Houston-area behavioral health center shutdown leaves employees, patients with loss
HOUSTON - St. Joseph Medical Center says next month, their in-patient behavioral health services will be no more. The hospital expressed in a statement that is no longer ‘viable’ for them to continue providing the services.
A former St. Joseph employee, who wished to remain anonymous, says that means more than 100 people will be laid off. However, St. Joseph has not confirmed this.
The employee says they got into the mental health industry to help people, and the behavioral health center closing is devastating for her.
"I'm just real sad about the whole situation," she said.
She says on Monday, St. Joseph held a "town hall" type meeting. She says St. Joseph announced that multiple staff will no longer have jobs in just a couple of weeks.
She alleges that they handed out packets to all the behavioral health employees with information about unemployment.
"Everyone got the folders, everyone. I was around 120 employees," she said.
RELATED: FTC accuses U.S. Anesthesia Partners of creating monopoly, driving up prices
St. Joseph did not respond to phone calls or specific questions about the layoffs or where current patients will go. They released the following statement:
"After careful consideration, St. Joseph Medical Center has announced that it will discontinue its Inpatient Behavioral Health services, effective next month. Unfortunately, as a private involuntary behavioral health program in the county, it is no longer viable for us to continue to provide these services while continuing to meet local demand for other critical, non-psychiatric services. We will be collaborating and cooperating with the health care community to develop a more long-term solution. SJMC remains committed to serving Houston’s high-needs, diverse patient population with high-quality care, which includes a 24-hour Level III Trauma Center, a women’s center, a Level III Neonatal ICU and more."
MORE ON MENTAL HEALTH: Where to find mental healthcare services, including for the uninsured
Legal analyst Chris Tritico says the hospital isn’t doing anything wrong by closing the center or laying off employees who aren’t under contract.
"They're subject to being let go at any time, so the notice they get is the notice they get," he said.
He says there’s not a lot of revenue coming from mental health, and it makes sense the hospital had to make an economic decision.
"You may see some of these employees not laid off that long, just waiting for the hospital to re-tool," he said.
But, the loss of the unit, could leave a great void in Houston.
"We need more mental health services - we have so few, so losing this is bad for Houston and Harris County," said Tritico.
According to Understanding Houston, a collaborative independent information source, only 32.9% of critical mental health care is being met in our state. Their website says that mental health care access has improved in Harris County, but still falls well below national rates.
One of the issues is a patient's access to hospitals that take Medicare and Medicaid, according to Dr. Asim Shah, Professor & Executive Vice Chair Baylor College of Medicine.
He says that St. Joseph accepted both insurances, and the closure of this center will leave a real vacuum for those who need it most.
"We don’t see a lot of hospitals that take Medicare and Medicaid. Where will those patients go? That’s something to think about," he says.