Tuesday, April 29, 2025
4/29/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - SUMMARY: Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) plans to construct a new 2,996 square foot mental health support area as part of a larger expansion planned for its Emergency Department (ED). The mental health area will include four (4) emergency department mental health exam rooms with beds, a common room, and two easily accessible bathrooms (each with a shower and toilet) within the support area. While this mental health support area is intended to be part of a larger ED expansion (currently in the planning stages), it has been designed to be a constructed first as a standalone project to increase bed capacity for people in mental health crisis. The new mental health area will be connected to the current ED and staffed with ED employees, as well as fully integrated with the expanded ED once that larger project commences at a later date. NEED: The growing mental health crisis in our communities, statewide and throughout the nation, has reached a critical point in the Northeast Kingdom (NEK) of Vermont where NVRH is located. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. Currently, The NEK lacks sufficient facilities and resources to address the increased number of community members in need of emergency mental health care. Often, the NVRH ED is on the front lines of caring for these people, both adolescents and adults. Unfortunately, when built 50 years ago, the ED was not constructed to provide adequate space to care for people experiencing a mental health crisis, nor was the space constructed to ensure the safety of the providers and families members attempted to help. Many patients end up in a “holding pattern” in one of the nine ED beds, awaiting placement in an appropriate treatment facility, and occupying a bed for hours (or days) making it unavailable for incoming ED cases. MEETING THE NEED: Having this expanded bed capacity, designed specifically for people experiencing a mental health crisis, will significantly improve the care NVRH is able to provide to the community, as well as free existing ED beds for other emergency care needs. Although it will not be a locked area, the mental health area will have a “secure vest” that allows the possibility to secure the area if, in the very rare occurrences, physical safety of any individual (patient or staff) is of concern.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).