Eureka, CA (October 2, 2017) – St. Joseph Health, Humboldt County is pleased to announce that
patients who arrive at the Emergency Departments (ED) at Redwood Memorial
Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in need of psychiatric treatment and
evaluation will now have increased access to a psychiatrist through a new
telepsychiatry service.
Telehealth uses telecommunication and information technology to provide
clinical care remotely using privacy-protected technology that is similar
to tele-conferencing. Telehealth is a service provided by health care
organizations across the nation to provide access to specialties, like
psychiatry, that are difficult to fill in rural communities. The
telepsychiatry technology was developed in-house by the Providence Health and Services
telehealth team and provides access at an affordable cost.
“Now, physicians in our Emergency Department are able to work in
tandem with psychiatric clinicians remotely to evaluate and determine
the needs of patients in a much more efficient and comprehensive manner,”
said Traci Siler, St. Joseph Health, Humboldt County’s Area Director
of Nursing in the ED. “This is providing more immediate access to
psychiatric care.”
As community hospitals, Redwood Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital
care for patients who have a medical need and partner with the County
and local psychiatrists to evaluate patients who have a psychiatric need,
such as depression or suicidal ideation or attempt. This telehealth service
will supplement these current standards of care already in place to help
reduce the patients wait time to see a provider.
This service is currently available 7 days a week from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. in
the ED at both hospitals, as well as in inpatient units at Redwood Memorial
Hospital. Local psychiatrists will continue to provide psychiatric coverage
to inpatient units at St. Joseph Hospital. The service will be expanded
to the night shift (7 p.m.-7 a.m.) at St. Joseph Hospital Eureka and Redwood
Memorial Hospital in early 2018.
About St. Joseph Hospital
St. Joseph Hospital has been serving the health care needs of Humboldt
County since 1920. Comprised of two campuses, St. Joseph Hospital and
the General Hospital campus are located within a quarter mile of each
other in Eureka. SJH offers comprehensive services including emergency,
cardiac services in The Heart Institute, an accredited Cancer Program,
Women's and Children's Services in the Childbirth Center (including
Pediatric Care and the only Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nursery
(NICU) on the North Coast), Neurosurgery, and Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine.
About St. Joseph Health, Redwood Memorial Hospital
Redwood Memorial Hospital is a 25 bed Critical Care Access Hospital and
a full-service, acute care facility dedicated to physically, emotionally,
and spiritually uplifting our patients and their families. Redwood Memorial
Hospital's holistic, patient-centered care philosophy reflects the
belief that treating the patient's mind, body, and spirit and keeping
the patient's needs at the forefront of all decisions results in more
rapid healing and a more positive experience for the patient. Redwood
Memorial hospital features a state-of-the-art surgery wing, radiology
department, telerobot for remote physician consultations, 24/7 emergency
room, critical care unit and outpatient rehabilitation services.