More money for mental health could ease strain

By Sharon McBrayer
Published: April 29, 2010

» 4 Comments | Post a Comment

Morganton --

Gov. Beverly Perdue's proposed state budget adds millions back to mental health.
Some of that money will go for more private mental health beds.
Law enforcement officers in Burke County have in the past spent days sitting with patients in local emergency rooms waiting for a mental health bed to become available. Most recently, Burke County deputies spent nine days at the end of March on an involuntary commitment.
Whether more mental health beds will open up depends on what the General Assembly does with Perdue's proposed budget, said John Hardy, area director of Mental Health Partners, which provides mental health-related services in Burke and Catawba counties.
The General Assembly convenes May 12 for the short session.
Perdue's budget restores the $40 million of community mental health funds that were cut out of the budget in 2009. Of the $40 million, $12 million is slated to purchase additional local private hospital beds for mental health patients who require short-term care.
Hardy estimated that Mental Health Partners would get between $1.4 million to $1.7 million, which would give the local management entity, or LME, money to buy more private beds.
Where the additional beds would come from is not clear.
Hardy said it doesn't appear that more beds would be added at Broughton Hospital. The additional beds would likely come from private hospitals.
Grace Hospital now provides 22 mental health beds, Hardy said. He said while the state cut the budget for mental health last year, Mental Health Partners increased the amount it spent on indigent care beds at Grace Hospital. In the 2008-09 fiscal year, Mental Health Partners spent $20,000 on the beds. That amount was increased to $150,000 in the 2009-10 fiscal year, Hardy said.
"Our goal has been to increase the capacity there," Hardy said.
Valdese Hospital has no psychiatric beds, Hardy said.
Anna Wilson, a spokesperson for Grace and Valdese hospitals, said no new psychiatric beds would be offered at this time at either hospital.
The LME buys mental health beds at Catawba Valley Medical Center but it doesn't buy beds from Frye Regional Medical Center, he said.
But if more beds become available statewide, it helps everyone, Hardy said. A patient in Burke County may have to be transported to another county but that's preferable to having them sit in a hospital for days, waiting for a bed to become available, he said.
"We're excited the governor recognized the needs and would like to see it materialize," Hardy said.
Paul Ijames, assistant Burke County manager and finance director, said more available beds should theoretically shorten the time deputies have to sit with patients on involuntary commitments and would, therefore, reduce the budget spent on overtime pay for the officers.
While Broughton Hospital won't likely get more beds, more private beds will help relieve the demand at the hospital, said Mark Van Sciver, spokesman for the state. Some of the $40 million will go to Broughton for staff training, he said, but it's not clear at this time how much.