Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 15 - Mississippi Department of Health
Part 8 - Office of Health Policy and Planning
Subpart 90 - Planning and Resource Development
Chapter 03 - Mental Health
Section 15-8-90-03-302 - Adult Psychiatric Services (State-Operated and Private)

Mississippi's four (4) state-operated hospitals and thirteen (13) crisis stabilization units provide the majority of inpatient psychiatric care and services throughout the state. In FY 2018, the Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield reported a total of 118 active psychiatric licensed beds; East Mississippi State Hospital at Meridian reported 108 active psychiatric licensed beds, North Mississippi State Hospital in Tupelo reported fifty (50) licensed beds, and South Mississippi State Hospital in Purvis reported fifty (50) licensed beds. The four (4) facilities reported 2,197 adults received acute psychiatric services at the hospitals in FY 2020, 849 at the Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield, 407 at the East Mississippi State Hospital, 475 at the North Mississippi State Hospital, and 466 at the South Mississippi State Hospital. Additionally, a total of 3,525 adults were served through the thirteen (13) crisis centers in FY 2020.

Because the medically indigent have difficulty accessing private psychiatric facilities in their respective communities, many private facilities have low occupancy rates. State institutions provide the majority of inpatient care for the medically indigent. To address this problem, the Legislature provided funding for seven (7) state Crisis Intervention Centers to function as satellites to existing facilities operated by DMH. These centers are operational in Brookhaven, Corinth, Newton, Laurel, Cleveland, Grenada, Gulfport, and Batesville. DMH contracted with Life Help (Region VI Community Mental Health Center) to operate the crisis center in Grenada beginning September 1, 2009. This pilot program began with the purpose of studying the potential for increased efficiencies and improved access to services for individuals without them being involuntarily committed.

The role of these centers in the regional system is to provide stabilization and treatment services to persons who are in a psychiatric crisis. Beginning July 1, 2010, DMH transitioned five (5) of the remaining state-operated crisis centers (now called Crisis Stabilization Units) to regional community mental health centers located in Batesville, Brookhaven, Cleveland, Corinth and Laurel. In 2017, DMH transitioned the remaining crisis center in Newton to Weems Community Mental Health Center. The Gulfport center is operated by Gulf Coast Mental Health (Region XIII CMHC) and is partially funded by a grant from DMH. Timber Hills operates a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Batesville and Corinth. Region 8 Mental Health Services operates the Brookhaven CSU. Delta Community Mental Health (Region V CMHC) operates the Cleveland CSU. Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources operates the Laurel CSU. All CSUs accept voluntary and involuntary admissions twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week.

In FY 2019, a shift in funds from the DMH's inpatient programs to its service budget allowed for the opening of forty-eight (48) additional crisis stabilization beds. Previously, Mississippi had eight (8), 16-bed Crisis Stabilization Units across the state. Currently, there are thirteen (13) Crisis Stabilization Units with 176 beds. The new units include: LifeCore Health Group (Region 3) which opened eight (8) crisis beds in Tupelo; Community Counseling Services (Region 7) which opened eight (8) beds in West Point; Singing River (Region 14) which opened eight (8) beds in Gautier; Hinds Behavioral Health Services (Region 9) which opened sixteen (16) beds in Jackson; and Region 1 Community Mental Health Center which opened eight (8) beds in Marks.

These beds offer time-limited residential treatment services to serve adults with severe mental health episodes that if not addressed would likely result in the need for inpatient treatment. In FY 2020, the CSUs had a 91% diversion rate from people having to enter the state hospitals for inpatient treatment.

Mississippi has eighteen (18) adult psychiatric facilities, with a capacity of 677 licensed beds for adult psychiatric patients, including 231 beds held in abeyance by MSDH distributed throughout the state. The criteria and standards section of this chapter provides a full description of the services that private facilities must provide. Map 3-1 shows the location of inpatient facilities in Mississippi serving adult acute psychiatric patients; Table 3-1 shows utilization statistics.

Table 3-1

Acute Adult Psychiatric Bed Utilization FY 2020

*Brentwood Behavioral Health received CON authority May 2020 to convert six (6) adult psych beds to adult CDU beds.

Source(s): Applications for Renewal of Hospital License for FY 2020; MSDH Division of Health Planning and Resource Development

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