David Lawrence Center asks legislators for additional funding

In years past, the funding was for additional children's crisis stabilization beds; now, the nonprofit center is seeking help to add two more adult crisis beds.

David Schimmel, executive director of the center, made a pitch Tuesday to members of the Southwest Florida legislative delegation for money -- he didn't specify an amount -- to add two crisis beds for adults. At present, the center has 20 beds for adults.

David Lawrence is where people are taken under the state Baker Act, where they can legally be detained involuntarily for psychiatric evaluation. The evaluation centers that serve as receiving facilities for these individuals play a critical role for keeping the community safe, Schimmel said.

The catch is the number of Baker Act beds statewide is inadequate, with 697 existing beds while the need is actually for 1,250 beds statewide, nearly double what exists, he said.

The state Department of Children and Families is asking the Legislature in the upcoming 2004 session for $24 million to expand Baker Act centers, but excluded are centers that were once a part of the state mental hospital district served by G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital in Arcadia, he said.

The 382-bed mental hospital took the seriously mentally ill from an 18-county region, including Collier. The hospital closed in early 2002 and the state at the time provided more funding to local mental health centers for community programs, but more crisis beds are needed, he said.

The state reimburses David Lawrence for 11 of the 20 adult crisis beds at a rate of $290 a day when the cost is $490 a day, Schimmel said. That means the nonprofit agency must do a lot of fund raising in the community.

State Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples, said he would be happy to sponsor the budget request.

On a separate matter, Edward Morton, chief executive officer of the NCH Healthcare System, requested a local law be clarified for Collier hospitals when they file liens with the Collier County Clerk of the Courts. The law enables hospitals to file a lien to get paid for treating auto accident victims who did not pay their hospital bills but later received accident settlements. Most counties have lien laws and Collier's law also passed.

Morton said the law contained an "unintended quirk" where hospitals are reimbursed at the lowest governmental insurance rate and he asked that it be changed to say the lowest non-governmental insurance rate. Legislators said the request was minor and they would address it.