Lawmakers hear evidence of statewide shortage of behavioral-health beds and ED boarding

LANSING, Mich. — Lawmakers and health officials told the House Oversight Subcommittee on Public Health and Food Security on May 13 that Michigan is facing a shortage of inpatient behavioral-health bed capacity that is leaving patients waiting in hospital emergency departments for days or weeks.

The issue drew testimony from hospital representatives and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), who described lengthy ED waits, a burdensome preadmission screening process for Medicaid patients and persistent workforce shortages that limit how many beds can be staffed even when they exist.

Why it matters: Committee members heard that the shortage affects urgent care for people in crisis, increases strain on emergency departments and hospital staff, and forces families to seek care far from home for children and adults who need inpatient treatment.

Taylor Alpert, government relations manager for the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA), said MHA member data show “every day we know at least 155 people are waiting in emergency for bed placement.” He testified that Medicaid patients…