“Mental Health in South Carolina”
February 12, 2008: Jim Geffert introduced our guest speaker, John Magill, with a touch of humor to preface a very serious topic. Jim stated that the best indication someone is going crazy is “a loss of memory and forgetfulness on trash day.” John, the State Director of the Mental Health Department, has served in the field for 40 years, 38 in Charleston and began his presentation with a quick history lesson. His agency is a very large organization with over 5300 employees. They treated over 100,000 patients in 4 hospitals (3 in Columbia and 1 in Anderson), 17 mental health centers, and 45 clinics. 31,00 children and adolescents were treated which was not part of the 1821 charter when the state legislature authorized the agency; our oldest agency. The first hospital was opened in 1827 and the first patient treated in 1828: the archived clinical notes reveal an amazing insight into the status of the patient and state of his treatment.
Mr. Magill expanded on “what we’re doing well” stating there’s 250 counselors working in 457 schools in an attempt to encounter problems early that will lead to more success later. He related there are 850,000 people in SC suffering from some form of mental illness and an additional 250,000 with an addictive disease … “that’s 1 million out of a 4.3 million person population.” John then related “what we’re not doing well.” “We have a state-wide crisis providing emergency support.” Today there’s 600-700 beds in hospitals and, on any night, 3000 people in a community care environment. There’s a larger number not finding a service and seek treatment in emergency rooms. To help this “ER crisis” the Duke endowment provided 4 million dollars to allow SC’s 65 emergency rooms a link back to the agency, 24/7/365, to make a better diagnosis and prescribe better medication … “we’re the first state in the Union to do so.” Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield have [respectively] contributed funds to support a collaborative database and school-based support in the “corridor of shame.”
In summary, John complemented Rotary for “putting our heart and resources into doing something good for someone else.”
Reported by Bill Crowe, Keyway Committee Chair