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OHSU, OHA tell senators youth psychiatric "boarding" is widespread; Oregon capacity lags
Summary
OHSU and the Oregon Health Authority told the Senate committee that emergency-department boarding for youth with psychiatric needs is common nationally and in Oregon, driven by downstream shortages. Presenters urged investments in beds, crisis units and community services and described workforce and data gaps.
Oregon Health & Science University researchers and Oregon Health Authority officials told the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health that emergency-department boarding for youth with psychiatric needs has grown substantially and that statewide capacity remains limited.
"One in eight visits results in a boarding event nationally," said Dr. Rebecca Marshall, director of OHSU's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Consult Service, citing a conservative national analysis that defined boarding as multi-day stays in the ED. Marshall said the ED is a chaotic, non-therapeutic setting for children and described cases in which youth remained in ED rooms for multiple days.
Chelsea Holcomb, director of Child, Family, Lifespan Services at the Oregon Health Authority, told the committee OHA…
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