WakeMed solution for lack of mental health resources; 150 mental health beds to meet county's need скачать в хорошем качестве

WakeMed solution for lack of mental health resources; 150 mental health beds to meet county's need

According to WakeMed, 1 in 8 emergency room visits involve a mental health diagnosis. However, experts say the Triangle area only has about 60% of the hospital beds we need to effectively treat people in crisis. Full story: https://www.wral.com/we-need-this-wak... Health officials say we should have at least 40 mental health beds per 100,000 people. In our area, we are well below that – with 24 beds per 100,000 people. This can add up to long waits in the ER for proper care. WakeMed wants to step in and fill part of that void, proposing a new state-of-the-art Behavioral Health Center with 150 beds. Officials say that would help, but to have enough to be at the recommended level, we'd need to add 580 beds. “The patient is ultimately delayed care by hours, or most often days," says Dr. Branson Page, who works at WakeMed. Meanwhile, the courts and police can become overwhelmed. Lt. Renae Lockhart with the Raleigh Police Department agrees the proposal is needed. "My colleagues need help. They need this. We need this as a city." Kimberly Yelton, who says her mother suffers from extreme, severe depression, says she went through a runaround trying to get the help her mother needed. "We have absolutely no infrastructure for care of patients with severe mental illness," she says. "We don't" Micah Krempasky, WakeMed's chief medical officer for mental health and wellbeing acknowledges the need to help the underserved population. When asked how the Triangle got to this point, Krempasky said, "The conversation has not been happening. I think it is just not something we put at the top of our priorities." Subscribe to WRAL:    / wral5   Follow WRAL: Facebook:   / wraltv   Twitter:   / wral   IG:   / wral   About WRAL-TV: WRAL is your Raleigh, North Carolina news source. Check out our videos for the latest news in Raleigh, local sports, Raleigh weather, and more at https://WRAL.com #localnews #northcarolina