In the last couple years, the amount of severely mentally ill patients admitted to Sheridan Memorial Hospital has doubled, straining a facility that lacks the space and staffing to provide the best possible care for such patients. As a result, hospital staff, County Attorney Matt Redle, county staff and commissioners, and representatives from Northern Wyoming Mental Health and local law enforcement have recently held meetings to discuss how to handle psychotic patients who are involuntarily admitted to the hospital under what is known as a 72-hour hold, as allowed by chapter 10, title 25 of Wyoming State Statute. In the last week, Sheridan residents have expressed worries that the hospital is considering no longer accepting any 72-hour hold patients. Thos patients can sometimes include suicidal subjects or less mentally ill patients who are often released from the involuntary hold once an evaluation within the first 24 hours indicates the problem may be a short episode or an illness that can be treated locally with outpatient therapy. Redle and Chief Nursing Officer Charlotte Mather both confirmed that is not true. Mather said the group of the “sickest of the sick” that the hospital is considering alternative forms of care for comprises about 20 percent of all patients who end up in a 72-hour hold. “We have not talked about eliminating any type of service,”Mather said. “That is not our goal. Our goal is how do we best meet needs of mental patients in our community?” - See more at: thesheridanpress/?p=22794#sthash.Cv2fxhaz.dpuf
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:44:57 +0000
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