Overburdened and Underfunded: SRMC's Behavioral Health Crisis

Testimony reveals high costs and extended stays driven by lack of community mental health services

The effective operation of the Behavioral Health Unit of the Schneider Regional Medical Center is being frustrated by a series of factors outside of the hospital’s control.

That was the message from SRMC Chief Executive Officer Tina Commissiong, who testified before the Committee on Health, Hospitals, and Human Services on Wednesday, where the territory’s behavioral health challenges were discussed. Ms. Commissiong was one of over a dozen testifiers who delineated shortfalls in local mental health management.

The lack of wrap-around services, she said, is forcing an increasing number of patients to seek behavioral support from SRMC’s Behavioral Health Unit. Consequently, the unit continues to report an “extraordinarily long average length of stay,” averaging 83 days. The unit can accommodate eight inpatients and there are typically six individuals at any given time. According to Ms. Commissiong, diagnoses range from psychosis, bipolar disorder, substance abuse issues and “suicidal ideations secondary to depression.”