Some mental health beds leave Vt. hospital in cost-saving effort
WCAX
Friday marked the last day of some mental health beds at the Central Vermont Medical Center. It comes as the state is already working with limited mental health care resources.
Health care regulators ordered the University of Vermont Health Network to scale back what they can offer patients. CVMC says they were forced to make these cuts.
The decisions are once again raising the question of how Vermont can manage the high price of health care.
“I think my gut reaction is one of sadness for our community,” said Karen Kurrle of Washington County Mental Health.
In an effort to save money in the health care system, the UVM Health Network closed down several services, including a dozen inpatient mental health beds at CVMC.
Mental health experts worry a vacuum of services may leave people in crisis without a place to go.
“People will have to wait longer for care who need hospital-level care. They will have to go farther away geographically from their homes, their families, their treatment teams,” Kurrle said.
The closures sparked by rising health care costs are a large driver of school budgets and property taxes this year. Costs also driven by an aging demographic using more frequent and more expensive health care in a hospital setting which costs more than in the communities.