What Are Access Centers?

A mental health crisis can strike when you least expect it. Fortunately, Intermountain Health has Behavioral Health Access Centers to meet your urgent needs. We offer psychiatric and crisis care for people who are 18-years-old and up. Our access centers are ideal for people who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis without a medical emergency.

Behavioral Health Access Centers offer immediate crisis treatment, observation, and fast access to mental health treatment from licensed behavioral health professionals. This allows you to get the best level of care and lowers the overall costs.

Our Behavioral Health Access Centers kind of work like an emergency room. You’ll be given a medical exam and mental health evaluation. This helps our caregivers figure out what resources you need to give you the right type of care for your condition.

There are a lot of reasons why someone may need to come to a Behavioral Health Access Center. A few examples include:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Suicidal Thoughts
  • Psychosis
  • Mania
  • Delusions
  • Substance Abuse

Patient Care Managers are in charge of making sure there’s a solid treatment plan for patients going forward. Most patients leave the Behavioral Health Access Center with a follow-up appointment that’s scheduled within four-to-six days.

What to Expect

Check-In

A nurse will check you in and may have you change into a gown. Your clothing and belongings will be put into a secure locker for you. This is to ensure safety for everyone.

Medical Evaluation

You will be shown to a room where you will meet with a caregiver who will ask you some questions and do a brief medical exam. This helps us make your care team aware of any other medical conditions that need to be addressed as part of your treatment plan.

Discuss Options

After being medically cleared you will speak with a crisis worker, a licensed mental health practitioner, who is trained in mental health crises. You will talk with them about what brought you in and the best options for your treatment.

Psychiatrist Evaluation

After meeting with the crisis worker, you may need to meet with a psychiatrist (as available) to talk about your treatment options further, as well as medication options.

Treatment Plan

Finally, you and your care team will decide on a treatment plan. Most people either go home with a follow-up plan or stay for a 24-hour monitoring period. If you do need to be admitted into inpatient care, it will be included as part of your treatment plan. You can learn more about inpatient care here.

Access Center Locations