Emergency Assessment

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I contact the Emergency Assessment Department?
Call 1-800-875-5566 or 1-248-849-3075. A psychiatric assessment professional is on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If the assessment clinician is evaluating a patient when you call, he or she will return your call at the number you leave on your message.

What happens when I call?
You will talk directly with a master's prepared social worker, psychologist, counselor or psychiatric nurse, working under the direction of a psychiatrist. If an assessment is urgent, the clinician on call will ask you to arrange for safe transfer to the Providence Emergency Room for an assessment. In a non-urgent situation, they will provide a referral for an outpatient assessment.

What happens during an emergency assessment?
For persons at risk, psychiatric assessment can save lives. In a psychiatric assessment the master's prepared clinician will see the patient in the Providence emergency department. They will gather information about the person's situation by asking about the person's state of mind, recent activities and particular concerns.

The goal of the assessment is to determine whether the patient is suffering from a psychiatric or substance abuse disorder and, if so, the type of disorder, its severity, and the kind of treatment that would best address it.

The clinician will make recommendations for treatment and refer the patient to the appropriate program, working with the patient's care management team and the insurance representatives for the necessary authorizations.