Another Perspective On Psychiatric Boarding

Last week I took on a topic that recently gained judicial attentions in Washington State: “psychiatric boarding,” the practice of holding consumers in psychiatric emergencies in hospital emergency departments while waiting for admission to a psychiatric facility (see Washington Ban On Psychiatric ER Boarding May Have Longer Legs).

Deemed unconstitutional in Washington State, “psychiatric boarding” has sparked a number of questions about the adequacy of the mental health service network – particularly the community-based service network. During my assessments of the situation, I noted that “more beds are part of the solution” – this has garnered some great feedback from my . . .