt, aggressive behaviors, and behavioral dysregulation or psychosis. Some patients have also been the victim of trauma or abuse.
In partnership with the YNHH pediatric emergency department, we also participate in the nationwide Zero Suicide initiative. This means that we assess every emergency department patient over the age of 12 for suicide risk, regardless of their reason for being there. We also appropriately treat all patients who have suicidal thoughts or behaviors. The initiative hopes to identify at-risk patients early enough to prevent suicides.
When we meet with a patient in crisis, we perform a behavioral health evaluation. We support the patient and their family through this time of need and provide treatment. Our team of social workers and other behavioral health providers screen for suicide risk and depression, then perform a safety risk assessment. We work with patients and families to find the best care to meet each patient’s needs while keeping them safe. Our team also has a referral service to help patients receive care after they leave the emergency department.
Some patients are admitted to the Children’s Psychiatric Inpatient Service (CPIS) when they leave the emergency department. Others are discharged and sent to an intensive outpatient program at our Children’s Day Hospital. Some receive in-home services through our Intensive In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (IICAPS) program. A psychiatric urgent care center will open within the children’s emergency department in late 2025. This will be a separate, dedicated psychiatric-safe space where children and their families can feel more comfortable and supported. It is Connecticut’s only hospital-based urgent crisis center.
