A story in today’s Globe highlights our state’s deplorable record of providing care for the mentally ill, specifically our ability to provide proper discharge planning for patients leaving our hospitals and psychiatric facilities. This is a direct result of a growing bed shortage for patients with mental illnesses, poor RN staffing in our hospital emergency departments to care for the 40,000 patients each year who board in our EDs, and the lack of appropriate outpatient and community services for the mentally ill. As this report surfaces, nurses are preparing to rally outside the state house (May 21 at 11 am) for safer staffing levels, nurses and other mental health advocates are pushing for the addition of needed beds in the state budget, and a special Mental Health Advisory Committee is meeting to develop a plan to address this crisis.
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