Do you know what the State Mental Health system is like in your state? You should, if you work in psych or not, know what is happening in your area with mental health. DO some homework. Post here the number of psych beds in your state, private and state. Post here what resources are available for mental health and substance abuse in your area. Find out what/who NAMI is. What grade has NAMI given your state for mental health and why.  I just cannot stress to you enough the importance of everyone knowing about mental health resources. It is your duty as a nurse to know this. Please read the news article that was submitted by lunarcaustic on GAs horrific problems in their state hospitals

Also, please post any experience that you or someone that you know may have had with the state mental health system in your area.  

sara, I just love it. You will make a fantastic psych nurse.

I found that there are 5 stated operated Psychiatric Hospitals in NC. Here is a little history on each. I found it quite interesting. We got to go to Broughton and take a tour during our psych rotation. It was very old, very large and very interesting. Central Regional is the newest and will start accepting patients in July 2008. Central and John Umstead are both located in Butner, NC. I don't know if they will keep both open when Central Regional opens. These are just the state owned and operated psych facilities. They have smaller units in alot of area hospitals. Hope you find it interesting too.

Broughton Hospital


Morganton




Central Regional Hospital


Butner




Cherry Hospital


Goldsboro




Dorothea Dix Hospital


Raleigh



John Umstead Hospital
Butner

Broughton Hospital was established by the Enabling Act passed in 1874. The first patient, a medical doctor, was admitted in 1883. In 1890, the name of the hospital was changed from Western Carolina Insane Asylum to State Hospital at Morganton and retained this name until 1959,when it was named Broughton Hospital after Governor J. Melville Broughton. The Hospital served 52 counties until 1965, when the State divided into 4 regions, each containing a mental hospital. Today it serves approximately 3,700 per year (average daily census for FY '92 of 623) from the 35 westernmost counties. The hospital is organized into seven treatment divisions: adult admissions,adolescent, geropsychiarty, rehabilitation, extendedcare, mental retardation, and medical-surgical. In addition to special diagnostic services, training and recreation facilities are also provided in preparation for the patients return to their home community."

Dorothea Dix Hospital is on the south side of the City of Raleigh.There are more than 120 separate buildings on the site, many of which were constructed during 1910-1930 and 1960-1980. The buildings are used for patient care, offices, shops, warehouses and other activities in support of the hospital. The hospital has the capacity to accommodate 682 patients. Declining census in recent years has dropped to an average of 350-400. To serve the 3,000 plus patients yearly, the hospital employees a staff of 1,300 to cover the range of services necessary to operate a modern psychiatric hospital seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. The current annual operating budget of more than $60,000,000 derives from appropriations authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly, from patient care receipts and from federal grants.

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Cherry Hospital is a 284-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital serving the citizens of 33 eastern North Carolina counties. They are operated by the state of North Carolina, the Department of Health and Human Services.

On August 1, 1880, the first patient was admitted to the then named "Asylum for Colored Insane". Since that time, there have been several name changes including: The Eastern North Carolina Insane Asylum, Eastern Hospital, and State Hospital at Goldsboro. The name was changed to Cherry Hospital in 1959 in honor of Governor Gregg Cherry.

The bed capacity for the hospital when established was seventy-six but over one hundred patients were crowded into the facility by Christmas of 1880.  These patients were being cared for through a $16,000 appropriation.  On March 5, 1881, the Easthern North Carolina Insane Asylum was incorporated and a board of nine directors appointed.  The Board of Directors sought more appropriations for treatment of the black mentally ill.  A separate building was established for treating tubercular patients.  In addition, a building for the criminally insane was opened in 1924

Central Regional Hospital is the first of three new state-operated psychiatric hospitals being built in North Carolina to address the mental health needs of our citizens as we enter the 21st Century. It will serve the acute mental health needs of patients from 26 counties. Scheduled to begin admitting patients in mid-July of 2008, CRH has 432 private rooms. Central Regional Hospital will employ more than 1,600 staff, including 50 doctors, 240 professional nursing staff, and 400 health care technicians.

John Umstead Hospital, purchased from the federal government who had built the facilities as an Army Hospital for wounded U.S. military personnel returned from the European front during WW II, admitted the first patients in 1947. The hospital serves the 16 counties of the North Central Region. The hospital's primary purpose is to provide an inpatient facility to diagnose and treat persons with psychiatric disorders, to restore them to an optimal level of functioning, and to return them to the community. This service is provided for clients age 5 years and up. Other important hospital functions are to promote education and research in mental health. 

 California is also on the bottom of the list

Wyoming's grade is a 'D'

They are 49th in spending money and they are ranked #1  for suicide. WOW!

They don't have anything available for the people here. Not a good place to need help.

starlight: I am a big fan of Dorthea Dix. I read everything that I can about her.

I am so happy to see everyone checking out mental health facilities in their area. You will be shocked to learn what is (or what is not) happening in your area. The problems in GA are just criminal. I hope people go to jail for a very long time.

Yes, I am very interested. Thanks for the feedback.