The closures of mental health treatment facilities have left patients without options, putting strain on the remaining facilities and causing others to travel further for help.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – There are about to be fewer options for mental health services in the northland as two psychiatric hospitals prepare to shut down.
Image by Eric Ward
The closures only pile more work on the remaining mental health treatment facilities, which are still open.
They will have to look elsewhere for help, which could mean traveling further.
Signature Hospital has provided mental health treatment for over 10 years at North Kansas City and Liberty Hospital. Not only does this mean people are out of work, but other organizations also have to absorb the patients left behind.
One of the remaining outpatient providers in the Northland is Beacon Mental Health. They say, Signature Hospital shutting down will be felt hard.
“It will be a big gap because those units were large,” Beacon Mental Health CEO Tom Petrizzo said. “One had about 50 beds, the other had like 40 beds. Those are all in-patient psychiatric beds. So, that’s a huge loss to the community as well as the Metro of Kansas City.”
In a statement to KCTV, Acadia, Signature Hospital’s parent company wrote:
“North Kansas City Hospital is reclaiming the space leased by Signature to support their expansion. Without this location which serves as the administrative hub for both locations, we are unable to maintain operations.”Acadia, Signature Hospital’s parent company
Now, Petrizzo is mobilizing his team to keep giving patients the help they need.
“People can walk in, get an assessment or mental health or substance use needs, and we’ll connect them on where they need to go,” Petrizzo explained. “So, we’re still here and we also have our crisis team that can respond as needed to the community.”
Even though the Signature Hospital Centers are closed at both Liberty and North Kansas City Hospital, doesn’t mean patients can’t get help there. In a statement, Liberty Hospital said, “Patients who come to us in need of emergency behavioral health services will continue to receive that care.”
North Kansas City Hospital added they’re, “committed to supporting whole person care and making mental and behavioral health services available to the community.”
Both Signature Hospital psychiatric centers will officially close on Oct. 18th. If you or anyone you know ever goes through a mental health crisis of some kind, you’re urged to call or text the hotline 9-8-8.
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