Sacramento Bee Examines Problems with Proposed Psychiatric Unit for Elderly Patients
The Sacramento Bee on Monday examined the problems that Sacramento County health officials have faced in their efforts to open a "special psychiatric unit" in an area hospital for elderly patients with both physical and mental conditions. The county received a $91,000 grant from the Department of Aging to develop the unit for patients ages 55 and older, but county health officials "have been unable to interest" hospital executives, who have said that they "can't afford to give up any inpatient care beds for psychiatric services." According to county health officials, area psychiatric facilities "don't have the expertise" to treat elderly patients with physical conditions, and area hospitals do not have facilities to treat elderly patients with mental conditions (Teichert, Sacramento Bee, 7/15).
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