CMS award funds three EmPATH-style psychiatric emergency units in Mississippi; text-message data fail to improve psychotherapy outcomes

• Policy Oct 21, 2026
  CMS rural health award funds three EmPATH-style psychiatric emergency units beside Mississippi emergency departments
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced $32 million in Rural Health Transformation Program funding for Mississippi on Oct. 21, including money to establish three psychiatric emergency units adjacent to hospital emergency departments. In August, Mississippi Department of Mental Health Executive Director Wendy Bailey told the Magnolia Tribune that the state had chosen the EmPATH model, according to Medical Daily, which said such units see patients within about 15 minutes, stays generally last about 23 hours or less and psychiatrists may work by telehealth. "Emergency departments do not have the adequately trained staff for psychiatric emergencies," Bailey said.
  Sources: CMS, Medical Daily
• Research Oct 19, 2026
  Adding patients' text message data to psychotherapy does not improve depression or anxiety in 101-patient trial
  In a randomized trial published Oct. 19 in JMIR Mental Health, 101 patients in psychotherapy for depression or anxiety were assigned to electronic media-enhanced therapy, in which research staff reviewed their text messages for mood-related key terms and clinicians saw aggregated data on a dashboard, or to usual treatment. The approach did not significantly improve depression or anxiety and neither improved nor worsened therapeutic alliance, said the authors, led by a team at McLean Hospital. Access to more collateral information influenced clinical decision-making, they said.
  Source: JMIR Mental Health

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