Mental health patients will have to continue to look outside Cullman County for in-patient psychiatric care.

“CRMC (Cullman Regional Medical Center) has decided not to offer in-patient psychiatric services,” said Jim Weidner, the hospital’s president and CEO.

Cullman Area Mental Health clinic director Chris Van Dyke is worried about the lack of psychiatric in-patient care in Cullman County.

“The closing of the psychiatric unit at Woodland Hospital continues to leave a serious deficit in our community,” Van Dyke said. “If a local psychiatric unit is not re-established, then healthcare in Cullman has taken a step backward.”

CRMC has had a transfer agreement with Decatur General West since the closing of Woodland Hills on the campus of Woodland Medical Center in July of last year.

“Decatur General West has worked hard to take care of Cullman County’s needs, and so far this temporary fix has worked well. However, it is not a substitute for the loss of a local 24-hour resource for those who suffer from acute mental illness and their families,” he said.

Van Dyke said this is not a full-time situation, but just a temporary fix.

“Already, we are hearing more often that the psychiatric beds in Decatur are full. That means people from Cullman must be sent wherever an open psychiatric bed can be found,” Van Dyke said. “We have already had to send patients as far away as Talladega for their care. The only way to ensure that the needs of Cullman County residents are met is to have a local unit.”

Weidner said the transfer agreement with Decatur General West is working out well and they will continue.

“We will continue the existing process and transfer agreement or give the 20 licensed beds to another facility to provide care in Cullman,” Weidner said.

Weidner said an average of 56 patients are evaluated by a nurse evaluator who works with Decatur General West out of CRMC hospital.

Weidner said out of the 56 seen, an average of 36 get discharged to home and are referred to CAMHA and 20 require in-patient psychiatric care at Decatur General West.

“This process is actually better that what was offered before,” Weidner said.

CRMC has previously said they will do what’s best for the community and would look at the need.

“This is a top priority for CRMC leadership,” Weidner said in an earlier interview.  “Our number one goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible for patients.”

Weidner said the CRMC board of directors is looking at options from other health care providers who may be willing to open up a in-patient psychiatric facility in Cullman.

“The board is entertaining offers from others to open up in-patient services,” Weidner said.

Weidner earlier said he hoped to have the psychiatric beds at CRMC as soon as possible.

“The plan is we want the licensed psychiatric beds on this campus,” Weidner said at the time.

A certificate of need is only good for one year, and Van Dyke is worried CRMC’s certificate of need will run out and they will not be able to be approved again.

“CRMC holds the certificate of need for the 20 psychiatric beds that they received from Woodland. If CRMC does not establish a local psychiatric unit by June of 2010, or file for an extension, then these beds may be lost to Cullman forever,” Van Dyke said. “The Board of Directors and administration of CRMC have expressed their understanding of the desperate need for these beds in our community. However, despite their statements, the current planning seems to be focused on the sale of the Woodland Hospital property, not on the establishment of a local unit.”

Weidner said the board is looking into organizations independent of CRMC opening a facility.

“We have until July 15, 2010,” Weidner said. “People are very pleased with Decatur General West. It’s a very smooth and quick process for those that require in-patient psychiatric care.”

Van Dyke hopes the Board of Directors at CRMC will take a closer look at the issue soon.

“I hope that the Board of Directors of CRMC will reconsider their responsibility to our community and either sell Woodland Hospital specifically for the creation of a new psychiatric unit, or decide to operate a psychiatric unit themselves,” he said. “Otherwise, sale of Woodland Hospital to CRMC will result in an ongoing loss that will leave the healthcare needs of our community unmet.”

Mental illness affects many Cullman County residents and there is a need for these facilities in Cullman, Van Dyke said.

“We must remember that mental illness affects the lives of thousands of Cullman County residents, their families and their neighbors,” Van Dyke said.

At a public planning meeting in August, CRMC representative Charna Brown said the hospital has been looking into the issue.

“Basically, our goal is to look at the community and see what the goals are,” Brown said. “The board of trustees are pushing management to do something as soon as we can. This is at the top of the board’s priorities.”



Tiffany Green can be reached by e-mail at tgreen@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.