Good Samaritan Hospital will close its inpatient psychiatric facility on its Mission Oaks campus in Los Gatos in August. There are about 211 psychiatric inpatient beds in Santa Clara County, a number that experts say is alarmingly low even if his 18 beds in Mission Oaks are not lost. (Dai Kanno/Bay Area News Group)
Alexis Kreis calls Mission Oaks “a safe place”.
The 32-year-old San Jose resident has been admitted to a psychiatric inpatient facility in Los Gatos more than 20 times over the past five years for treatment of bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and suicidal thoughts. When she heard that Mission Her Oaks was closing in her August, she was upset.
“At this point, I’m doing pretty well. I thought I wouldn’t have to go back there,” said the mental health advocate, speaking candidly about his struggles. Kreis said. . “There’s something about knowing it will be there when you need it, but knowing it won’t be there is a little scary.”
Santa Clara County has 211 psychiatric inpatient beds, but experts say the number is surprisingly low, if not 18 at Mission Oaks. A 2018 report from the California Hospital Association recommends at least one public psychiatric bed for every 2,000 residents. Santa Clara County’s bed count is just 0.26 beds per 2,000 he. This means that the number of beds will need to be nearly quadrupled to adequately serve the population, adding about 960 beds.
Not only is the facility’s closure forced to move patients like Ms. Crace out of the county for the life-saving care they need, it also overwhelms emergency departments and converts some prisons to treatment centers. Patients can be sent back to prison, changing their life course and aspirations. Treatment was successful.
“This should be a wake-up call to communities that we need quality mental health and acute care, and that losing these beds will have a profound impact on our communities.” said Michael Fitzgerald, consultant and former executive director of El Camino Behavioral Health Hospital in Mountain. opinion.
HCA Healthcare, which operates Mission Oaks at Good Samaritan Hospital, cited staffing shortages as the primary reason for closing the facility and pediatric intensive care units. The Nashville-based for-profit company said in a statement: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, it made “extraordinary efforts” to maintain its existing services despite severe staffing challenges.
“Unfortunately, the post-pandemic healthcare ecosystem has not been able to find the right people for this sector.
The closure of the Los Gatos facility comes in the midst of a national mental health crisis. With cases of mental illness on the rise since the pandemic, Santa Clara County officials declared: The mental health crisis of 2022.
Globally, the prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. World Health Organization reports. Four in 10 adults in the United States have faced high levels of emotional distress since the pandemic began. Pew Research Center found.
“Covid-19 has closed many (inpatient facilities) and increased the number of people with mental health problems. The numbers are declining,” Kreis said.
Additionally, nearly a quarter of the county’s inmate population has been diagnosed with a mental illness, and as of January 2022, approximately 687 out of 2,988 inmates were diagnosed with a mental illness. Of these inmates, 107 are currently awaiting release from prison to psychiatric facilities, a small number. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Manley said there weren’t enough beds for them, and he has long supported mental health treatment in prison.
Manley said these patients must meet “high standards” for admission, including a detailed medical and psychological evaluation, but can still wait months in prison before receiving treatment. It is said that there are many.
“Every time a bed is lost, it becomes more and more difficult to reach out to people for help,” Manley said. “Every day we see a dramatic increase in the number of people needing the highest level of care. This is the highest amount I have seen in years.”
According to Manley, the longer treatment is delayed, the worse an inmate’s condition will be. Even if released without medical treatment, some people end up back in court again.
Fitzgerald said emergency rooms were overcrowded and at risk of turning into waiting rooms at inpatient care centers, with some patients already spending days waiting for beds to become available.
If someone is admitted to the emergency room because they have attempted suicide or have suicidal thoughts, doctors will decide whether the person should be admitted to an inpatient facility. Inpatient facilities are among the most intensive mental health care, offering therapy sessions and treatment plans to patients. and monitored 24 hours a day. With fewer hospital beds available, these patients have nowhere to go, and more are either waiting in emergency departments or being sent home rather than to centers where they can get the help they need. may be at risk of being
Crace said he was once released from an emergency room after seeking treatment for suicidal thoughts because there were no beds available in the Bay Area or as far away as Sacramento.
“When I was asking for help, they tried to kill me and sent me back home,” she said.
Tracy Wetherell, a former nurse at Mission Oaks, said the facility’s low nurse-to-patient ratio allows for more personalized care and higher quality care. She said, “If the ratio is her 1:6, it guarantees that someone will sit with this person at least once a day if possible.”
What makes Mission Oaks better than other facilities is the nurse-to-patient ratio, Crace said.
“It was the only place I trusted. Most of the nurses are so nice that they won’t ignore you,” she said. “When they see you upset about something, they talk to you and try to get to know you. I try to see it.”
Former state senator Jim Beale, who drafted several mental health reform bills, says the loss of quality care when facilities like Mission Oaks close is beyond statistics. Stated. The flood of patients in need of acute care to outpatient treatment centers that are underequipped to meet their needs will have ripple effects throughout the system.
“It’s not just the number of beds or patients,” Beale said. “It’s not just 18 people, it’s going to push hundreds of people into different levels of care.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers free 24-hour support, information and resources to help. Call Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or SuicidePreventionLifeline.org website.
