DMC Approved to expand psych services

April 30,2009
The Dale County Healthcare Authority was recently granted approval from the State Heath PLanning and Development Agency (SHPDA) to convert thirteen (13) medical beds to a new general psychiatric unit separate from the general medical beds of the hospital. This conversion will utilize the medical beds that formally housed an OB unit.

According to the National Institute of Heatlh, mental disorders are common in the United States. An estimated 26 percent of Americans 18 and older or about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Mental disorders are amoung the leading cause of disability in the US for ages 15-44. With a shortage of beds in the southeast Alabama region, patients many times utilize the hospital's emergency rooms for services that requre psychiatric treatment.

"The emergency room setting is not always the best enviroment to treat patients that require seeing a psychatrist," says Vernon Johnson, CEO.

The new unit will serve adult general psychiatric patients (19yrs+) with treatable psychiatric illnesses or have psychiatric related disabilities requiring inpatient hospital care. The counties within the service area to be served by this project include: Dale, Barbour, Pike, Coffee, and Henry counties.

"Patients recognized as needing psychiatric services may be recommended for any number of reasons, including a past history of mental illness or sudden behavioral changes," said Amanda Brannon, RN, Director of Psychiatric Services. "The new services will help patients function at their highest level."

Plans are being completed for submission to the Alabama Department of Public Health for approval. Once approval has been recieved renovations will begin. "We hope to begin serving patients by fall." said Johnson.