It's been a complaint now for years, especially since Hurricane Katrina. There aren't enough hospital beds to treat people with mental health illness. And now, Ochsner is closing all of its mental health beds in Metairie.
But they plan to open many more nearby.
A woman in her 60s, who asked not to be identified to protect her medical confidentiality, has faced the stigma of having chronic mental illness.
"They don't recognize it, so they think you're faking, you know," she said about the way she can be treated by others.
The woman credits the Ochsner in-patient unit for saving her from suicide when she was much younger.
"Your thoughts just go over and over and over the same thing, and it could be historical. It could be something that happened 20 years ago and you know it's not happening now, but you feel like it is," she said.
Now, she is upset because Ochsner will soon close its 12 in-patient mental health beds on Jefferson Highway.
The hospital confirmed to WWL-TV that it will close the facility in August, but they say the region will actually gain additional mental health beds.
Those new beds will be spread among hospitals it partners within Luling, Raceland, LaPlace and Houma, bringing the new total to 146 beds.
Ochsner points out its facility in LaPlace, where patients will now be grouped together by their specific mental health disorder.
In Luling, there will be more beds for patients who suffer from mental and physical problems simultaneously.
While Ochsner says this serves the entire region, there is concern about patients being farther away from family.
"My family would not be able to see me, or participate in my treatment which is a big part of your treatment," the former patient said.
Her treatment is critical, so for now she stays on her meds and continues her outpatient treatment, hopeful that will keep her from needing that in-patient care.
Outpatient mental health, substance abuse, and emergency room services will continue at Ochsner in Metairie.
Here is Ochsner's full statement on the closure:
“Our goal is to provide exceptional patient care and to increase access to necessary healthcare services. One critical area of need in our state and across the country is behavioral health services. Ochsner Health System has recognized the need to enhance mental health services which has led to an expansion of these services, inclusive of additional psychiatric beds, at different campuses across our system.
We are transferring our current acute psychiatry unit at Ochsner Medical Center to a new 10-bed Med/Psych Behavioral Health Unit at St. Charles Parish Hospital. Not only is this unique unit adding more mental health beds to the region, it is specifically designed to meet patients’ needs when they also suffer from chronic medical conditions requiring extensive supportive therapies, expanding care for up to 15 additional patients.
We will maintain intensive outpatient mental health and substance abuse and emergency room services at Ochsner Medical Center and continue to maintain and grow mental health services at facilities across the system, including Leonard J. Chabert and Ochsner St. Anne Hospital.
This coupled with the opening of River Place Behavioral Health in 2018, which we are adding 16 beds for a total of 82 beds, are part of our efforts to provide critically needed behavioral health services.
New roles and opportunities at Ochsner Health System facilities are being discussed with staff impacted by the move and there are no layoffs. We’re committed to continue improving access to quality care for the communities we serve.”