Wake County inpatient psychiatric unit authorized

A 60-bed, county-operated inpatient psychiatric treatment unit is closer to reality under a special agreement between Wake County and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

The proposed unit will provide up to 60 beds for acute psychiatric care. This unit will replace existing beds at the state’s Dorothea Dix Hospital, which are scheduled to be phased out within 90 days after the Wake County unit becomes active. Admissions to the new unit will be restricted to county residents or to any North Carolina resident under the county’s care. The new unit is part of Wake County’s efforts to create more community-based mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services for its residents as required by the state’s mental health reform plan. The agreement helps fund operating expenses and support a Wake County partnership with a local general community hospital that would operate the unit.

According to the agreement signed by DHHS Secretary Carmen Hooker Odom and Wake County Human Services Executive Director Maria Spaulding, the new unit will concentrate on individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, individuals with developmental disabilities who also require psychiatric care, and those in need of substance abuse treatment. The unit will also serve adolescents and geriatric patients who have severe and persistent mental illness, persons with substance abuse problems, and individuals with mental retardation along with mental illness.

“We are excited about this new phase of community-based MH/DD/SAS care about to be inaugurated by Wake County,” said Hooker Odom. “As I pledged at the start of the mental health reform effort, the state would not close beds until community capacity had been established. This historic agreement underscores both the state’s and the county’s commitment to providing top quality mental health services to the community.”

“We are pleased to have the support of Secretary Hooker Odom and her staff as the plan for this much-needed local service moves forward,” said Spaulding. “Now it’s up to Wake County to figure out its share of the funding as we seek an operating partner through a local hospital. We have engaged our community and its major stakeholders in defining the need for this unit. We appreciate Secretary Hooker Odom’s commitment to providing quality, affordable inpatient psychiatric care for Wake County as we work together on mental health reform.”

“This represents an important step in the state’s partnership with Wake County to build the capacity needed to better serve individuals in their own community,” said state Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services Director Mike Moseley. “I applaud Wake County officials for their commitment in bringing this resource to realization.”

The state’s accrued savings from the closing of beds at Dix will be used to provide Wake County residents with other community-based acute care services, including:

• crisis intervention;
• short-term respite care;
• hospital pre-screening;
• 23-hour observation; and,
• discharge planning.

Wake County’s Board of Commissioners is in the process of identifying capital funds that may be used for the unit. With the agreement in place, Wake County will begin seeking proposals from local hospitals to partner in operating the proposed facility and related services.

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