b'Patient #3: 39-year-old maleA 39-year-old male with a history of post-traumatic stress disorder anddepression comes to the ED with concerns about side-effects from hismedications. He also relates ongoing symptoms from his mental healthconditions that affect his ability to function at home and at work.He does not have a consistent mental health provider.What happened in the ED and afterward:The emergency physician conducted a history, physical exam, medication review, and suicide risk evaluation. All were consistent with known diagnoses and there was little risk of suicide, but there were significant enough side effects to change his medications. The patient was counseled, and a new prescription was given, with recommendations to find a mental health provider in an outpatient clinic.What this visit reveals about the health of the health care system:The emergency department is often a landing zone for unaddressed issues in our health care system. Mental illnesses are common in the U.S., with over 50 million adults affected. 10Approximately one in eight visits to emergency departments involve mental and substance use disorders, and the rate of visits is increasing. 11While mental health issues are appropriately screened and stabilized in the ED, long-term management or inpatient treatment may not be available, and some patients are boarded in the ED for days or weeks, awaiting inpatient placement. Many of these ED visits are entirely avoidable with consistent use of appropriate outpatient care. 10Our nations mental health crisis is well known. The lack of resources are well documented, and solutions have been elusive for years. Alone, the ED cannot solve the larger issues of funding, availability of inpatient services, or address social issues that are frequently present. This requires more than Care in the Gap. However, given the high frequency of contact with this important population, the ED can play a key role in deploying future solutions. The ED can connect patients with appropriate resources including mental health professionals, pharmacy services, and increasingly, telemedicine consultations. The nations mental health crisis is significant indeed.Leveraging the frequent in-person contact the ED already has with these patients represents yet another important opportunity for our health care system.Together, we healTogether, we heal 144Together, we heal SCP HEALTHIFROM INSIGHTS TO INTERVENTIONS'