Michigan mental health advocates testified before state lawmakers that a shortage of psychiatric beds is forcing individuals in crisis into law enforcement encounters and pushing families to send children out of state for care. During a July 1, 2025 meeting of the Michigan House Public Health and Food Security Committee, advocates outlined the scope and consequences of the shortage.
The Bed Gap
According to a 2024 report from the Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit advocating for timely access to mental health care, Michigan has about 19 beds per 100,000 residents. Researchers and the Treatment Advocacy Center regard 30 psychiatric beds per 100,000 residents as the minimum for appropriate care, leaving Michigan short approximately 1,000 beds.
Marianne Huff, president and CEO of the Mental Health Association of Michigan, told lawmakers that children in mental health crises are often forced into out-of-state residential programs. “Kids should not have to go into the juvenile justice system to get residential treatment, which is typically out of state,” Huff said. She urged lawmakers to broaden the continuum of care beyond emergency rooms and state hospitals to prevent crises from escalating into longer-term placements.
Justice System Burden
Steven Burnham, former Corporate Counsel for the Kalamazoo County Community Mental Health Authority, described a system with inadequate middle-ground options. “We’re either all the way here or all the way there, and we have nothing in the middle,” Burnham said. “What we need is access to longer length of stay treatment…state hospital level of care, highly trained, fully staffed, specialized residential options.”
In Grand Traverse County, Sheriff’s Department case manager and social worker Sarah Bush reported that the department is responsible for 169 incarcerated individuals, with 38 determined to be “severely and persistently mentally ill” and 85 cases involving diagnoses of both substance use and mental health issues. When attempting to secure hospital beds for individuals in crisis, the department must dedicate an officer to stay with them—often resulting in no bed availability and transport back to the facility. Officers have sometimes traveled 4 hours to Detroit seeking bed space, costing the department over 197 hours of overtime.
Bush described a “repeating cycle” affecting public safety and community health. “It’s a vicious cycle, not only just a healthcare issue, but it is a public safety issue, and without action, this gap in our community is going to continue to grow,” she said.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://michiganadvance.com/2025/07/02/michigan-mental-health-advocates-discuss-psychiatric-bed-shortage-with-state-lawmakers/