More beds for mental health patients added by Gundersen in La Crosse

A few more beds at a La Crosse hospital could help doctors treat hundreds more patients in a year for mental health concerns.

Gundersen Health System announced Monday it has added four beds for its adult mental health patients, raising the total in that department to 26.

That also works out to 200 more patients a year, according to Gundersen’s director of behavioral health operations, Josh Court. That estimate is based on an average hospital stay of five to seven days.

“I believe we absolutely can handle an additional 200 patients per year,” Court said at a news conference. “Our nursing staff is strong. We’ve been doing very well in recruitment and retention with our provider staff, so 200 patients per year who will be served now because of these four beds will absolutely happen.”

Gundersen regional president Heather Schimmers said the expansion has been planned for some time, but was moved ahead partly because of recent hospital closures in Eau Claire.

“Many times patients have to travel so we had patients that came from their region to our area,” Schimmers said. “We’ve had patients that, when we were full, had to go to other regions. So, it’s just a lack of inpatient behaviour beds across the state that really is compounding the problem.”

Who is likely to use the beds?

“Typically on Unit C,” Court said, it’s “people who have had a significant suicide attempt, or possibly auditory or visual hallucinations, or people who are just generally struggling significantly in our community.”