ST. LOUIS, MO — As mental health continues to be a priority for the St. Louis area, SSM Health strives to ensure its communities have access to safe, high-quality, affordable health care services. In alignment with this commitment, SSM Health has opened its second Behavioral Health Urgent Care and Long-Acting Injection Clinic at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital to treat emotional and behavioral conditions for people suffering from mental health issues.
Located in the heart of St. Louis, the new Behavioral Health Urgent Care will help mitigate the growing demands of emergency services for individuals coping with anxiety, stress, depression, addiction, or unforeseen circumstances, and will serve as a resource for the community to access counselors, psychiatrists, nurses, and specialized therapists in one location.
“Just like the rest of the country, St. Louis suffers with not enough behavioral health resources or access to care while community health assessments continually point to mental health as one of the most pressing health issues in the St. Louis metropolitan area. But we are responding to that need,” said Dr. Erick Messias, Chair of Psychiatry at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health for SSM Health. “With this innovative model of a Behavioral Health Urgent Care next to a Long-Acting Injection Clinic, we are not only addressing the needs for St. Louis and Missouri by providing open access to the clinical expertise of SSM Health’s trusted behavioral health team to patients who need emergent and urgent care where they are and when they are in need without needing to make an appointment or find a provider, but also serving as a model for the region and beyond.”
The new Behavioral Health Urgent Care is a unique space that features 11 total patient examination rooms – eight for the Behavorial Health Urgent care and three for the Long-Acting Injection clinic – where SSM Health’s trusted behavioral health team will be working alongside St. Louis area-community partners, Places for People and the City of St. Louis’ Health department in the same clinical area. As part of the collaboration, Places for People will be providing behavioral health diagnostic and assessment services, as well as supporting patients as they exit services in collaboration with the city of St. Louis.
The new Behavioral Health Urgent Care and Long-Acting Injection Clinic were largely funded by donations raised through the Mabee Foundation and large gifts from donors secured by the SSM Health Foundation – St. Louis. Benefactors include the Mabee Foundation, Enterprise Mobility Foundation, The Berges Family Foundation, Lawrence Group, and Labcorp.
About SSM Health
Nationally recognized for quality and innovation, SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit, fully integrated health system working to advance health equity and empower all people to achieve their full potential.
With care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, SSM Health provides convenient access to high-quality community-based services as well as world-class academic medicine, clinical trials, and research studies. The organization’s footprint includes hospitals, physician offices, outpatient and virtual care services, senior care, comprehensive home care and hospice services, a fully transparent pharmacy benefit company, a health insurance company, and an accountable care organization. As one of the largest employers in every community it serves, the organization’s 40,000 team members and 13,900+ providers are dedicated to fulfilling SSM Health’s Mission: “Through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God.” Like our founding sisters, we care deeply for our communities -- SSM Health reported $470 million in community benefit in 2023, including the provision of more than $346 million in uncompensated care. For more information, find us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
About places for people
Since 1972, Places for People has provided a human approach to health and healing, with a focus on mental and physical health, as well as substance use disorders. The organization, which is one of the only Certified Community Behavioral Health Organizations (CCBHO) in St. Louis City or County, has 360+ employees and serves more than 3,150 people of all ages annually. Learn more at placesforpeople.org.
