Local mental health advocates are saying that a recent joint legislative report about overcrowding at state mental health institutions gives inaccurate information about Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro.

The report says that some state hospitals routinely are at 110 percent of their capacity more than half of the year and can't accept any more patients until that hospital is back under its full capacity. At those times patients have to be diverted to other hospitals for admission.

The report states that these conditions have occurred at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, Broughton Hospital in Morganton and Umstead Hospital in Butner.

The report also states that although Cherry Hospital often reaches full capacity, it does not have to divert patients to other hospitals.

But mental health advocates, like those with the Mental Health Association of Wilson, say that is not true and that patients do have to be diverted from Cherry Hospital to other facilities because of Cherry's overcrowding.

Jennifer Hancock, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Wilson, said that it is important for citizens and legislators to understand that state hospitals need to be able to take in violent patients at any time.

"Community hospitals are there for nonviolent mental patients," said Hancock. "When a community hospital can't take or keep a violent patient, they are trying to protect the patients that are already in their care. It is their duty to protect the nonviolent patients."

A letter written to legislators from the Mental Health Association expressing concerns over the lack of beds at Cherry Hospital states that recently local emergency hospital workers had a patient who languished in the emergency room for 5 days before a bed could be found.

Hancock said that the Wilson community along with other communities are not equipped to handle all of the people who might need to be admitted to a state mental hospital.

"Ten percent of the population has permanent and chronic mental illness," said Hancock. "Twenty-five percent will suffer some kind of mental illness and recover. If mental illness were like physical illness, there would be greater attention to those who suffer. There would also be enough space in hospitals for those that need help."

Ed Masters, a volunteer patient's rights advocate who works with people committed to Cherry Hospital, said that in April he was told by Cherry officials that the hospital is on diversion 75 percent of the time.

"I am not saying that the staff at Cherry Hospital is not doing the best they can -- because they are working hard, but a lot of the time there is just no room."

Masters said it is important for legislators to have accurate information about how often the beds are filled to capacity and to know what happens to patients when they can't be admitted.

"I worked with a family where the son is violent when he is off of his medicine and he had stopped taking his medicine," said Masters. "His mother was frightened and feared for her life. The mom filled out the involuntary commitment papers, and the son was taken to the local hospital for evaluation."

Masters said that because there was no room at Cherry, the young man was taken to Coastal Plains Hospital in Rocky Mount.

"Coastal Plains is a good hospital, but the staff there can't make a patient take their medicine, and they are not equipped to take violent or potentially violent people," said Masters.

The man refused to take his medicine, Masters said, and within a few days because the hospital had no other choice, the man was released back into the community and was still a danger to his mother.

janet@wilsontimes.com | 265-7847