Protesters question Memorial Medical Center’s shut down of mental health department

It’s called “5 West.” “5 West” is the psychiatric unit in Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces. Currently the unit isn’t taking in mentally ill patients for lack of a psychiatrist, which is making some in the community suspicious.

“We are very afraid that people are going to die are get killed,” said Ron Gurley, President of the National Alliance of Mental Illness in Dona Ana.

It was a tense meeting at Dona Ana County Board of Commissioners.

“There are currently no patients on the floor of ‘5 West’ right now,” said a NAMI member.

Commissioners heard from CEO of Memorial Medical Center, John Harris, who explained why “5 West” had to stop taking patients

“We have psychiatrists on staff but that’s the problem,” Harris said. “We do not have a psychiatrist that is able to receive those patients out of the emergency room which is where we traditionally receive them and admit them to behavioral unit.”

“He says it has nothing to do with money,” Gurley said. “Well, what does is it have to with?”

Gurley held a protest in front of Commission.

“We have so many people that are seriously mentally ill,” Gurley said. “We got people who are potentially extremely dangerous people in the certain circumstances.”

“We are aggressively looking to recruit psychiatrists to this community,” Harris said. “This is a long standing problem in this community or a challenge and it is simply this. We need 18 psychiatrists for the population base in this county, we do not have nearly enough.”

“We checked again their webpage this morning at 7:30,” Gurley said. “There are no announcements for psychiatrists in the entire LifePoint [database].”

Gurley wants answers and he wants them fast. He said the city, the county and Memorial Medical Center is liable if a very sick person is turned away. Harris said he should have a non-permanent psychiatrist by the end of the year.

“If I’m not mistaken this has been going for a year now, the recruitment,” said one commissioner.

“5 West is empty. Why?” Gurley said. “If not money, (then) what? We demand the truth.”

“It’s important to fill the positions and get the services in place,” said another commissioner. “That needs to be done as soon as possible.”