mental health care – Sandy Rosenberg

I saw Robin Williams before I heard him.

Mork and Mindy was airing on the tv sets in the WJZ newsroom on Thursday nights when Square Off was taped.

Richard Sher was the host, and I was the producer. The sound was turned down on the tv sets.

After I heard about Robin Williams’ suicide, I thought about what impact it could have on mental health policy in Maryland.

What can I do as a legislator to improve the care we provide? Is there legislation that would bring all of the parties to the table, resulting in a change in the law or more funding for needed services?

A major need, I have learned, is emergency care: crisis intervention teams of trained police officers and hospital emergency rooms that provide prompt and appropriate medical care and referrals for longer-term treatment.

I’m drafting a bill and will share it with the relevant parties before I introduce it.

“They treat you like crap in the ER,” Carl Edgell said. “When you’re in the psych ward, you’re at ease.”

Mr. Edgell has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Early this morning, I read about him in the Baltimore Sun.

The article described the impact of an on-line registry of psychiatric beds in private hospitals. The purpose: emergency room staff can find an available and appropriate bed far sooner.

However, not all hospitals are participating. According to the article, some are concerned that their participation would create a new burden for staffers and help federal regulators spot patient placement violations.

When I got to my office, I made a bill drafting request: Make hospitals’ participation in the on-line registry program mandatory as of January 1, 2014.

I then sent an email to the interested parties: the committee chair, the Secretary of Health, hospital lobbyists, and mental health advocates.

I hope to get all of these people around a table – the witness table at the bill hearing or in a private setting beforehand, to discuss how best to provide better access to appropriate care for the mentally ill.

The initial Sun article is at:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/maryland-health/bs-md-psychiatric-registry-20130218,0,6436400.story

Follow-up article is at:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-psych-registry-legislation-20130219,0,558876.story