Hospitals and clinics are stretched well beyond their capacity to treat patients who need mental health care, according to new federal data — utilizing 144% of inpatient beds designated for psychiatric treatment. The figure underscores a long ongoing crisis in the country’s shortage of psychiatric inpatient beds.
The overflowing figure, tallied by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), means there continue to be more mental health patients admitted to be hospitalized than there is designated bed capacity to treat, resulting in providers relying on other resources to try and meet demand.
In 2018, SAMHSA had reported that 121% inpatient beds designated for mental health treatment at psychiatric hospitals were in use, along with 118% at general hospitals, and 115% at community mental health centers.
Read more at CBSnews.com
What Are Your Thoughts?
