Hamilton to close Behavioral Health at the end of June

Jun. 18—Samantha Rayburn said she has been a patient with Hamilton Health Care System's Behavioral Health for the past two years, and she said she has formed a "very special bond" with her physician.

"We had to try many medications and combinations to see what worked perfect for me," she said.

Like many other people, she lost her job during the economic shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

"I was heartbroken," she said. "My depression was almost unbearable. My doctor gave me their personal number to call or text at anytime if things got too rough or I just needed someone to talk to. They were a literal life saver."

Several weeks ago, Hamilton said Behavioral Health — which offers counseling, therapy, psychiatric medication management, cognitive testing and other behavioral health services — will close at the end of this month. A Hamilton official said there are "many factors" involved in the decision including the increasing use of telepsychology/telepsychiatry. Hamilton declined to say how much money, if any, will be saved by the decision.

Hamilton Physician Group is a group of physician practices aligned with Hamilton Health Care System. Behavioral Health is one of the practices that make up Hamilton Physician Group. It is located on Reed Road. Officials say other Hamilton services will take over those offices eventually.

"Hamilton Physician Group is committed to our community and to caring for the whole patient," said Dr. Brian Delashmitt, Hamilton Health Care System's vice president and chief medical officer. "As such, we are currently in communications with behavioral health providers about options for providing services in the community. We are also exploring options with behavioral health entities that may be able to provide alternative sources of care in the surrounding area. ... notifications will be going out to current behavioral health patients, and providers will be assisting each patient through this transition."

Some Behavioral Health patients, several of whom did not want their names used, said they are concerned about what will happen to them.

"We will all have to find new doctors in the area and have to explain our stories and why we are there all over again," said Rayburn. "Not to mention there are not many doctors in or around Dalton to help treat us. I personally am looking at Chattanooga. Many people have very serious conditions that are very uncomfortable to talk about. When you find a doctor you like and also trust, it feels like a divorce when you lose them."

Rayburn said she has been searching on the internet for doctors, checking out their reviews and then calling to see if they are taking new patients, what their rates are, if they accept her insurance and other information.

"Our staff and associates are the heart of the organization," Hamilton said in a statement. "Full-time associates include two physicians and eight other staff members. We have been and continue to work with each associate to reassign to another system location whenever possible."

"There are many factors involved in this decision," said Kimberly Reynolds, Hamilton system executive director for marketing, planning and strategy, when asked why Behavioral Health is being closed.

"COVID-19 has escalated the use of technology in health care in an array of different arenas, one of which is telepsychology/telepsychiatry," Reynolds said when asked what those factors are. "This has been embraced across the country and we are actively pursuing similar options for our community. We expect to roll out new options soon."

Reynolds said she could not immediately say how many patients will be affected.

"Because of the testing component where some patients only test and do not become active patients, we sent out a much larger number of letters than actual active patients," she said.

She said Behavioral Health sees an average of 300 patients weekly.

"Behavioral Health is closely working with all patients affected to coordinate care transition to an alternate service provider," she said. "We are continuing to explore additional behavioral health options, including telehealth ..."

Telehealth is the provision of health care by the internet or telephone.

Reynolds emphasized this will not affect the services offered by the Anna Shaw Children's Institute.

"Many people depend on this service," said Melissa Brooks, who said she is a Behavioral Health patient. "It is a real and devastating illness that exists in our community and many other communities. So many people are going to be left with no doctor, or way to get their meds on a timely basis that they depend on to keep them stable."