St. Paul, Minn. – Rep. Deb Kiel is working to expand much-needed access to inpatient mental health services in northwest Minnesota. Under Kiel’s bill, Sanford Medical Center in Thief River Falls could increase its licensed psychiatric bed capacity to 25 beds. As the region’s only inpatient psychiatric facility, Sanford is limited by current law to a 10-bed maximum.
“Area health care facilities, county social services, and law enforcement all agree that an expansion of access to this specialized care is a top priority,” Kiel said. “Time and again, we see folks having to cross the border or travel hundreds of miles to receive care. When this happens, important networks are cut off, like family and community-based health services. We need to do what we can to ensure a fast and safe recovery for folks living with mental illness.”
Last year, 350 individuals in need of mental health inpatient services were turned away from rural hospitals due to limited bed capacity. Some were directed hundreds of miles away for placement, given delayed care, or placed in law enforcement custody.
“Not only will patients and their families have a better quality of life with access to care close to home, an increased patient capacity will also promote better transitional care coordination and reduce pressure on other in-patient resources throughout the state,” Kiel explained.
House File 2314 awaits a hearing in the House Health and Human Services Policy committee.
-30-