Refer a Client to EMHS: A Step-by-Step Guide

When you refer a client to EMHS, here’s exactly what happens, from your first call through the warm handoff at their next step. This guide walks through the process so you know what your client will experience and what you’ll hear back.

What EMHS Provides

Emergent Mental Health Services (EMHS) provides same-day, walk-in behavioral health stabilization for adults (18+) in Phoenix. In short, EMHS occupies the space between the emergency department and the outpatient waitlist: the missing middle. No cold referrals, no dropped handoffs. EMHS stays with clients until they are connected.

When to Refer to EMHS vs. Inpatient

EMHS is the right referral when your client:

• Is an adult in behavioral health crisis who does not require hospitalization or continuous medical monitoring.
• Needs same-day stabilization, assessment, or bridge medication management.
• Would benefit from immediate case management and a warm handoff to their next level of care.
• Has co-occurring substance use concerns alongside a mental health need (EMHS coordinates with the right level of substance use care as part of the referral).

However, inpatient or emergency care remains the right call when a client is in immediate danger to themselves or others, or needs continuous medical monitoring.

The Referral Process, Step by Step

1. Call or send the referral. Reach the EMHS team at 623-278-4610, or fax supporting documentation to 866-740-3708.
2. Include a facesheet if you have one. A facesheet from your organization helps our team prepare. That said, you never need one to make a referral.
3. Send your client in the same day. No appointment, no waitlist.
4. EMHS completes an assessment and stabilization. First, our team conducts a behavioral health assessment and provides stabilization services on-site, which may include brief counseling, a stabilization group, psychiatric evaluation, or bridge medication management.
5. Case management starts immediately. Meanwhile, a case manager and peer support specialist begin coordinating your client’s next step during the same visit, not after.
6. EMHS closes the loop. Finally, our team connects your client to their next step, outpatient treatment, residential care, sober living, re-entry services, housing, or basic needs support, then communicates back to your organization.

What EMHS Needs From You

• Client contact information and, where available, relevant clinical history.
• A facesheet if your organization has one on hand (welcomed, not required).
• The right agreement type. For law enforcement and justice-system partners, an MOU governs the referral. For clinical and healthcare facility partners, a referral agreement applies instead. Ask us which one applies to your organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a client need an appointment to be seen after referral? No. EMHS is walk-in and same-day. A referral simply lets our team know a client is on the way.

Is a facesheet required to refer a client? No. Facesheets are welcomed because they help our team prepare, but they are never required.

Will I hear back after I refer a client? Yes. As a result, EMHS communicates back to referring partners once a client is stabilized and connected to their next step, so there are no dropped handoffs.

Can EMHS serve clients with a serious mental illness (SMI) designation? Yes, with prior authorization from the client’s SMI community clinic or health home. Include that contact information with your referral when possible.

What insurance does EMHS accept? EMHS accepts AHCCCS, Medicare, TRICARE West, and most commercial insurance.

Does EMHS provide transportation? Yes. EMHS can arrange client transportation, including pickup from release facilities, as part of care coordination.

Refer a Client

Emergent Mental Health Services LLC 10240 N. 31st Avenue, Suite 125, Phoenix, AZ 85051 Phone: 623-278-4610 Fax: 866-740-3708 www.emhsvcs.com

For partnership questions, reach us at referrals@emhsvcs.com or info@emhsvcs.com.