NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A woman who spoke exclusively to NewsChannel 5 Investigates about her mental health struggles was honored by the Tennessee House of Representatives this morning for "bravely" discussing her personal story.
Helen Moore spent four days in an emergency department waiting for a bed to become available at a state psychiatric hospital.
The resolution praised her for sharing "her personal story of lived mental health experience" as part of our report on Emergency Department Boarding.
Moore went to the emergency room at Unity Hospital in Manchester, Tennessee after telling her therapist she was thinking about suicide in July of 2020.
Doctors determined she needed to go to a psychiatric hospital, but Moore had no insurance.
She was told she was 35th on the waiting list to get into Moccasin Bend, the nearest state-run psychiatric hospital.
The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services said the average wait time to get into a state psychiatric hospital is now approaching two days.
Officials at Unity Hospital said the four days Helen waited is not unusual.
They said private hospitals often do not take patients with no insurance, so patients must wait for a bed to open at a state psychiatric hospital where space is limited.
Representative Mike Sparks, (R) Smyrna, has introduced bills aimed at lowering the amount of time people suffering from a mental health crisis wait in hospital emergency rooms.
The resolution honoring Moore was passed as part of the consent calendar at the start of the first full day of the special session on public safety called by Governor Bill Lee.
Helen Moore did not attend the floor session this morning but said she was "beyond honored" by the resolution and she hopes it brings attention to a growing problem.
She said, "I didn't want recognition, just to help others."
Representative Sparks is sponsoring a bill in this special session (HB 7052) that would require hospitals to update a psychiatric bed tracking system at least daily.
The goal is to show where open psychiatric beds are so that patients in crisis can get placed more quickly.
We will continue to follow this issue.
