Dr. Jeff Louie

And so we can't, if I have seven mental health children or patients in the emergency department, I can't afford to put them in rooms. which I would want to do, but I can't because we're still seeing 80 to 100 medical kids a day. And if I lose seven beds, that only leaves me with five beds to move these 100 patients.

And so we can't, if I have seven mental health children or patients in the emergency department, I can't afford to put them in rooms. which I would want to do, but I can't because we're still seeing 80 to 100 medical kids a day. And if I lose seven beds, that only leaves me with five beds to move these 100 patients.

And so we've chose to board them in the hallways, which is not ideal, but it's the best that what we can do for my small footprint. Other hospitals may room their mental health kids in their rooms, but then they lack the number of rooms to see the medical kids.

And so we've chose to board them in the hallways, which is not ideal, but it's the best that what we can do for my small footprint. Other hospitals may room their mental health kids in their rooms, but then they lack the number of rooms to see the medical kids.

And with our complexity of medical conditions, you know, heart transplants, liver transplants, bone marrow transplants, we can't afford to have those patients wait in the waiting room. Yeah. you know, on top of it. It's not safe. It's not safe. Yeah. The balancing measure that we do every single day.

And with our complexity of medical conditions, you know, heart transplants, liver transplants, bone marrow transplants, we can't afford to have those patients wait in the waiting room. Yeah. you know, on top of it. It's not safe. It's not safe. Yeah. The balancing measure that we do every single day.

And it's, it's, it leads to burnout because you're dealing with all so many different variables at any one particular time. And then we have to keep them, keep in the back of our minds is that these residential borders or these mental health borders at any one time became, can become violent. So now I have violence in my hallway and,

And it's, it's, it leads to burnout because you're dealing with all so many different variables at any one particular time. And then we have to keep them, keep in the back of our minds is that these residential borders or these mental health borders at any one time became, can become violent. So now I have violence in my hallway and,

And I still need to try to protect kids in the emergency department. So why are they only showing up?

And I still need to try to protect kids in the emergency department. So why are they only showing up?

I think a lot of the problem, I'm not 100% sure on this particular topic, but during COVID, a lot of the residential mental health units or houses or facilities closed down. So... And there are resources outside of the emergency department, but maybe families don't know about them. There's a crisis hotline that you can call from Hennepin County to have someone come to your house.

I think a lot of the problem, I'm not 100% sure on this particular topic, but during COVID, a lot of the residential mental health units or houses or facilities closed down. So... And there are resources outside of the emergency department, but maybe families don't know about them. There's a crisis hotline that you can call from Hennepin County to have someone come to your house.

But I kind of understand, too, if your child is so violent at home that you fear for your own life, you call 911 and then the police and the ambulance crew pick up the kid and bring him to our hospital. Right, right, right.

But I kind of understand, too, if your child is so violent at home that you fear for your own life, you call 911 and then the police and the ambulance crew pick up the kid and bring him to our hospital. Right, right, right.

The many issues that we've come across is obviously is financial. We would love to have the kids who are boarding, the mental health kids as well as the residential boarders, to initiate some kind of therapy in the emergency department since they're there for days for the mental health kids.

The many issues that we've come across is obviously is financial. We would love to have the kids who are boarding, the mental health kids as well as the residential boarders, to initiate some kind of therapy in the emergency department since they're there for days for the mental health kids.

And what we haven't talked about are the residential boarders who can be in the emergency department for months at a time. So if you're there for months at a time, not getting any kind of therapy, any kind of coping skills,

And what we haven't talked about are the residential boarders who can be in the emergency department for months at a time. So if you're there for months at a time, not getting any kind of therapy, any kind of coping skills,

You know, we try to get them at least a psych consult to maybe adjust medications or whatnot, but then they really don't get face time with the therapist to discuss their issues, their anger issues, their suicide ideation and teach them the code.

You know, we try to get them at least a psych consult to maybe adjust medications or whatnot, but then they really don't get face time with the therapist to discuss their issues, their anger issues, their suicide ideation and teach them the code.