Mandy Eaton, the president and CEO of Memorial Health, said Wednesday, March 11, the hospital system is working to increase access to outpatient mental health care, “but there are gaps” in the care system. Those gaps “shift pressure” to the emergency room and law enforcement. Dr. Ted Clark, an emergency room physician and vice president of clinical care at Memorial, said on that very day the ER had seven psychiatric “holds” – patients waiting for an inpatient bed or another place to go – and they can wait there for days or weeks. “The ER needs help,” Clark said, suggesting a community mental health board could help provide a “warm handoff” alternative between the ER and inpatient care. If they don’t go to the ER, those in psychiatric crisis often find themselves in the back of a police car or in jail. John Milhiser, Sangamon County state’s attorney, said a “large percentage” of the inmates in the county’s jail today have a mental illness. “We need to get them on the right track so they don’t come back,” he said. In this week’s cover story by staff writer Dilpreet Raju, “A desert for mental health care,” there is a full explanation of the March 17 referendum to create a community mental health board. I plan to vote yes. – Fletcher Farrar, editor
This article appears in March 12-18, 2026.
