While we are on the subject of Certificates-of-Need, MHA again notes the sorry state of behavioral health beds in Michigan, particularly in rural areas like the Upper Peninsula. Personnel availability also plays a role in the bed shortage:
https://www.house.mi.gov/Document/?DocumentId=52974&DocumentType=CommitteeTestimony
Michigan ranks near last in nation for inpatient psychiatric bed availability
The Upper Peninsula is also short of its identified number of needed beds and staff to operate those it has.
By Shannon Konoske - May 29, 2025UPPER MICHIGAN. (WLUC) - Michigan is ranked 47 in the nation for inpatient psychiatric hospital bed availability. The U.P. specifically is 20 beds short of its identified need and has the staff to operate even fewer beds than already exist.
Only two hospitals in the U.P. have inpatient psychiatric beds to begin with: UP Health System-Marquette and MyMedical Center-Sault. According to UPHS-Marquette, inpatient psychiatric care is typically needed when someone poses a danger to themselves or others— such as in cases of severe depression, suicidal ideation or acute psychosis.
Last week, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association (MHA) testified before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Public Health and Food Security. That testimony, supported by data the association began collecting in 2023, revealed that of the number of patients waiting in emergency rooms, 63% of them are waiting for an available behavioral health bed.
MHA Government Relations Manager Tayler Alpert said last year, Michigan hospitals saw a total of 1.2 million emergency room visits where behavioral health was one of the reasons for care.
The cause for the limited number of psychiatric beds, like many things in health care, comes down to a combination of factors. Those factors include the number of physical beds, as well as the available staff to oversee them.
In January 2024, the Treatment Advocacy Center released a report analyzing the estimated need for psychiatric beds in the United States. The center said experts have most recently estimated the “absolute minimum” number of psychiatric beds per 100,000 people should be 30, with an optimal number around 60 beds per a population of 100,000.
The TAC’s 2024 report said that in 2022, Michigan had a total of 1,945 (licensed) beds. That comes out to 19 beds per 100,000 — about 10 beds short of the minimum recommendation per 100,000. In order to reach the minimum number of beds per that population, the TAC found that Michigan would need 1,065 additional psychiatric beds— and 3,072 additional beds to reach “optimal” availability.
It should be noted that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ psychiatric bed inventory does show a higher number of available beds in the state, at 2,297. However, the data notes that those numbers are reported by each facility and may or may not reflect Certificate of Need (CON) services rather than just licensed beds.
CON services, as described by the MHA, “take into consideration the needs of patients in rural and less populated areas to help assure needed services are available.” In some instances, the MHA says, this means setting different volume standards or providing other allowances to providers in these areas.
For the Upper Peninsula, that same CON report indicates the need for 75 adult psychiatric inpatient beds (whereas the TAC recommendation would be 90). However, it too shows a shortage, at a combined 57 beds available. UPHS-Marquette has 37 adult beds and MyMichigan Medical Center-Sault has 20.
While the number of licensed beds alone is lacking, however, hospitals are in need of staff to first operate the ones they have. For example, UPHS-Marquette said while it has 37 licensed beds in its unit, the hospital currently operates only 20 of them. The hospital said it continues to recruit and onboard specialized staff who can help expand the bed capacity.
TV6 has contacted MyMichigan Medical Center-Sault to find out if all 20 of its beds are staffed, but has not yet heard back.
Meanwhile, the MHA said nursing remains both the top opening in the hospital job market as well as the field with the highest number of new hires. The high number of vacancies extends to all parts of the medical field. MHA data shows 218 behavioral health professional vacancies in the 2025 hospital workforce. It also highlights that there is only one child psychiatrist in the U.P.
HRSA Health Workforce projections show that across all physician specialties, there is a projected shortage of over 187,000 physicians nationally by 2037.
Solutions are being proposed and developed at both the state and local level to address both the bed and staff shortages.
The MHA proposed several solutions during its testimony before the House subcommittee to address both bed and staff shortages.
Among those recommendations was to expand swing beds for behavioral health patients beyond existing acute care of skilled nursing care patients. Another was to provide reimbursements for services provided to behavioral health patients while boarded in emergency departments awaiting further psychiatric treatment.
Meanwhile, the MHA said legislation it has advocated for continues to move through the legislature. Senate Bill 219 of 2025, for example, has been moved favorably through the Senate and was referred on May 21 to the Committee for Health Policy. The MHA says it would update procedures for assisted outpatient treatment to improve care for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.
In addressing staffing, another Senate Bill referred to the Committee for Health Policy, would enlist Michigan in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. The purpose of the compact, according to its website, “is an agreement among participating U.S. states and territories to work together to significantly streamline the licensing process for physicians who want to practice in multiple states.”
The mission of the compact is to increase access to health care, “particularly for patients in underserved or rural areas.” Currently, 40 states participate.
On the local level, hospitals said they are working to improve outpatient programming to supplement inpatient needs.
UPHS-Marquette said it recently launched an Intensive Outpatient Program. Through the program, the hospital said it “works closely with community partners to offer alternative supports, including case management and close outpatient monitoring, which can help reduce the need for hospitalization” in the first place.
The MAH provides regularly updated data on staffing and available resources on its website. For additional information or help, you may also check out TV6′s mental health awareness page or our suicide prevention resources page.
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