Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP)

This service sees close to 12,000 patients annually, the highest number of any CPEP in New York State. Most psychiatric emergencies and all involuntary psychiatric patients from Erie County come through this unit. During your emergency psychiatry rotation, you will be involved in all aspects of its operations.

At least one supervising psychiatrist is available for consultation 24 hours a day.

You will evaluate patients coming into the emergency room (triage), and you will provide treatment and disposition for these patients. You will also be responsible for the treatment and disposition of patients in extended observation beds, and you will provide consultation to Crisis Services and the hospital’s emergency department.

Diagnoses include:

• psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia (33 percent)
• bipolar disorder (20 percent)
• major depression (20 percent)
• personality disorder (15 percent)
• anxiety disorder (10 percent)
• other disorders (2 percent)
  

About 80 percent of all patients also have a comorbid substance use disorder.

• 16 percent younger than 18
• 41 percent ages 18 to 34
• 38 percent ages 35 to 64
• 5 percent older than 65
• 53 percent male
  
• 47 percent female
• 68 percent Caucasian
• 24 percent African-American
• 3 percent Hispanic
• 5 percent other ethnicities