FLORENCE — For years, officials have said the mental health care infrastructure in rural areas such as Chesterfield and Marlboro counties has been crumbling.
But strides by a coalition of health care professionals and educators are being made to help the dire situation in rural South Carolina through the Northeastern Rural Health Network, said Melinda A. Merrell, coordinator for the group.
The network is one of five rural health networks in the state that are linked by the S.C Office of Rural Health, Merrell said. The group started meeting in late 2006 because something needed to be done to help the people of Chesterfield and Marlboro counties receive adequate mental health care.
“The big issue that we have is there are no full-time psychiatrists in either of the counties,” she said.
Local doctors are equipped to maintain prescriptions for psychiatric conditions, not dispense new ones, or to diagnose patients, Merrell said.
One of the network’s partners, CareSouth Carolina based in Hartsville, has behavioral health integrated into its practice, but can only offer counseling and therapy, she said.
Most residents who have a serious mental crisis end up in local hospital emergency rooms.
“We have people waiting in our emergency rooms for an average of four and a half days,” Merrell said. “They’re not getting treatment at this time.”
Crisis patients often are escorted to local hospitals by law enforcement officers — a scene mental health officials say is being played out all over the state, not just in rural areas.
“I’ve walked through and seen deputies sitting outside of the doorway of someone waiting for treatment,” Merrell said.
The network has received a network development planning grant from the Office of Rural Health Policy to create an infrastructure to assess the needs of the community.
The network also is working with colleges and universities to bring psychiatrists and psychologist to rural areas.
“It’s hard to be a physician in a rural area,” Merrell said. “You get one person in there and they’re the only person in town and that’s a hard situation to put anybody into.”
An improvement in rural health care also would involve educating the Chesterfield and Marlboro County residents about mental health.
“It’s a stigma in these counties, not only don’t they have the treatment available ... but some people believe that sin and demons have to do with mental health ...” she said. “Some people just have no concept of what’s happening to them.”
As a result, some people turn to drugs and alcohol and try to self-medicate as a means to escape the pain, she said.
Mental illness goes hand-in-hand with other conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, because people with serious psychological problems are unable to self-manage other health issues, Merrell said.
The Northeastern Rural Health Network is coordinating education efforts in the counties to overcome mental health stigmas and misconceptions, Merrell said.
For details about the group, call Merrell at (843) 623-3448.
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