Many kids facing mental health crises are held in ER for days, OHSU study finds

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon-led study found that kids who struggle with mental health are being held in emergency rooms for longer than they should be.

Out of 255,000 visits, researchers at Oregon Health and Science University have discovered that more than one in 10 Medicaid-enrolled children who visit hospital emergency departments for mental-health-related reasons are ultimately held there for three to seven days.

John McConnell, director of OHSU’s Center for Health Systems Effectiveness, claimed impacted youth would not have to be boarded in emergency facilities “in a perfect world” — but it often happens due to the lack of acute care beds in hospitals.

“If you’re a parent and your child is having a crisis, you may go to the emergency department and then ideally find a more suitable place to get care after that,” McConnell said. “Unfortunately, this study reveals that there is often no place to send them.”

Days-long boarding also occurs when children aren’t able to be discharged to their home or admitted into a residential behavioral health facility, according to the findings.

McConnell spearheaded the study that was published in the JAMA Health Forum on Friday. Experts also determined that emergency boarding has exacerbated in recent years, due to the growing number of children experiencing mental health crises. Researchers assessed data from 44 states, meaning that this issue persists nationwide.

In Oregon, specifically, OHSU Associate Professor Rebecca Marshall found that 150 kids were consulted for psychiatric reasons at the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in 2016. That number more than tripled to 453 children in 2024.

The psychiatry professor noted the issue has impacted not only youth, but also their families and the hospital staff who are trying to serve them and want their condition to improve.

“When you have a child languishing in the emergency department not able to get the care they need, their condition can get worse,” Marshall said. “It’s demoralizing and overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to juggle a lot of other kids who also need care.”