Emergency rooms are places people go for care, but the busy environment can often overwhelm patients experiencing a mental health crisis and even exacerbate the situation.

To better help those in mental distress, Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital announced Wednesday that it’s using a $4 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Health to create its own Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing unit.

The 4,000-square-foot EmPATH unit will be housed in existing space adjacent to the ER and will allow patients experiencing a mental or behavioral crisis to be evaluated in a calm, living-room style environment, according to a hospital press release.

Funding for the unit was secured through a direct appropriation by Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald, Assemblywoman Meli

See Full Page