ECMC’s psychiatric ER making improvements, but ‘more work to be done’
This is the first story in a continuing series on the region’s mental health crisis and ECMC’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program. The second part airs Friday at 4:30 p.m. and a full web story will be published Monday Jan. 15.
ECMC’s 24-hour emergency psychiatric center continues to be the source of complaints from former patients one year after News 4 Investigates reported how the mental health crisis sometimes overwhelmed the facility with surging caseloads and long wait times.
ECMC leaders told News 4 Investigates that changes have been made, and more are planned, to improve services and communications with patients and families at its Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at the hospital on Grider Street in Buffalo.
News 4 Investigates spoke with six more patients this year, who complained about the environment or said a doctor didn’t evaluate them for over 24 hours to determine if they will be discharged. As a result, they remain in the CPEP milieu with dozens of other strangers in different levels of crisis, where they report regular occurrences of violence, lack of rest, terrible food, and rude staff.
“I feel like this is the big issue in this area: there’s not enough stable mental health places for these kids,” said Lisa, whose 18-year-old son, Jesse, has been to CPEP multiple times throughout his teenage life. “It’s always overcrowded, they’re always waiting around, waiting to get a room, waiting to be transferred.”
Emily Laskowski, 25, said you’re left in a room with strangers to “fend for yourself” and she quickly learned not to ask staff any questions because, “they’ll just ignore you.”
“I feel like it kind of makes you worse,” Laskowski said.
As a result of her experiences, Laskowski’s parents refuse to involve CPEP anymore if their daughter is in crisis.
“We’ll drive an hour and a half to the Southern Tier to take her to get help before we will go to ECMC,” said Jim Laskowski, Emily’s father.
ECMC said it has increased staffing levels and hired two new administrators – Ronald Schoelerman, vice president of ECMC’s behavioral health services, and Michelle Seay, assistant vice president to CPEP – to improve the program.
“There’s guidelines that the hospital has to follow, so it’s finding that balance between that and what we can provide,” said Schoelerman.
Seay said communication with families of loved ones in CPEP has improved.
“The patients that the families are in-house here waiting with their loved ones, we’ve added roundings, so someone will come out frequently to see if there is anybody that has any questions or have they been taken care of,” Seay said.
Mark O’Brien, Erie County’s commissioner of mental health, said ECMC has been involved in meeting with families, and has made some improvements as a result of the complaints.
But some complaints are out of the hospital’s control, such as unpredictable patient surges that can strain staff.
“There’s clearly more work to be done,” said Mark O’Brien, commissioner of Erie County’s Office of Mental Health.
On News 4 at 4:30 p.m., News 4 investigates interviews with CPEP leaders about plans to improve the region’s busiest emergency psychiatric facility and the response they got from the state.
Luke Moretti is an award-winning investigative reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2002. See more of his work here.
Dan Telvock is an award-winning investigative producer and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2018. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.
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