Massachusetts Health Leaders Discuss Shortage of Hospital Beds for Mentally Ill Children

Massachusetts health officials on March 12 gathered at the Statehouse to discuss how a $7.1 million budget cut to the state Department of Mental Health might impact an already struggling mental health system for children, the Springfield Union-News reports. To address the budget cut, Department Commissioner MaryLou Sudders plans to lay off 165 mental health employees and leave unfilled 80 vacant positions in the department. The problem of how to handle the state's mentally ill children "becomes more crucial every day" and is "becoming increasingly expensive for hospitals," the Union-News reports. On "any given day" in Massachusetts, about 100 children with mental illnesses are in general health facilities because there are no spots for them in mental health hospitals. Dr. Thomas O'Donnell, president and CEO of Tufts New England Medical Center, said, "The crux of the problem is simple. The number of currently available beds does not meet the demand for services, and there appears to be no incentive for hospitals to invest in more services." In the last three years, Massachusetts has lost 238 psychiatric beds and could lose more. Lowell General Hospital, for instance, plans to close its psychiatric unit, and the "embattled" Deaconess-Waltham Hospital, which has 42 psychiatric beds, may close its entire facility. Sudders added, "We generally acknowledge that we're in the midst of a crisis. We know that mental health is part of that crisis, but we often forget about it" (Lauerman, Springfield, Union-News, 3/12).