KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The need for mental health care is growing in East Tennessee. A new report released Friday by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services says the region's facilities and psychiatric hospital beds are far fewer than needed.
According to the study, there is an immediate need for 88 inpatient psychiatric beds, and that need is expected to nearly double by 2050.
“But what does it mean to have nothing in the heart of East Tennessee? That's the real question. There are psychiatric hospitals in other parts of the state, too. But we have a desert of mental health hospitals. If you look at it, it’s spread out around Knoxville,” Briggs said.
The department conducted the investigation following an October 2023 letter from Lt. Governor McNally, Sen. Becky Massie (R-Knoxville), and Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville). They were concerned about the ongoing impact of a 2011 decision to close Lakeshore Mental Health Institute, a hospital serving 24 counties surrounding Knoxville.
The Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute in Chattanooga is currently the closest state mental health facility. In 2023, the facility accepted 688 patients from the former 24-county area previously served by Lakeshore, according to the state.
The report explains that this lack of resources means that the region's highest-need patients cannot be met. Many people are separated from their families, forced to live on the streets, or locked up in prison.
“There are many needs in this community that are not being met by our current facilities. Our County Sheriff has confirmed that the Knox County Jail is currently the largest mental health facility in the state, with up to 25% of inmates suffering from serious mental illness. “I know they say they have hygiene needs that can be met somewhere other than the county jail.” Briggs.
This study is just the first step in building a new state inpatient psychiatric hospital in East Tennessee. Next, lawmakers will work on funding the facility.
