PASCO -- Lourdes Counseling Center will close its inpatient unit for children and adolescents today rather than run at an estimated $600,000 annual loss, officials said.
The unit has provided mental health hospitalization for children ages 7 to 18 with severe mental illnesses for more than 20 years, said Executive Director Barbara Mead.
The unit is one of only four in the state providing acute treatment for adolescents. Yakima and Spokane also have facilities.
Lourdes' board announced the closure about a month ago after a task force studied the unit and whether it was still viable with hospitalizations for mental illnesses declining.
Mead said more children and adolescents are being treated as outpatients, meaning they get care from mental health providers in their offices or even at home rather than being admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
"It's not any different than acute care," Mead said. "Twenty years ago if you had gallbladder surgery, the hospital stay was extensive. Nowadays you may not stay overnight."
On average, the 10-bed unit has had only six patients per day over the last year, with an average of only three per day from Benton and Franklin counties, Mead said.
When a facility opened in Yakima in February, the center knew another option was available in the region and the board chose to shutter the unit rather than operate at a loss.
Patients admitted to the children and adolescent unit typically were "very disturbed," Mead said.
They often suffered from abuse and neglect and were diagnosed with severe depression, bipolar disorder or conduct disorders, she said.
Lourdes Counseling Center will continue to see children and adolescents as outpatients, and its adult inpatient unit will remain open.
Lourdes has not decided how it might use the space formerly occupied by the children and adolescents unit. The psychiatric hospital is licensed for 32 beds and theoretically could expand its adult inpatient unit or remodel the children's unit for outpatient services.
No patients were in the unit this week. Mead said anyone needing to be hospitalized will be referred to Yakima or Spokane.
w Michelle Dupler: 582-1543; mdupler@tricityherald.com
Similar stories:
Some rural Mid-Columbia hospitals at risk from state, federal cuts
Some rural Mid-Columbia hospitals at risk from state, federal cuts
What looks on the surface like relatively small state and federal budget cuts to hospitals could mean the loss of the Tri-Cities' largest mental health services provider.
The cuts specifically affect hospitals with the "Critical Access Hospital" designation, and in the Mid-Columbia include small public hospitals in Prosser, Othello, Sunnyside and Dayton.
Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco also is designated as a Critical Access Hospital, and officials there say the combination of state and federal cuts will drive Lourdes Health Network's operating budget several million dollars into the red, causing the network to re-evaluate its spectrum of services.
Hanford: Resources out there to help the laid off with mental health
Hanford: Resources out there to help the laid off with mental health
Losing a job can be a significant event -- so significant the stress can take its toll on the person's mental health, which in turn can lead to physical symptoms.
And a lot of people might not recognize that what they are experiencing as depression, but help is available for those experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety following a job loss, mental health officials said.
Many people know that depression can be accompanied by suicidal thoughts or feelings of persistent sadness, but depression also can be marked by anger; chronic headaches or digestive problems; excessive guilt; fatigue; feelings of emptiness, helplessness or worthlessness; insomnia or sleep problems; irritability; lack of concentration; changes in appetite; loss of interest in once-loved activities and loss of memory.
Vt. struggles to rebuild mental health system
Vt. struggles to rebuild mental health system
The remnants of Hurricane Irene did what policymakers hadn't been able to accomplish for more than a decade - close the state's antiquated psychiatric hospital.
Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco lays off 19
Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco lays off 19
Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco announced Wednesday that 19 people have been laid off as part of what officials described as an "organizational restructure."
Hospital officials attributed the layoffs to the rising number of uninsured people and federal and state budget cuts that are cutting into the hospital's bottom line.
"After much deliberation, prayer, discernment and consultation with our Sisters, board and leadership at Ascension Health, we have decided to reduce our work force to just over 2 percent," Lourdes CEO John Serle said in a statement.
Doors close at Lourdes Wilson House
Doors close at Lourdes Wilson House
Since 2009, Lawrence DeFever has cooked up hearty comfort food for the people who have called Lourdes Wilson House a second home.
"It's old-school cooking, like grandma used to do -- to make you feel like you're at home; you're welcome in the house because you're getting a really good meal," he said.
The clubhouse for people recovering from mental illnesses has been a safe place where people such as DeFever can gather with other people going through the same kinds of issues and challenges in their lives -- people who understand and aren't judgmental.
Print
Email Story
