MUSC Health Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment & Healing (EmPATH) Unit MUSC University Medical Center in Charleston, SC

Located within MUSC University Medical Center Emergency Room in downtown Charleston, the EmPATH Unit provides emergency psychiatric evaluation and short-term stabilization care for adults experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Patients are transferred from the emergency department to a dedicated EmPATH unit, where a psychiatric provider begins assessment within one hour of arrival. Designed to feel different from a traditional emergency room, patients have the freedom to move around, participate in therapeutic activities, and rest in a comfortable, quieter environment while receiving care. EmPATH stays are short-term - typically up to 72 hours - focused on stabilization and coordinating the right next step.