Silver Hill urgent-assessment program reports steady referrals, staffing shift and lower per‑slot cost

Susanna Lewis, director of community relations and the urgent assessment program at Silver Hill, told the New Canaan Health and Human Services Commission that the program continues to provide rapid behavioral‑health assessments and follow‑up for local residents.

The program averages 12 new cases a month for the current program year, Lewis said, and has handled 308 total cases since it opened in July 2022. New Canaan is allocated roughly 16 slots per month (Weston contributes about four). Lewis said about 85 percent of program slots were used by New Canaan residents and that 64 percent of patients are age 26 or younger.

Lewis described two operational changes implemented this program year: moving assessments from the hospital—s admissions team into outpatient services and adding an aftercare coordinator. "We moved assessment to outpatient services," Lewis said, describing the change as intended to free clinicians from admissions duties and to strengthen the program—s handoffs and follow‑up.

Those staffing and workflow changes accompany a structured follow‑up protocol: a one‑week check to confirm referrals, a three‑week check to confirm an appointment was made/attended, and a…