Does CA have a lack of private mental health hospitals? Where are the private mental health hospitals in CA? (Los Angeles: health insurance, college)

[the city]

Where are the state's private ran mental health hospitals? Do we need more? Where should people go for help if none is around?

Cities with ones I know of:
-Santa Rosa
-Ventura
-Monterey
-Roseville
-Sacramento
-Los Angeles
-Indio
-San Diego (Sharp Mesa)
-Fresno (Crestwood)
-Mountain View
-San Francisco
-Monterey (out of their main hospital, need confirmation)

[nightlysparrow]

As for SoCal, patients go to County hospitals with psych units, like in Ventura or Los Angeles, or to VA hospitals if veterans, or to State psych hospitals like Metropolitan or Patton, or to medical hospitals that have psych units:
Inpatient Mental Health Facilities programs Los Angeles County, California

But many end up in jail if they committed a crime.

Vast numbers of private freestanding psych hospitals closed in the 1990's as private insurance dried up or was severely limited in benefits.

[shooting4life]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

As for SoCal, patients go to County hospitals with psych units, like in Ventura or Los Angeles, or to VA hospitals if veterans, or to State psych hospitals like Metropolitan or Patton, or to medical hospitals that have psych units:
Inpatient Mental Health Facilities programs Los Angeles County, California

But many end up in jail if they committed a crime.

Vast numbers of private freestanding psych hospitals closed in the 1990's as private insurance dried up or was severely limited in benefits.

I think the biggest hit to psych hospitals was in the 70's when scouts rulled you cannot admit someone by force unless they are a danger to themselves or others. Many safe and crazy people were released and they choose not to go back to the hospital reducing the need and ultimately the funding for as many hospitals.

It is a decision that has had a negative affect on this country, but I support it none the less because just because you are crazy doesn't mean you are less free.

[the city]

So Ventura Del Mar and Monterey CHOMP have psych units then? I suppose building new private mental hospitals is a bad idea. They wanted to build one here but the community was strongly opposed to it. I guess it would make more sense if the current hospitals adding on.

[Westbound and Down]

Inpatient psych wards lose money so private hospitals got out of that biz decades ago, leaving it to the public hospitals to pick up the slack (and of course they haven't and there is a severe shortage of beds nationwide).

Even the public hospitals only deal with acute cases and they don't tend to hold on to anyone for more than a week before shipping them off to some state hospital where you wouldn't send your dog...

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by the city

So Ventura Del Mar and Monterey CHOMP have psych units then? I suppose building new private mental hospitals is a bad idea. They wanted to build one here but the community was strongly opposed to it. I guess it would make more sense if the current hospitals adding on.

If you mean Aurora Vista Del Mar in Ventura, that is a freestanding psych hospital, along with its more famous sister, Las Encinas in Pasadena. Don't know about anything north of SLO. But even though Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara (which is well known to be generously endowed for the next 20 years at least) has a small 16-bed, always full psych unit, they have steadfastly refused to add on to it due to public opposition, even though SB has a notorious problem with mentally ill people walking the streets. So SB "boards" their surplus patients out to Ventura County Hospital, and their adolescents to Vista Del Mar (VC County Hospital has no inpatient child/adolescent unit). Big bucks for VC.

Here's another "we're going to improve this" article. There's one every year. We shall see:
Santa Barbara County Mental-Health Officials Plan to Add Beds, Crisis Centers in Coming Year

[chuckmann]

Originally Posted by the city

Where are the state's private ran mental health hospitals? Do we need more? Where should people go for help if none is around?

There was a discussion of this on one of the talk shows I listen to, but I cannot remember which one or how long ago. What I do remember is a high ranking police officer saying that the entry to the California mental health system was through the criminal justice system. IE get arrested, be placed into the system, you are observed and if deemed mentally ill, off to one of the psych wards you go. I was a bit surprised to learn that.

[the city]

Originally Posted by chuckmann

There was a discussion of this on one of the talk shows I listen to, but I cannot remember which one or how long ago. What I do remember is a high ranking police officer saying that the entry to the California mental health system was through the criminal justice system. IE get arrested, be placed into the system, you are observed and if deemed mentally ill, off to one of the psych wards you go. I was a bit surprised to learn that.

Yeah some counties give police officers the power to call a 5150 which enables them to to call some one from a facility to decide what's next.

I visited the local mental health facility as part of my college education and it was not a good place and critics tell me about 16 suicides occurred under staff supervision.

When I visited the people there were mostly depressed and on suicide watch. I'd rather be in a normal hospital than a county mental health facility.

They pay the workers well by the way.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by the city

Yeah some counties give police officers the power to call a 5150 which enables them to to call some one from a facility to decide what's next.

I visited the local mental health facility as part of my college education and it was not a good place and critics tell me about 16 suicides occurred under staff supervision.

When I visited the people there were mostly depressed and on suicide watch. I'd rather be in a normal hospital than a county mental health facility.

They pay the workers well by the way.

5150 is a California law that allows a Police Officer to detain a person for up to 72 hours for evaluation, it is statewide. It only applies to people who are acutely in danger of harming themselves or others. Most counties don't have an inpatient mental health facility that offers 24 hour evaluation services so most of the time the patient will be evaluated in an ER and frequently released within a few hours. Health insurance companies are loathe to pay for in patient mental health treatment and will do whatever they can to avoid it. You are more apt to see a mental health inpatient facility associated with a big health group, like Dignity or Sutter, independent facilities are almost nonexistent. It's sad because most people who need help end up in jail instead, but it seems that the public doesn't want to think about mental health issues or even acknowledge the magnitude of the problem.

[shooting4life]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

5150 is a California law that allows a Police Officer to detain a person for up to 72 hours for evaluation, it is statewide. It only applies to people who are acutely in danger of harming themselves or others. Most counties don't have an inpatient mental health facility that offers 24 hour evaluation services so most of the time the patient will be evaluated in an ER and frequently released within a few hours. Health insurance companies are loathe to pay for in patient mental health treatment and will do whatever they can to avoid it. You are more apt to see a mental health inpatient facility associated with a big health group, like Dignity or Sutter, independent facilities are almost nonexistent. It's sad because most people who need help end up in jail instead, but it seems that the public doesn't want to think about mental health issues or even acknowledge the magnitude of the problem.

The problem is you don't lose your right when you are mentally ill. You still get to make decisions for yourself as long as you are not a danger to yourself or others.

It is certainly not a perfect system, but it better than the past where many were locked up and drugged against their will.