By Nathan Daggett / Assistant News Director

CentraCare has recently received a $1.2 million grant to help implement an innovative care model for adult patients who are experiencing emergency mental health needs.

Funding to construct this new unit was made available through The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and construction is already underway for the Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing Unit (EmPATH Unit) at CentraCare – St. Cloud Hospital.

This new EmPATH Unit will provide a model of care that transitions patients into a more welcoming and calm setting.

Merryssa Wood, a Nurse Practitioner in Behavior Health at CentraCare – St. Cloud says, “The EmPATH Unit will make it possible for us to provide more focused care during a time of crisis and offer support and treatment that can sometimes be limited in traditional emergency department settings”.

The construction on the EmPATH Unite is expected to be completed by early summer.