The Effects of Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare's Proposed Closure
The closing of Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare will have dramatic effects on the community.
Patients and families: Currently, the plan calls for residents within Montgomery County and the counties south of Montgomery to travel to Cincinnati. Those counties north of Montgomery County, including Miami and Shelby, will travel to Toledo. Counties east of Montgomery County, including Greene and Clark, will travel to Columbus for care. This puts a great strain on the patients and their families as they will be forced to travel great distances to receive care and visit their loved ones. TVBH is also utilized by many patients to gain access to their medication and treatment - without the facility close by, many patients may cease their medications. There have also been many evidenced based studies showing that patients who receive treatment at locations close to home have better results than those who don't.
Law Enforcement: Transferring the Dayton Region's most mentally unstable patients to TVBH requires the services of two Sheriff's Deputies. Should TVBH close, the deputies will be required to transfer patients to Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo - a trip that can take up to six hours roundtrip. This puts great strain on both the patients and the already overworked Sheriff's departments.
Hospitals: Without TVBH, many of the Dayton Region's patients will turn to the hospitals for treatment. These patients will most likely enter through the hospitals' Emergency Rooms, contributing to an already existing problem of Emergency Room overutilization. Most of the Dayton Region's hospitals lack the facilities to properly care for the high acuity patients found at TVBH. These patients require special care and facilities that our hospitals simply cannot offer. The quality of patient care will suffer as a result.
Wright State University (WSU): WSU's Psychology and Psychiatry programs utilize TVBH for their curriculum. TVBH offers a unique environment for teaching and is a recruitment tool utilized by the University. Losing TVBH will inhibit WSU’s ability to recruit students to its campus and eliminates a helpful resource in their education.
Wright Patterson Air Force Base: The education partnership between Wright Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center and Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare is available at only one other location (Texas) in the country. If TVBH is closed, the Dayton region and Ohio will be less appealing in the 2010 Base Realignment and Closure Process.