Impact in ED of hospitals closing psych beds

[Old RN]

I work in a general hospital in the psychiatry service. Administration is thinking of closing all/some of our psych beds because they are not as profitable as others may be. Can anyone speak to experiences in the ED resulting from having psych pts. come through with nowhere to send them to or having to wait for a bed to open up in another hospital? I need hands on, real-RN experience and thanks for that!

[the new girl]

I work at a state Mental Institution, and in the past year, our patient census has been cut in half, by our state budget..... where these patients are going...? You tell me. If they were suffering from any other illness, I'm sure their beds wouldn't be eliminated, and their funding cut like this....

Do I sound bitter.....?

[Old RN]

Just a little but it is hard not to be, esp. for those of use with a life-long mission to care for the mentally ill.

[KKERRN]

We had a major city hospital close in our area about 2 yrs ago that had about 70 psych beds...since then our ER made to private seclusion rooms for mental health and have added on a security guard aas needed. They just recently started to have crisis worker in the ER 24 hrs instead of on call.

We hold some over night due to bed shortages in Ohio and the longest I'm aware of was 3 days!

Mental heath patients need mental health facilities with trained personnel to care for them! In our ER they are observed only,we feed them of course..but nothing is really addressed mental health wise!

[researchrabbit]

Several of our hospitals have closed their units. Psych patients with a medical problem in addition wind up on floors that can't handle them. Those who need a psych unit strictly for psych have a long wait time, sometimes 2-3 days.

[KarafromPhilly]

All of your posts are so scary. The mentally ill are treated SO poorly, like less than nothing, and have just lost an important advocate in Senator Wellstone. How awful for those whose families cannot care for them. Dorothea Dix is probably spinning in her grave, and we should all be ashamed of our society.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Howdy yall

from deep in the heart of texas

Im aware of senator Wellstones efforts, The senator is indeed a loss to Mental health care. While mental health care problems increase in Texas. And funding to Mental health is being curtailed by insurances in Texas. If you went to a hospital for severe depression and needed to stay a week. Your benefits from most insurance companies would have maxed out and you would be escorted out. Plus left with a string of bills large enough to make you depressed all by itself. The Insurances in Texas are cutting way back on psych benefits.

Then on top of the private sector cutting back on mental health payments. The state has cut back on mental health funding. Dallas county services is less than 10 percent of what it was 4 years ago. As a result from cuts to the state mental health institution, These cuts were enacted by the governor, what was his name. Yall probably helped vote him to the whitehouse. Thats it George W Bush. An opponrnt to mental health industry. And a proponent of cutting services to the mental health needy.

So as you see mental health beds closing yall can all HUM

" hail to the chief"

[CMERN]

well "hail to the Cheif" ... But here in georgia insurance companies have been giving 3 days and out, way before Busch came in office...Insurance companies can be given the raspberry , IMHO . when it comes down to it..who wants to be responsible (financially) for the mentally Ill?....no volunteers?...hm