Pennsylvania Paper Says Mental Hospitals Could Help Keep Some Patients With Mental Illness Out Of Prison

The Scranton (PA) Times Tribune (3/8) editorialized, “The Pennsylvania Medical Society and the American College of Emergency Physicians recently reported that one of the biggest problems faced by hospital emergency rooms is finding beds for psychiatric patients,” which leads to some of these patients ending up in jail.

The Times Tribune argues that “the Legislature and the administration should examine the entire mental health system to determine what role the” state’s mental “hospitals can play in alleviating the pressing need for outpatient or sporadic care.”

According to the paper, individuals “suffering from mental illness would benefit from increased access to care; taxpayers would benefit from diminishing prisons’ roles as de facto mental health centers.”

Related Links:

— “Explore uses for mental hospitals,” Scranton Times-Tribune, March 7, 2014.

Posted in In The News.