‘Behavioral health emergency’: North Carolina organizations ask leaders for help

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic caused immeasurable stress and loss, resulting in more people needing mental health services. The demand increase has strained North Carolina's already fractured mental health system, North Carolina Health News reported June 25. People who struggle to access mental health services when they first experience symptoms frequently end up in crisis and find themselves in jail or the emergency room. During the pandemic, North Carolinians flooded ERs looking for help, particularly for children, according to the North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA). The rate of kids in the emergency room because of a behavioral health concern nearly doubled in 2020. By December, the rate of emergency room discharges for pediatric patients with a behavioral health condition had increased by 70% over the prior year, according to the NCHA's patient data system. The NCHA and 11 other leading health organizations outlined these concerns in a letter to state leaders calling on both public and private entities to work together and look at ways to improve access to mental health services in the state. Gov. Roy Cooper's office is working on a response, and Sen. Phil Berger's spokesperson said he is “open to meeting with the organizations to discuss the letter and their concerns.”