Hundreds of people in North Carolina each day are waiting in hospital emergency departments for behavioral health care, in part because there has been no real-time list of available beds.
To address the growing behavioral health crisis, the NC Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new tool to help hospitals and other providers quickly find an open bed where people can get the treatment they need.
NCDHHS Secretary Kody H. Kinsley says the registry is expected to reduce long stays in emergency departments and comes at a time when one in five people are experiencing a behavioral health issue in North Carolina.
"In a moment of crisis, individuals and their families need help to find their way to the care they need quickly," said Kinsley. "A centralized bed tracking system helps patients find providers faster and helps us understand how precious bed resources are being used across the state — it’s one of the many investments we’re making in North Carolina’s behavioral health and resilience. One of my top three priorities is to invest in behavioral health and resilience as we move forward from the pandemic, and this new resource is one solution of many needed to get people the care they need."
BH SCAN is an online registry with a daily inventory of available beds to help providers more efficiently refer people to appropriate treatment.