news – PHOTADYTA Blog

July 16, 2022February 18, 2023 Sarah news

Dial 988 For Help

New Suicide Hotline

988 suicide and crisis lifeline — 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Logo

As of July 18, 2022, to reach the national suicide hotline, dial or text the numbers “988.” If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text “988” and you will be connected to a confidential mental health professional. The current lifeline phone number will stay the same – it’s easier to remember now.

Visit the new website at 988lifeline.org.

Mental Health Funding

There has been an increase in mental health funding. In my state which is Pennsylvania, for instance, there is a new $43 million budget for county mental health offices who provide at-home and community based behavioral health services. Adult behavioral health care will receive $100 million. Also, schools will receive $100 million. Each school district will receive $100,000. Charter schools will receive $70,000.

The $43 million is a 5% increase in the budget. There hasn’t been an increase in funding in ten years. In 2012, funding slashed more than $1.8 billion from their budgets for services for children and adults living with mental illness. Our state has unused funds left over from the relief budget which is going to fund important programs that will help communities.

Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS)

The Pennsylvania Youth Survey is a survey of youth in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. The survey asks questions about students’ school environment, attitudes, knowledge and behaviors concerning alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, violence, depression, other problem behaviors, and risk factors.

40% of students said they felt sad or depressed most days in 2021.
More children also planned or considered suicide in 2021 as compared to the previous 2 years.
Self-harm has increased.

To learn more about your state, search “mental health (your state) stimulus funds” or “(your state) remaining covid relief” or check out the State Oversight of Federal Stimulus Funds.

June 13, 2022February 18, 2023 Sarah news, texas

Artifacts Excavated from Austin State Hospital, Texas

Discovery of Artifacts

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and its archaeologists are in possession of 6,500 artifacts excavated from the grounds of Austin State Hospital during the construction of a 240-bed hospital building. Some of the items, such as porcelain buttons, sewing machines, and farming tools are available to view at the Bullock Texas State History Museum until October 2022.

vintage metal sign from 1925 that says "austin state" above and "hospital" below in capital retro letters — ASH sign, 1925. When the Texas State Lunatic Asylum was renamed to Austin State Hospital.

Preserving the Past

The Austin State Hospital Archives Project is busy digitizing old hard-copy medical records. This effort is made possible with $260,000 in funding. The funds are awarded to the University of Texas at Austin from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. In compliance with new privacy laws, this will make the records permanently available to access online by families, researchers, and the public. The project will help tell the story of Texas’ care of its mentally ill. Included are high-resolution images of admission, treatment, discharge, budgets, personnel documents, photographs, and construction documents.

In 2020, the Hogg Foundation won the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board’s Advocacy for Archives Award. This made it possible for Austin State Hospital and the ASH Historic Preservation committee to work together.

Mental Health Reform

According to their website, the Hogg Foundation “invests in programs, policy analysis, research and education through grants, scholarships and fellowships to transform how communities promote mental health in everyday life.” We can lessen the stigma of mental illness and assist with policy reform by fostering a healthy environment in our communities where mental health is safely and openly discussed. The history of mental health should be factual and transparent, and this information should be available to everyone. The Hogg Foundation’s YouTube channel has plenty to watch such as the video, “The Shame of Texas”:

In the 1950s and 60s, the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health led a campaign to reform the state hospital system in Texas. In this video, historian William S. Bush discusses that reform campaign and its role in the establishment of the modern mental health infrastructure in Texas. Bush is chair of the history department at Texas A&M-San Antonio.

“This preservation project is building a bridge between the past and recognizing how our institutions handle care and recovery today.”
Elizabeth Stauber, Hogg Foundation archivist and records manager; Austin State Hospital Historic Preservation committee member.

colored postcard of the red bricked austin state hospital's left side with its grey roof, blue sky, and expansive green lawn with the title "insane asylum, austin, texas" in the upper right corner — Vintage Austin State Hospital colored postcard.

Preserving the past is an important way to implement a positive change in society. History is interesting. We can learn so much from it. Whether it be past mistakes or great accomplishments, learning about history plays an important role in decision and policy making. It’s how positive change happens in the field of mental health care reform.

Brief History of the Hospital

The Texas State Lunatic Asylum was built by architect Charles Payne in 1857 and is still in operation. Patients worked on farms to create routine. Not only was the name changed to the Austin State Hospital in 1952 to reflect the public’s change of attitude toward mental health care, but now instead of manual labor, the patients play sports, work on crafts, and attend movie nights and religious services. In 1968, the population was at its highest and in 1990, the population was at its lowest. By 1993, the hospital was operated by the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

austin state hospital texas sanborn fire map from 1962 — (1962) Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Austin, Travis County, Texas. Sanborn Map Company, – May 1962Vol. 3. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn08415_009.

To Learn More

If you would like to make a difference, sign this change.org petition or join the hospital’s volunteer services council. To learn more about preservation efforts, check out this Texas State Historical Association website. To get to know the hospital, the hours of operation and contact information are found here. The hospital’s cemetery has been indexed. Learn more about the cemetery in this article published by the Austin Chronicle.

June 20, 2021June 14, 2022 Sarah news

Napa State Hospital Murals

Mural Art Nouveau woman holding flowers — This mural was painted in 1981. Courtesy of Jim Pryts.

Murals of super women — This mural was painted in 1981. Courtesy of Jim Pryts.

Mural of Alaskan wilderness — This mural was painted in 1981. Courtesy of Jim Pryts.

artist bob sawn at in front of Nappa State Hospital Murals — Bob Swan. Courtesy of Jim Pryts.

Napa State Hospital’s hidden murals were painted by a former Psychiatric Technician named Bob Swan. According to the Napa Valley Register, Swan worked at Napa from 1962 to 1995.

In a 1982 newspaper article, it states, “Although his audience is a small one, it’s highly appreciative.” Swan states, “I have a feeling of what it’s like to be locked up here, at least for eight hours, if not for 24.”

Visit the news article.

June 19, 2021April 20, 2024 Sarah news

Understaffed and Over Capacity

State Hospital Update

Both Maine and Washington state are expanding mental health services with the construction of new hospitals.

Washington

In Seattle, a new psychiatric hospital is under construction while a second behavioral health clinic is being planned. The Northern Light Acadia Hospital in Bangor will upgrade and add 50 more patient rooms. The hospital currently has 100 beds, but most of the rooms are doubles.

The lack of beds in psychiatric facilities creates a burden on the emergency departments because patients must wait for a bed. Often, patients are simply stuck waiting in jail.

In Washington, a six-story facility is planned to be constructed on the site of the former hospital. Construction should finish by 2023, raising the number of state-wide psychiatric hospitals to three.

Western State Hospital will be completely reconstructed, and several new buildings will be added. There are concerns about how some of the patients will be relocated. Local residents are asked to look over the revised master plan, the 478-page SEPA checklist, and submit public comment no later than July 7.

State Rep. Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, introduced House Bill 1593 to provide $32 million for the new psychiatric hospital. The University of Washington is also looking to open another 10-story behavioral health care center by 2024.

Oregon

Speaking of over-crowding, Oregon State Hospital is operating at full capacity (nearly 500 patients). It’s under-staffed by 248 positions. 30 National Guard members were recruited to work shifts at the hospital recently. Over the last decade, the percentage of patients went from 11% to 69%.

Montana

Meanwhile, Montana State Hospital raised the pay rate by 17% to retain desperately needed staff. It also competes with higher paying psychiatric facilities.

Texas

Texas’ Rusk State Hospital is demolishing some of its old buildings and is continuing to add more beds and facilities. By 2024, there will be two new 100-bed hospitals that will replace all 6 of the outdated buildings. The project is part of a $745-million investment to “modernize and revitalize” Texas hospitals.

Louisiana

Louisiana is building its first of many buildings at its Mandeville campus. It will have a large training facility where law enforcement, healthcare workers, peer and family support can learn and de-stigmatize mental illness. They use a process called “mental health first aid.”

Hawaii

Hawaii is also on-board with solving the mental health crisis. It spent $160 million building a secure unit with 144 beds after multiple escapes were reported. This article describes the new features of the hospital. It has a rubber room and furniture affixed to the ground so it cannot be thrown.