Mentally ill patients monopolizing ER services in Sac
Doctors say everyone affected by frequent lack of beds available
Sacramento-area emergency rooms often are filled to capacity, impacting wait times and treatment due to a steady increase in the number of patients with mental illness, hospital officials told KCRA 3.
Watch report: Health officials say mentally ill patients clog up ER
Medical staff have noticed jumps in the number of psychiatric patients at the Mercy San Juan, Sutter Roseville and UC Davis medical centers.
"Patients with psychiatric complaints require additional resources," said Dr. Seth Thomas, the medical director of the Emergency Department at Mercy San Juan Medical Center. "They require additional nursing. They require security. They require specially trained individuals that others may not need."
An estimated 350,000 people in Sacramento County suffer from mental illness, officials said, adding that one-third of them are afraid to reach out because of associated stigmas.
"That’s what the stigma in the community is," said Lishia Rahman-Jackson, who hid her depression for years before reaching out for help. "If you do go to therapy, or if you do need help, then you’re (considered) crazy -- you can’t handle it, you’re not strong enough.
"If I did tell someone, I didn’t tell them I was on medication -- because that would mean then you’re certifiably crazy."
That’s a reason why many suffer in silence until a mental crisis sends them to the emergency room.
Doctors with the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society said those patients ultimately affect everyone.
"If a patient who has a mental health need is spending a prolonged amount of time in the ER, in a bed, that bed is not available to someone who does not have a mental health need," said Dr. Peter Hull, the medical director of the Emergency Department at Sutter Roseville Medical Center.
Clinicians said the increase in mental health patients can be attributed to the lack of preventive care – a problem exacerbated in 2009, when Sacramento County cut services due to dwindling budgets.
"Sacramento closed their inpatient psychiatric unit, and as a result, the patients who would normally be stabilized and seen within that type of situation are now presenting to the emergency room," said Aileen Wetzel, the executive director of the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society.
Mercy San Juan has been dealing with the problem by employing robots that glide through the emergency department, allowing a remote psychiatrist to connect with people suffering from mental illness.
The clinician assesses the mental state and needs of the patient, freeing up staff doctors and nurses to help physically injured patients.
Hospital officials are pooling resources to look for a long-term solution, but it won’t come easy.
“The most important initiative is the opening of in-patient mental health beds in the county," said Dr. Nathan Kuperman, the chair of the Emergency Department at the UC Davis Medical Center. "That would be number one on my list."
Sacramento County does currently provide some services, including the TLCS Mental Health Crisis Respite Center in Sacramento, which people can reach by calling 916-RESPITE.
The 24/7 center attempts to provide safety and stability for any adult in the county undergoing a crisis.
"We get calls from housewives who are overwhelmed with child care responsibilities," program manager Duane Wright said. "We get calls from people with persistent and severe mental health (problems) who have had bad days. And we’re available to everybody in that continuum."
However, one of the biggest challenges remains getting people to speak up about needing mental help early on before having to resort to the emergency room.
"It becomes really difficult for people to even admit they have a mental health condition that (needs) to be treated,” Rahman-Jackson said. “So we have to be aware, sensitive and compassionate to those who suffer, because there’s enough stigma as it is."