Texas has an insufficient number of inpatient psychiatric beds. The state’s nine mental hospitals are often full, and the private psychiatric beds that are available are inaccessible to many because of cost. The result is that those needing inpatient psychiatric treatment are held in hospital emergency departments or county jails until a bed becomes available or forego essential treatment altogether.

The lack of inpatient psychiatric treatment capacity and associated increased wait times for treatment contribute to:

• Worse patient outcomes.
• Increased costs to the criminal justice system.
• Reduced access to timely care for all Texans needing hospital-level care.