By Staff
Beaufort County Hospital moves to fill void created when former provider left
By CLAUD HODGES
Senior Reporter
With the departure of Tideland Mental Health Services, Beaufort Mental Health Services is helping provide mental-health services in Beaufort County.
Beaufort Mental Health Services, located at Beaufort County Hospital in Washington, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. It opened in April.
“The hospital wanted to do something that was needed when Tideland Mental Health Center left,” said Pam Shadle, public relations officer for the hospital. “We feel good about this.”
Catherine Major, BMHS’s interim director, said BMHS is providing the services once provided by Tideland Mental Health Center, which closed its doors earlier this year.
Geneva and John Morgan of Washington, strong supporters of Tideland Mental Health Center when it was open, said people need to know that mental-health services continue to be provided in Beaufort County. The Morgans fear someone might be “left out in the cold” because that person does not know where to go for help. They want people to know BMHS is open.
Major said BMHS has been notifying former Tideland patients about its services.
Patients’ transitions from Tideland to BMHS were smooth, Major said.
BMHS may accept anyone that comes to it for help, but it is not allowed to go out and locate people who need psychiatric help.
BMHS may accept involuntarily committals only if a person is committed by a family member or has been arrested and brought to its facilities for evaluation.
BMHS offers medication management. Major said BMHS can provide some medications at lower costs than retail outlets. That’s because some medications’ costs are “greatly reduced” by manufacturers, she said. In some cases, medications “are nearly free,” Major said.
On Mondays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., BMHS offers help for children (under 18 years old) with mental issues. Dr. Linda Mills is a child psychiatrist at BMHS.
Dr. Thomas Penders provides inpatient treatment at the hospital. He also has a private practice.