LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Lincoln has many resources for people who need help with their mental health. Whether you're looking for therapy appointments, medication, or just someone to talk to, you have options.
But now some of those options can't keep up with demand.
One of them is center point He has been helping the people of Lincoln access health care for decades.
“Centerpointe began 50 years ago in the early 1970s as a community response to people struggling with substance use issues,” said CEO Topher Hansen. “We will start as a substance abuse program and expand into mental health, primary care, housing and other support services.”
But Hansen said the need is growing.
“We are now seeing more people with more severe symptoms,” Hansen said.
But Hansen said that despite having vast resources and helping 4,500 people last year, they are not able to connect with everyone in need.
“Right now, only probably 20 per cent of the population who actually need help with mental health or substance issues are getting help,” he said.
Dr. Dave Myers, senior director of behavioral health services at Bryan Medical Center, said the severity of the need is growing as well.
“On average, we have between five and 600 people coming in for mental health evaluations a month,” Mears said.
Mr Myers said: mental health emergency room It is the only facility in the state and provides a valuable resource. But they can only treat patients for a few days and are struggling to find hospital beds for patients who need more severe treatment.
“There are no state-level beds available,” Mears said.
Myers said this could lead to long stays in facilities not designed for that type of treatment.
“It's very frustrating for them,” he said. “We are doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for them.”
Mears said the entire community needs to work towards solving this problem.
“We are working with states, Congress and various organizations to find solutions to mental health and behavioral health, the behavioral health crisis that we face,” Mears said. said. He said.
Hansen also said these options are needed because the state's mental health system is currently dysfunctional.
“If we don't have enough residential treatment beds, like outpatient beds, and people are going out to Lincoln Regional Center, it's going to be difficult for them to go out because they don't have anywhere to go,” Mears said. “And if we don't have enough beds at Lincoln Regional Center because of the number of people who actually need care, then other systems get backed up.”
Hansen said part of the solution is to increase the number of behavioral health workers in the state, but both Hansen and Myers said taking a closer look at the number of beds at the Lincoln Regional Center is also part of the discussion. said that it should be.
10/11 will explore both topics over the next two weeks when we air our mental health series “Suffering in Silence.” Click here to watch the full Suffering in Silence documentary.
If you are struggling with your mental health, please call 988 Talk to someone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can also call Centerpointe crisis hotline Call 402-475-6695.
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