A shortage of psychiatrists at Lakewood, Wash.-based Western State Hospital has kept the psychiatric hospital from accepting detained patients, according to The News Tribune.
On Feb. 19, the hospital stopped accepting 90-day involuntary commitments, one of its two main types of admitted patients. According to the report, the Department of Social and Health Services said this is due to the lack of psychiatrists at the hospital: Nine out of 45 positions are unoccupied or about to be unoccupied.
This is causing a back up at local psychiatric hospitals that typically transfer long-term cases to the state hospital. The wait list last week for Western State Hospital hit 41 patients, which is double its typical length, according to the report.
The state approved a 15 percent pay raise for psychiatrists at Western State Hospital and Medical Lake, Wash.-based Eastern State Hospital and allowed the hospitals to hire contract physicians. In addition to staff physicians taking on extra shifts, the hospital is hoping they will be able to take on detained patients again on Wednesday, according to the report.
More articles on integration and physician issues:
UW Hospital, UW Medical Foundation to integrate
Can retired physicians help fill the shortage?
Does physician duty of care extend beyond the patient to third parties?