Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program
The Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) at St. Luke’s Hospital is currently the only CPEP for
patients under the age of eighteen residing north of 96th Street in Manhattan. This service is available
24-hour per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year and is accessed through the Emergency Department.
The service provides emergency evaluation and stabilization to approximately 1000 acutely ill children
and teenagers per year. Most commonly, these children and adolescents present with suicidal ideation or
suicide attempts, disruptive behaviors, acute psychotic symptoms (paranoia and/or hallucinations),
and/or acute mood disorders. As our primary goal is managing the child’s symptoms in the least restrictive
setting, many may be stabilized in our pediatric Extended Observation Bed (EOB). This allows for a 72-hour
period of stabilization and extended evaluation as a possible alternative to inpatient psychiatric
hospitalization. Once stabilized, they are then referred for intensive outpatient follow-up through our
Crisis Service. If this acute intervention is not sufficient, then some of these patients are candidates
for acute psychiatric hospitalization and are currently referred to inpatient treatment at other New York City area
hospitals.
For Information, contact: