by Wayne Garrett, RN of the Minnesota Nurses Association
As a Psychiatric nurse in Hibbing, MN, I am sounding the alarm that the Twin Cities could lose 102 psychiatric beds if HCMC closes. This will result in far-reaching and dire effects.
HCMC provides specialized psychiatric services that are in high demand throughout the state with very limited availability elsewhere. For example, our rural hospital, Hibbing Range, only has 6 high acuity beds available and they are typically all occupied. When these beds are full, we routinely are forced to decline patients in need of our care.
People with mental health crisis are often not seen by our larger society as having true medical needs, as evidenced by mental health services are often first in line to the chopping block. The closure of state hospitals, as well as the closure of St. Joseph’s and Southdale Hospital’s Behavioral Health Units three years ago have left a holes and dead ends in care. So where does the patient go when there is no place to go?
Imagine yourself or someone you love struggling with a mental health crisis. You go to a local emergency room that cannot find a bed for you, so you wait and wait, for hours, for days, for weeks, sometimes months. You are afraid, angry, confused, frustrated. You may act out. When mental health care is not prioritized and addressed, a mental health crisis is criminalized. Currently, Minnesota jails have become a primary provider of mental health services. So, you may be sent to jail where the staff is ill equipped, untrained and frankly does not want to be in this position and your cohorts will be criminals who may see you as a vulnerable target. This could be any of us. It could be me. It could be you.
As a metaphorical band-aid on a gaping wound, the state of Minnesota is constructing a new 50 bed high acuity Forensics Unit at the Anoka Regional Treatment Facility essentially at the request of the Sheriff’s Association and Minnesota Counties, however, this unit is not expected to open until 2028.
If we lose HCMC, emergency rooms, jails, all acute inpatient Behavioral Health Units, patients, families, healthcare providers, me and you will all feel the effects. Please do not allow the most vulnerable among us to continue to scream into the void. Please hear my alarm, move to action and save these beds.
