Fast Facts: Decrease in Psych beds spells disaster
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Need for Services
- More than 1.6 million New Yorkers are living with serious psychological and mental distress.
- 4% of all NYS hospitalizations were for serious mental illness.
- Patients stay in the hospital longer on average for mental health related issues than other hospital stays.
- There are still few alternatives to Emergency Department and inpatient hospital stay for severe mental health crises.
Inpatient Psych Capacity
- 40,000 decrease in available psychiatric bed days
- Over 2,000 beds decertified since the year 2000
- 724 beds decertified between 2012 and 2018
Shifting Burden to the Public Sector
- 20% increase in mental health discharges at NYC Health+Hospitals
- There was a subsequent 5% decrease in mental health discharges at city voluntary hospitals.
Impact of COVID-19
- In previous crises like Hurricane Sandy, hospitals like Beth Israel saw a 70% increase in inpatient psychiatric patients.
- Nearly half of Americans surveyed about mental health issues during the COVID-19 crisis reported mental health strain.
- Continued reduction in capacity could lead to adverse outcomes as demand for services could potentially increase.