Shortage of psychiatric beds

A must read:

The Treatment Advocacy Center recently posted a report on their web site on the Shortage of Public Hospital Beds: http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/Reportbedshortage.htm. Pennsylvania is listed under the category of "Severe bed shortage (12-19 beds per 100,000 population)," with just 18.9 beds per 100,000 population.

Fifteen experts on psychiatric care in the United States were asked "to assume the existence of good outpatient programs and the availability of outpatient commitment and told them that they would not be publicly identified."
As stated in the report, "The replies received were surprisingly consistent. Almost all 15 experts estimated a need for 50 (range 40 to 60) public psychiatric beds per 100,000 population for hospitalization for individuals with serious psychiatric disorders. Since it assumes the availability of good outpatient programs and outpatient commitment, this is a minimum number."
As the chart shows, Pennsylvania currently has 2,349 beds, and using the formula above of 50 per 100,000, we should have 6,182 beds, or an increase of 3,833.
I'm not certain why our state continues to down size and close our state hospitals. Maybe its time to find out before even more beds are lost.
One of the six solutions offered is "Implementing and using PACT [a.k.a. ACT] programs and assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) in every state; both programs have been proven to decrease the need for hospitalization." Thankfully, our state OMHSAS is increasing the number of ACTs in our state and will soon be publishing PA ACT Standards which will ensure fidelity to the model.
We now need to work even harder to see our AOT bill, SB 226 pass. With your help, we can.

(An article on Poynteronline was also posted on this week on this vitally important issue)