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Behavioral Health Challenges in an Acute Care Hospital During the Novel COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all areas of health care and posed unique challenges in managing patient care. COVID-19 precautions were taken in every practice setting. The placement and care of patients with a behavioral health (BH) diagnosis have revealed unforeseen acute care challenges during this pandemic. There were new barriers for acute care hospitals in the timely transition of care of BH patients who tested positive for COVID-19. The purpose of this article is to highlight the challenges encountered by an acute care hospital to provide extended care for BH patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Immediately following COVID-19 recovery, the patients could not be placed in a licensed BH facility for continued care because of state COVID-19 quarantine executive order and public health mandate for congregate facilities. This mandate resulted in the acute care hospitals in Georgia adapting in real time to provide extended inpatient care for BH patients. This article presents 2 case studies, outlining challenges, interventions, and lessons learned, of how one acute care hospital ensured the best outcomes for extended-stay BH patients admitted with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.