New study finds lack of mental health facilities/beds in NETN

A new report from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services finds that the East Tennessee region has significantly fewer facilities and psychiatric hospital beds than needed. The study found there is an immediate need for 88 inpatient psychiatric hospital beds and that need is expected to nearly double by 2050. The department conducted the study following an October 2023 letter from state officials who were concerned about the ongoing impacts of a 2011 decision to close Lakeshore Mental Health Institute, a hospital that served 24 counties surrounding Knoxville. Chattanooga is now home to the closest facility. The study is the first step toward building a new state inpatient psychiatric hospital in East Tennessee.