Psychiatric Bed Locator Trend Data

In 2016, the WHA Information Center developed a Psychiatric Bed Locator Tool to assist authorized users to locate the potential availability of psychiatric beds for the purpose of speeding the referral of patients for care.  Under the voluntary program, hospitals with psychiatric beds are asked to provide how many psychiatric beds the hospital currently has available for a potential admission at least twice per day (encouraging to report once in the morning and once in the later afternoon/evening).  In 2021, the Psychiatric Bed Locator Tool was expanded to include crisis stabilization facilities and peer run respite facilities.  Additional information for how the Psychiatric Bed Locator Tool can be used by emergency department staff and individuals responsible for county approval of emergency detentions can be found on the Psychiatric Bed Locator page.

In 2023, the WHA Information Center added new functionality that enables anyone to see aggregate trends of psychiatric bed availability across the state and by DHS region based on data submitted by facilities to the Psychiatric Bed Locator Tool.  This dashboard below can help inform state, regional, and local efforts to identify psychiatric service needs.

WHA Contact

Brian Competente
Director, Operations
608-274-1820
EMAIL: Brian Competente

Technical Notes:
  • Average Available Beds Per Day represents the average number of beds reported by facilities on the WHA Information Center Psychiatric Bed Locator as Potentially Available for an Admission.  A Bed Potentially Available for an Admission means a bed that is set up and staffed, but is unoccupied or not currently reserved at the time of update.  Although a bed may be listed as potentially available, the bed may not be appropriate for all admissions as determined by the unit.  Beds Potentially Available for an Admission are not guaranteed beds.  In all cases, users of the Psychiatric Bed Locator Tool must contact the unit to discuss a potential admission.
  • Beds Setup and Staffed Per Day represents the number of beds setup and staffed for the selected Bed Type by reported by facilities on the WHA Information Center Psychiatric Bed Locator as a bed setup and staffed.  Unlike beds Potentially Available for an Admission which are asked to be updated two times per day, participants are asked update beds set up and staffed at least quarterly or when significant changes occur.
  • Estimated Bed Vacancy Rate Per Day represents an estimate of the percentage of Beds Potentially Available for an Admission divided by Beds Setup-and-Staffed as reported on the Bed Locator.  For example, a 5.0% Bed Vacancy Rate of Inpatient Facility Beds – Adult, would indicate that only 5% of the total Inpatient Facility Beds – Adult of the participating facilities in the selected region are available for a potential admission; and conversely 95% of such beds are currently occupied.  
  • Various studies and reports indicate that sustained psychiatric bed vacancy rates of less than 15 percent would be expected to result in care bottlenecks and other negative impacts.
  • Select daily (D), weekly (W), monthly (M), quarterly (Q), or yearly (Y) Data Points to show on the graph the average available bed per day or estimated bed vacancy rate per day during that selected time frame.  For example, if you select “D” as your data point, the graph will show a data point for each day of the average available beds per day, while if you select “Y” as your data point, the graph will show a single data point for each year of the average available beds per day during that year. 
  • DHS Regions information can be found here:  https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/aboutdhs/regions.htm.
Hospital Participation by Region

 
State Mental Health Institutes
Location Hospital Participates in WHA Information Center Bed Locator Psychiatric Beds Set Up and Staffed (2021 Guide to Wisconsin Hospitals)
Winnebago Winnebago Mental Health Institute
No, except as of August 2023, is sharing Pre-Admission Checklist on Bed Locator.
Winnebago MHI is planning on reporting civil beds set up and staffed on Bed Locator in Fall 2023.
184* - This figure includes criminal justice system (forensic) beds.  The state does not separately report non-criminal (civil) beds utilized for emergency detention in the Guide to Wisconsin Hospitals.  According to DHS in 2021, an estimated 100 adult civil beds and 40 youth civil beds are set up and staffed.
Dane Mendota Mental Health Institute No 299* - This figure includes criminal justice system (forensic) beds.  The state does not separately report non-criminal (civil) beds utilized for emergency detention in the Guide to Wisconsin Hospitals.  According to DHS, Mendota is used almost exclusively for the treatment of forensic patients, but it also has a small unit for civil patients who require geriatric care.


 
DHS Northern Region
Location Hospital Participates in WHA Information Center Bed Locator Psychiatric Beds Set Up and Staffed (2021 Guide to Wisconsin Hospitals)
Oneida Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital Yes 11
Portage Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital Yes 7
Marathon North Central Health Care (County-operated) Yes 24
Marshfield Norwood Health Center (County-operated) No 16
Ashland Memorial Medical Center Yes 10
       
Total Region Psychiatric Beds Setup and Staffed 68
       
% of private facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator 100%
% of county facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator 60.0%
       
Region population (2020) (DHS WISH Query tool) 490,272
Region psychiatric beds set up and staffed per 100,000 population 13.87
DHS Western Region
Location Hospital Participates in WHA Information Center Bed Locator Psychiatric Beds Set Up and Staffed (2021 Guide to Wisconsin Hospitals)
Eau Claire Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire Yes 16
Eau Claire Sacred Heart Hospital Yes 29
La Crosse Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center Yes 30
Polk Amery Regional Medical Center Yes 3
       
Total Region Psychiatric Beds Setup and Staffed 78
       
% of private facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator 100.0%
% of county facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator N/A
       
Region population (2020) (DHS WISH Query tool) 797,896
Region psychiatric beds set up and staffed per 100,000 population 9.78
DHS Northeastern Region
Location Hospital Participates in WHA Information Center Bed Locator Psychiatric Beds Set Up and Staffed (2021 Guide to Wisconsin Hospitals)
Outagamie Ascension NE Wisconsin - St. Elizabeth Hospital Yes 28
Winnebago Ascension NE Wisconsin - Mercy Campus Yes 15
Sheboygan Aurora Medical Center - Sheboygan County Yes 24
Brown Bellin Psychiatric Center Yes 39
Brown Willow Creek Behavioral Health Yes 30
Winnebago Theda Care Regional Medical Center – Neenah Yes 19
Brown Brown County Community Treatment Center (county-operated) No 16
Fond du Lac Fond du Lac County Health Care Center (county-operated) No 25
Fond du Lac SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital No 16
       
Total Region Psychiatric Beds Setup and Staffed 212
       
% of private facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator 90.6%
% of county facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator 0.0%
       
Region population (2020) (DHS WISH Query tool) 1,259,054
Region psychiatric beds set up and staffed per 100,000 population 16.84
DHS Southern Region
Location Hospital Participates in WHA Information Center Bed Locator Psychiatric Beds Set Up and Staffed (2021 Guide to Wisconsin Hospitals)
Dane UW Hospital and Clinics Yes 18
Dane Miramont Behavioral Health Yes 35* (estimate, opened in 2022)
Dane Stoughton Hospital Association Yes 5
Dodge Watertown Regional Medical Center Yes 15
Grant Southwest Health Yes 10
Rock Mercy Health Hospital and Trauma Center - Janesville Yes 12
Dane UnityPoint Health - Meriter Yes 31
Dane St Mary's Hospital - SSM Yes 20
       
Total Region Psychiatric Beds Setup and Staffed 146
       
% of private facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator 100%
% of county facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator N/A
       
Region population (2020) (DHS WISH Query tool) 1,157,363
Region psychiatric beds set up and staffed per 100,000 population 12.61
DHS Southeastern Region
Location Hospital Participates in WHA Information Center Bed Locator Psychiatric Beds Set Up and Staffed (2021 Guide to Wisconsin Hospitals)
Milwaukee Ascension St. Francis Hospital Yes 13
Milwaukee Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee Yes 15
Milwaukee Aurora Psychiatric Hospital Yes 88
Milwaukee Aurora St. Luke's South Shore Yes 23
Milwaukee Rogers Memorial Hospital - Brown Deer Yes 45
Milwaukee Rogers Memorial Hospital - Milwaukee Yes 54
Milwaukee Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Complex (county-operated) Yes 35* (Closed in 2022)
Ozaukee Ascension Columbia St Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Yes 16
Racine Ascension All Saints Hospital Yes 29
Waukesha Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital Yes 16* (Closed in May 2023)
Waukesha Rogers Memorial Hospital Yes 65
Milwaukee Granite Hills Hospital Yes 25* (Estimate; opened in 2022)
Waukesha Waukesha County Mental Health Center (county-operated) No 20
Waukesha ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital No 11
       
Total Region Psychiatric Beds Setup and Staffed 404
       
% of private facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator 97.1%
% of county facility psychiatric beds in region participating in Bed Locator 0.0%
       
Region population (2020) (DHS WISH Query tool) 2,134,136
Region psychiatric beds set up and staffed per 100,000 population 18.93
Statewide
Total psychiatric beds set up and staffed (excluding Winnebago MHI and Mendota MHI) 908
Private facility psychiatric beds set up and staffed 807
County facility psychiatric beds set up and staffed 101
       
% of private facility psychiatric beds  participating in Bed Locator 96.7%
% of county facility psychiatric beds in participating in Bed Locator 23.8%
% of state facility psychiatric beds participating in Bed Locator 0.0%
       
Population (2020) (DHS WISH Query tool) 5,838,721
Region psychiatric beds set up and staffed per 100,000 population 15.55