Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, Inc. (SJUMC) is the flagship medical center of St. Joseph’s Health, a New Jersey-based healthcare system. SJUMC is the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services-designated Screening Center for Passaic County, NJ for psychiatric emergencies, crisis intervention services, information and referral. The $1,000,000 funding allocated through HRSA’s Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS): Construction Projects for our Emergency Department (ED) Psychiatric Screening Center will be used to completely renovate approximately 3,000 square feet of existing physical structure. It will allow St. Joseph’s Health to relocate and expand the treatment/holding space for psychiatric patients in the St. Joseph’s University Medical Center ED in order to enhance access to services and provide better health outcomes. The new ED Psychiatric Screening Center will be relocated to a larger space and accommodate additional psychiatric ED beds that will allow for better care, assessment and treatment prior to patients accessing the next level of service they need. The larger space will also allow for the creation of a centralized nurses’ station and a single suite Call Center, resulting in the co-location of staff in the ED. In addition, the space that was previously occupied by the Psychiatric Screening Center will be fully renovated for occupancy to support the treatment of our geriatric patient population admitted into the ED. The renovation and redesign of this space will allow for a safer and more comfortable patient environment and increased staff collaboration, resulting in better care and treatment of our patients.
