WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |State: "Mental Health Crisis" Brewing
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The state is calling it a mental health crisis. Louisiana lost half of its hospital space and staff for psychiatric patients after Hurricane Katrina, and i t's taking a toll on area hospitals and families.
Right now the only option for many psychiatric patients is to visit a hospital emergency room, but some aren't sick enough to be treated. For one Baton Rouge family, the situation has left their loved one wandering the streets.
"The not knowing is the hardest part," Scherelyn Taylor says.
Taylor and her sisters haven't seen their brother in almost two months. A paranoid schizophrenic, 45-year-old Alfred Jackson has been missing since March 9, when he refused to take his medication.
"Usually when that happens, we have to get the assistance of the coroner and the sheriff's department," says Taylor.
The family got an order of protective custody, and Jackson was taken to Earl K. Long Hospital for treatment. They never saw him again. A spokesman for the hospital says Jackson was admitted on March 9, but the doctor who examined him didn't find that he was acutely phsychiatric -- he didn't threaten homicide, suicide, and wasn't gravely mentally ill. So he was discharged.
In the state's mental health system, Jackson falls through the cracks. Since Hurricane Katrina, the situation has become worse.
"It's definitely a crisis," Dr. Anthony Speier tells 9 News. Dr. Speier is head of the state's disaster mental health operations team. "The loss of the hospital beds and loss of access to care at a time when we are so much in need of mental health care."
Dr. Speier says the state has secured a $50 million grant from the federal government, most of which will go to adult psychiatric services, like crisis intervention units. This will help people like Jackson who are in need of care but don't require hospitalization.
"With a crisis response system in place, they could access less intensive forms of care other than a hospital bed," according to Dr. Speier. "So it would mean quicker services and less disruption to themselves and their family."
As for Jackson's family, they worry it may be too late.
"Please come home," his sister, Vonda Thomas, pleads. "If somebody has my brother, holding him against his will, let him go."
The family is still asking for your help. Alfred Jackson is 45 years old, 5' 11" tall and weighs 170 pounds. He was last seen March 9 at Earl K. Long hospital wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Anyone with information can call the Baton Rouge Police's missing persons bureau at 389-8617.
Dr. Speier asked us to pass on this number to anyone with a mental heath crisis: 800-273-TALK. It's the national suicide hotline, but that number will route you to local services.
Reporter: Marie Centanni mcentanni@wafb.com
