TURNING POINT BEHAVORIAL HEALTH CARE CENTER EXPANDS SERVICES OF INNOVATIVE LIVING ROOM PROGRAM Cost-effective Emergency Room Alternative Now Open Five Days Per Week

SKOKIE, IL- Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center announced today it has expanded its innovative alternative to emergency room services, the Living Room, from three to five evenings per week. Turning Point has added a registered nurse to its staff and plans to train and hire more peer counselors to accommodate the expansion. Effective July 1st, The Living Room at Turning Point's hours of operation are: Tuesdays through Fridays, and Sundays from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  The expansion of Turning Point's Living Room services is made possible in part by a Federal Title XX grant.

Turning Point CEO Ann Fisher Raney said, “We are grateful for the opportunity to be open two more days a week in order to provide solid support for individuals experiencing a psychiatric crisis.  I'm pleased to announce Lauren Parsek as the Living Room's new registered nurse. Lauren was part of a research team from DePaul University School of Nursing that recently completed a study of The Living Room. So it is particularly gratifying to welcome her as a staff member.”

Lauren Parsek earned her Master's Degree in Nursing from the DePaul University and became interested in psychiatric nursing while working with the veteran population. She is active in community mental health research and is working toward obtaining her Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification. She has Bachelor of Science Degrees in Marketing and Japanese from Texas Christian University.  

Turning Point opened The Living Room in September 2011 to offer support to clients experiencing psychiatric emergencies in a comfortable, non-clinical space, providing a welcome and cost-effective alternative to hospital emergency rooms. In the first year, 228 visits resulted in 15 emergency room referrals, a 93% deflection rate, saving nearly $500,000 in state health care costs. The Living Room is located at 8324 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, and serves guests from 42 communities including Skokie, Evanston, Chicago, Des Plaines, Glenview, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Park Ridge and Wilmette.