Are Services for those in Drug Abuse/Mental Health Crisis Locally Diminishing as the Need for Detox Services is Increasing?

 

We've got a major drug issue in our community--yet the only area detox facility for uninsured and underinsured has closed.  Why?  Sadly, according to those familiar, it is all about money and resources.

At our committee of the whole last week, one speaker came to the podium with a very serious concern.  An employee of Community Health NW Florida--this individual has a history with assisting those who are homeless and those who are in drug abuse crisis.

So when he exclaimed that Lakeview's Acute Stabilization Unit has closed (see discussion starting 1:09:01 of this video)--it naturally evoked concern from the board.  This facility was one that provided inpatient detox services for adults in crisis.  It was/is a necessary service--especially given our massive drug abuse issue in portions of Escambia County, illustrated by our EMS units responding to an average of 6 opioid overdoses per day, and solidified by our Medical Examiner's warnings on the number of overdose deaths in our community overwhelming her office.  Why would that ASU facility close--necessitating that adults without insurance would have to be transferred all the way over to Bay County?  We're much bigger than Bay County--so why would this vital function be pushed over there?

I made several calls to folks who would know after that back and forth at the COW.

Lakeview's ASU did, in fact, close in December of last year.  I confirmed that fact after speaking to an individual in the know about that particular facility. Patients that would have been transferred there are now sent as far away as Panama City for Detox.  It was a resource and usage scenario which set the stage for that facility's closing, according to this informed source.  "We had a staffed facility for 10 and at times it just wasn't being utilized fully--often with as few as two patients."

In speaking with a different individual who works at Baptist Hospital and who is intimately familiar with this issue--it does come down to two things:  money and resources.   According to this individual--this is a problem and it is about to become a much bigger one-- as now only one of our three area hospitals will be taking Adolescent Baker Act patients.  Sacred Heart has not ever accepted them, and now West Florida Hospital will no longer be taking them as of the end of August--leaving just Baptist Hospital taking these cases--this according to this BHC source as well as a member of our state delegation with whom I also spoke and with whom I confirmed this issue.  "The first [judicial] circuit is now down to two Crisis Stabilization Units--one here at Baptist and one in Fort Walton Beach.  By comparison, the 2nd Judicial circuit [serving Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Liberty, and Wakulla Counties] has half our population and 5 facilities.." stated the Baptist Hospital affiliated individual.   "We're taking in about 14 patients daily--and West Florida would take as many as 10--but now they won't be taking any and we will be getting them all--which is going to lead to issues in getting these patients into beds.  We will do what it takes--we serve the community--but it is an issue."  When I asked his thoughts on why Lakeview was closing the ASU--he mentioned the culprits:  money and resources.  "Look, that facility is not closing due to a decrease in need" he quipped.

In speaking with a person well acquainted with West Florida Hospital who is familiar with this issue--this statement about West Florida's curtailing acceptance of adolescent Baker Act cases is true.  According to this individual it was a difficult decision based upon.....money and resources.  "Baptist Hospital receives $1.7 Million yearly from the state to help offset the costs [of the CSU] and we [West

Why are we Seeing So Many Traffic-Blocking Life Flight Trips from One Small Stand-Alone ER?

I received the following complaint from a constituent, mirroring what I have heard from many others recently--so I'm in the process of looking into this: 

"I live on Blue Angel and almost every morning and evening I get stuck in the long line of traffic being blocked by ECSO and ECFR because of the helicopter landing at the ER. This is almost every day, several times a day and takes at least 30 minutes if not longer each time. Why doesn't the hospital put a landing pad on there property so the helicopter doesn't have to land on Blue Angel and block traffic? Would you look into this PLEASE!! It's been getting more and more frequent. Thank you"

So I have been asking questions of the public safety department about it.

According to the data I now have, we have had 140 life-flight helicopter pick ups/transfers from the newly constructed West Florida Hospital/Perdido Bay Emergency Room Facility at Hwy 98 and Blue Angel Parkway since January 1st.

Normally this would not be an issue--were it not for two details.  

#1--there is no helicopter landing facility at this stand-alone ER facility---so when the choppers come and go, the county must send a fire-truck and the ECSO must send a Deputy Sheriff to block traffic on HWY 98.  

#2--And for this---the frequent rolling of our firetrucks from Myrtle Grove 3 miles away-- the county is not being compensated.

In addition to all the air transfers via helicopter, the county's ambulances have transferred 900 patients from this facility since the first of the year--for which the county issues bills to the patient and is compensated.

I'm not sure why so many flights are coming into this facility as typically a life-flight situation is uncommon and deals with a major, time-sensitive life-threatening trauma case.  Are there really this many life-threatening trauma cases requiring helicopter transfers out of this one small stand alone ER facility in this area of Escambia County?---I'm going to ask what the acuity requirements for air transport vice standard ambulance---are all of these transports for critical patients?   and most importantly:  Who is paying for this?  The patients?  Their insurance?  This WEAR story from July 7th intimates that many of the local life flight transfers are COVID-19 patients--so I wonder if there is some monetary incentive being paid by the government for all these flights?  That would make sense as this practice apparently has ramped-up significantly since the Pandemic.

I'll be looking into this to figure out what we need to do going forward to ensure this practice does not shut down traffic and pull our firetrucks out of the stations on this frequent of a basis--I've never heard anything like this before.  Stay tuned, more to come on this.

See the total number of ambulance transfers from this location here.  See the helicopter flights that have shut down traffic since the first of the year and required the dispatch of one of our firetrucks here, below.

We Had an Excellent 35th Coffee With a Commissioner Event Today--Lots of Great Questions and Answers!

We had an excellent "virtual" Coffee with the Commissioner event this morning featuring Gay Nord, CEO of West Florida Hospital, Dr. Fausto Devecchi, Physician Advisor to West Florida Hospital, Janice Gilley, Escambia County Administrator, and Eric Gilmore, Emergency Management Department Director for Escambia County.  We covered a lot of topics surrounding the COVID-19 Outbreak--and we had some really insightful answers to questions like:

--When will elective surgeries begin again?

--Can asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 be contagious--and what precisely is the difference between a "recovered" COVID-19 patient and an asymptomatic carrier?

--What does recovery look like for patients that have had this virus?

--Is W. Florida Hospital using the "cocktail" of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin?

--Can the beaches be opened in a limited way and when could this happen?

--why exactly can we not release the name of the facility locally where a spike in cases has occurred in Escambia County?

--what will "re-opening" our economy an our businesses look like?

We had a lot of other interesting questions and answers.

You can watch the entire video on Facebook here