UK health care is launching a brand new emergency room for those experiencing mental illness and behavioral health problems.

It opened yesterday on the Eastern State Hospital campus and it's the first of its kind in Kentucky.

We take a closer look and today's medical news.

At the opening of UK health care and path Emergency psychiatric unit marks a new chapter in our approach to behavioral health.

For nearly three years, our triad has been apprentices of this model and we've worked with our national expert, Dr. Scott Zeller and his team to adapt this.

What we didn't know at the time was how truly critical this service would be.

As we are facing some of the highest level of behavioral health need that we have ever seen in our state.

This is in a central part of our vision as a state.

These three concepts.

Someone to talk to, someone to respond in a safe place for help.

This is those three concepts in body.

It is a model for Fayette County.

It is a model for our region.

And it is a model for our state as a whole.

This safe place for Health.

One of the biggest differences between the impact center and an emergency room is that they're going to be greeted immediately by psychiatric experts.

We have a specific position here called the peer Support Specialist, which is a very important role that we have that most emergency rooms don't have.

And as someone that's had lived experience, lived experience, either with substance use disorders or a chronic mental illness, who has gone through specific training to understand how to connect with people as they come into the setting.

And that part really moves mountains that that can really, really change the perspective of the person coming in.

Health care and behavioral health, I think we've all would agree today is one of the leading illnesses across America and here in Kentucky.

And for this to be the first empath for the type of service for behavioral health and mental illness, for individuals that are suffering from whatever the condition may be, to be able to come here and to be able to stay for a 24 hour period, possibly.

And then if the condition doesn't improve, to be able to be admitted on to the hospital or to some other kind of treatment to help, that individual is really making a tremendous step.

There are only 30 empath units in the U.S. UK hopes to open a pediatric version in the future.