The Alameda Model: An Effort Worth Emulating

Aimee Moulin,Kevin Jones

doi:10.5811/westjem.2013.11.20610

Abstract

The Alameda Model: An Effort Worth Emulating

Highlights

Because the mental health care system in California is fragmented and chronically under-funded, the burden of psychiatric care has predictably fallen on emergency physicians
Community mental health resources and funding have decreased steadily over recent years, with the number of acute inpatient psychiatric beds per capita decreasing by over 30% since 1995.1 In 1995, there were over 9,000 acute inpatient psychiatric beds, only to decrease each year to just 6,367 beds statewide in 2011.1,2 In addition, 25 of California’s 58 counties have no adult beds, and 45 have no pediatric beds, largely affecting rural counties and making post-discharge care nearly impossible – all while the number of acute psychiatric discharge diagnosis has been steadily increasing since 2007.2 As a result, the struggle to find resources to care for this challenging patient population has become all too familiar to most emergency physicians
The “Alameda Model” described by Zeller et al[3] is an example of a regional solution to the increasing problem of mental health patients boarding in emergency departments (ED)

Summary

Introduction

Because the mental health care system in California is fragmented and chronically under-funded, the burden of psychiatric care has predictably fallen on emergency physicians. The “Alameda Model” described by Zeller et al[3] is an example of a regional solution to the increasing problem of mental health patients boarding in emergency departments (ED).

Results

Conclusion