In a message to providers earlier this week, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) Commissioner Alison Land urgently requested assistance to relieve a crisis in the availability of geriatric psychiatric beds in Virginia.

With multiple state geriatric facilities at or near 100 percent of staffed bed capacity, DBHDS is asking providers to work to admit stable, appropriate, ready for discharge individuals to any available step down placement including family placement, supported living environments, nursing facilities, or long term care facilities.

Read the full message from Commissioner Land:

Dear Partners and Providers,

We are writing to urgently request your assistance to relieve a crisis level geriatric census at Virginia’s state psychiatric hospitals. State hospitals are utilizing over 100 percent of staffed geriatric bed capacity at this time. We are continuing to see increases on our geriatric waiting lists. All state hospitals are currently being impacted by high census numbers, but the heaviest hit are Piedmont Geriatric Hospital in Burkeville, Eastern State Hospital near Williamsburg, Catawba Hospital near Salem, and Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute in Marion.

We have tremendous concern about the state geriatric bed crisis given our roles in licensing, regulating and managing public funding for Virginia’s comprehensive system of healthcare providers, and our obligation to ensure the availability of quality health care for all Virginians. As a result, we are asking you to work to admit stable, appropriate, ready for discharge individuals to any available step down placement including family placement, supported living environments, nursing facilities, or long term care facilities. In addition, we are asking you to employ strategies to divert from inpatient state psychiatric placement to the extent possible. It cannot be overstated that the public and private medical communities all rely on the solvency of Virginia’s state hospital bed safety net. Currently, admissions to state geriatric units are experiencing significant delays because of the unavailability of state beds. In the meantime, such delays are causing ripple effects that will continue to worsen if not alleviated, such as backlogs in emergency departments throughout the Commonwealth.

State hospitals with geriatric patients have collected information on stable, appropriate for discharge patients. Patient referral packets are ready to be sent containing information such as face sheets, UAI, Level II approval (if applicable), history, physical, medication list, and past 30 days progress notes (nursing, social work, physician notes). Social Work Directors at each of the hospitals are available to discuss these cases for immediate discharge. Contact numbers are available as follows:

Piedmont Geriatric Hospital (Burkeville)  
Terry Pope | (804) 766-3260 | terry.pope@dbhds.virginia.gov

Eastern State Hospital (Williamsburg)
Steve O’Brien | (757) 208-7932 | stephen.obrien@dbhds.virginia.gov

Catawba Hospital (Catawba)
Ashley Goncalves | (540) 375-4307 | ashley.goncalves@dbhds.virginia.gov

Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute (Marion)
Matthew Woodlee | (276) 783-0806 | matt.woodlee@dbhds.virginia.gov

Thank you for your immediate assistance in this matter. As always, we are grateful for your partnership and ongoing collaboration.

Sincerely,

Alison G. Land, FACHE
Commissioner
alison.land@dbhds.virginia.gov
Telephone: (804) 786-3921
Fax: (804) 371-6638