NC DHHS sees that 50 Broughton PUBLIC MEDICAID psychiatric beds go to OLD VINEYARD PRIVATE FREE STANDING 14% Medicaid beds psychiatric hospital

I think this is tragic. Public psychiatric medicaid beds are beds ' for the people'----not the private-enterprise, free standing, psychiatric hospitals who can only have 14% medicaid beds (bearing in mind that most people who have Severe Persistent Mental Illness have Medicaid: their medicaid will be no good in this hospital once the 14% threshold is passed).

Here is my comment to the announcement that Old Vineyard will get its way in terms of having a 14% Medicaid bed psychiatric hospital as per 3.20.2009 meeting today, as associated w/ the Department of Health Service Regulation meeting today in Winston Salem, 1 pm, with public comment:

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"McCartney (CEO Old Vineyard) said that Old Vineyard will serve all patients to the point of being stabilized regardless of their ability to pay. We will not turn people away when they cross our threshold. If we have to do charity care, we will do that."

I personally will keeping an eye on your promise, Mr. McCartney, via the mental health advocates in your area. When you surpass that magical '14% medicaid beds only' mark, if you turn away clients, I am quite sure that the mental health advocates will catch wind of this.

I think you have just foisted some magical thinking upon the public, the sheriff included, who transport the clients. I think that any psychiatric unit should be able to accept ANY PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT.

And I do not believe that Old Vinehard Behavioral Health will take a loss.

I believe that you will quickly transfer the patient to some other psychiatric unit.

And I am still waiting for the release of the public oriented records discussing the creation of this hospital and the related transfer of 50 PUBLIC MEDICAID western NC Broughton beds.

Marsha V. Hammond, PhD: Clinical Licensed Psychologisthttp://madame-defarge.blogspot.com/

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Here is the article:

http://www2.journalnow.com/comments/posted/?c=50:79234

"Two local law-enforcement officers said yesterday that they support the creation of a local 24-hour psychiatric-emergency department for professional and economic reasons.
Capt. Patricia Murray of the Winston-Salem Police Department and Capt. Robert Settles of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office spoke at a hearing for a certificate of need for a proposed $13.8 million center being pursued by Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services.
If the center is approved, Triad residents dealing with a mental-health crisis would have a new option for treatment in a 50-bed center by January 2011.
When law-enforcement officers pick up someone having a mental-health crisis, they are responsible for the person until he is admitted to a health-care provider, no matter how long it takes.