Last Thursday morning, Sinai Chicago celebrated the expansion of Behavioral Health Services at Holy Cross Hospital. Cutting the ceremonial ribbon was President and CEO of Sinai Chicago Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
“At Sinai Chicago, we’re committed to advancing health equity for the patients and communities we serve,” said Ngozi. “A critical aspect of these efforts is addressing the real needs of our communities and we know that mental health is an important need.”
This story actually began as far back as 2015 when Sinai opened a pilot Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) at Holy Cross with room for about a dozen temporary patients. Championed by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart who had traveled the country raising awareness of “the overincarceration of people with serious mental health illness,” the idea of the CSU was to have a place where police officers can bring non-violent offenders needing urgent mental health treatment instead of just taking them to jail.
At that time, with policies changing, mental health budgets being slashed and mental health facilities closing, Dart estimated that 30 percent of the prison population did not belong in prison, but rather they, as well as, the state could be better served by getting them the treatment needed. Within the next four years the pilot unit served over 5,000 patients, 70 percent of whom were treated and able to go back to living normal lives.
This brings us to 2019, when Sinai opened the Chicago area’s first comprehensive medical unit created specifically to treat patients experiencing mental health crises. On hand in July of that year to cut the ceremonial ribbon on the $6.5 million unit at Holy Cross were Governor. J B Pritzker and Sheriff Dart. The unit would also serve as an alternative to the emergency room with specially trained medical personnel.
At the 2019 opening Dart said, “We know that 60 percent of those diagnosed with mental illness never receive treatment and unfortunately the police and our jails are picking up the brunt of this. We need dedicated places like this.”
Since that time, with the support of politicians and community groups, hospital after hospital across the region has opened up similar clinics. Holy Cross was the first to attempt such an endeavor in the region and has set the stage for those that have followed.
Behavioral Health and Under the Rainbow, as this new endeavor is being called, will offer a variety of outpatient health and substance use services for individuals of all ages. It will include The Center for Addiction, Treatment and Recovery which will provide “an advanced hospital-based drug and alcohol withdrawal management program focusing on individual needs.”
Additionally, Holy Cross will provide a 24/7 Emergency Psychiatric Triage service for crisis assessment, intervention and referrals. Critical services like these will give support to patients on their recovery journey.
This endeavor marks a significant milestone in the commitment of Sinai Chicago and Holy Cross to providing behavioral health and addiction treatment services with compassionate care to the communities it serves.
My favorite part of this article is the section on “At that time, with policies changing, mental health budgets being slashed and mental health facilities closing, Dart estimated that 30 percent of the prison population did not belong in prison, but rather they, as well as, the state could be better served by getting them the treatment needed. Within the next four years the pilot unit served over 5,000 patients, 70 percent of whom were treated and able to go back to living normal lives.” – That is so great that so many people were able to go from prison, back to living normal lives, all from receiving the right treatment. That’s so life changing!