Psychiatrically ill patients receiving medical/surgical care on a non-behavioral health unit often creates a serious dilemma for health care organizations. The patient can be both medically compromised and psychiatrically fragile. Given that behavioral patients are treated throughout the continuum of care, it behooves organizations to work to ensure that they follow the standards of care related to this population. This will assist in minimizing organizational risk and potential costly litigation. The risk topics discussed in this presentation are identified as the leading root causes of serious events with this population that are often cited as the basis for