Twice as many people are seeking psychiatric care each month in Franklin County emergency departments compared to six years ago, swamping the system, and community leaders today introduced a framework for addressing the crisis.
Sixteen months into its work on the problem, a task force has identified three goals in this report.
The problem is national in scope, and in central Ohio, it's not just limited to hospitals, said Lisa Courtice, executive vice president of the Columbus Foundation, which is working with the Franklin County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board to fund the task force's work.
"The courts are overwhelmed by this, emergency medical services are overwhelmed by this, community health centers are overwhelmed, jails are overwhelmed," Courtice told The Dispatch editorial board. "It is pervasive throughout our community."
Read the full Columbus Dispatch article here.