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- There are not enough beds to deal with the growing volume of mental health crises in North Carolina and of those waiting for beds at one hospital, nearly half were dual eligibles and average wait times were 75 hours. One hospital is considering putting a mental health care coordinator in the ED on weekends, especially to deal with the high volume of patients who show up on their own (not brought in by family or police).
- Alabama has a deepening treatment access problem now that Alabama Psychiatric Services closed its outpatient clinic in February, the second major closure here (in January, the state run psych hospital closed). Operational costs, reduced federal funding and reimbursement cuts are to blame. Local options, like the Mental Health Center of Northern Alabama, do not always accept certain patient insurance or have a long wait list. Therapists are in high supply, but psychiatrists able to prescribe medication are not–a problem that is risky for schizophrenic patients, says Julie Collins, a North Alabama Coalition on Mental Illness advocate. Many patients without an in network psychiatrist turn to their PCP.
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