An optimization model for the placement of psychiatric emergency units : The case of Region Skåne

Abstract: Mental illness is a major problem in today's society and many individuals have experienced a mental health problem. Severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression, is also relatively common, and mental illness can even lead to a person taking their own life. For individuals who have such destructive thoughts, quick access to care and proper evaluation and treatment is crucial. Therefore, the value of acquiring a special ambulance with a focus on psychiatric care has been identified. However, to utilize these special ambulances to their full potential, it is important that they are placed at optimal locations.         We propose an optimization model that aims to identify optimal locations for psychiatric emergency units in a specific geographical region. A collaboration with Region Skåne allowed us to use real data, and thus perform a scenario study to evaluate the optimization model. In our scenario study, we used our model to identify the optimal placements of one, two, and three psychiatric ambulances based on population and risk probability, respectively. The results from the scenario study show that the optimal location for a certain area can vary depending on which perspective is chosen. It is therefore important to have clear and well-thought-out goals for the placement of special ambulances.