Sources close to Knoxville’s Lakeshore have just informed me that the State of Tennessee has decided to close Lakeshore. Lakeshore a state run mental health facility located in the Lakeshore Park property at the intersection of Northshore Drive/Lyons Bend Drive and Westland Drive.
Lakeshore Park was once identified as a location of permanent supportive housing for the homeless through Knoxville’s Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. No indication that either are related to one another or a link to the election of Mayor-Elect Madeline Rogero.
More details as they surface.
I know the way we treat mental illness has changed over the years,, what with meds preferred over extended hospitalizations, but keeping the seriously mental ill locked up and having that resource available to all of the local law enforcement all over the region has got to be valuable. I've lost track of all the different rural police departments I've seen bringing patients in during my late evening walks over there. And the sheer expense of private pshychiatric hospitalization in a place like Peninsula? Fugghet about it. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for scaling back the size of the government and I know Chief Bromden is probably out there somewhere with a smile on his face, but until I see what viable alternatives are presented, I'm going to be skeptical. While I don't think there is any connection to the new mayor, you know certain elements of the city and county are going to have their eye on it. 120 something acres of the most valuable land in Knox County with a potential homeless shelter on it bordered by a greenway and ball fields for little league?…. just the thought makes me shudder.
I actually applied to work their and wow, the place has such dedicated employees I mean let me give you an example, it was paying like 8 bucks an hour with a 4 yr degree I asked one of the counselors how come everyone was dressed down in street clothes and he tells me “because when the patients sometimes revolt it gets bloody and we dont have to money to toss out and replace good clothing…medicine doesn't fix mental problems it helps mental problems. One person was an arsonist who tried setting himself on fire. These people are in a mental facility because they are mental. It is ashame that the state will send money sending in cops undercover in nashville to the Occupy Wall Street and they have money for that but no $$$ for mental health. This will cost us more /$ in the end
The plan at Lakeshore it to turn its residents out to be provided “Community Based” care. This model, is what developed over 50 years ago, when Mental Institutions began releasing patients to communities, with no real care or maney to pay for this care available.
Our society, must realize that because of severe mental illness and severe persistant mental illness, (SPMI), many people will never be able to live on their own, or be cared for in their “Communities”, because this plan has failed.
The only community based care in Knoxville has becaome the Homeless Service Providers. At the core of Homelessness, is Mental Illness. And until we as a society can realize that some folks will have to be institutionalized, this will continue to be a disaster for North Knoxville and the surrounding communities.
Lakeshore takes the violent patients that other mental health facilities are not equipped, or staffed, to handle. Being run by the state, they could not turn down an emergency case – at least that is my understanding. What are the police going to do with the ones who cannot be admitted to other facilities due to their violence towards both staff and other patients?
Dr. Leela Sud was a fine doctor who worked at Lakeshore Mental Health Institute. She helped so many. When she retired the place lost one of its finest psychiatrists. Even so, I am sad to see it close.
I agree with the comment above. Dr. Leela Sud was a fine doctor and she helped so many at Lakeshore Mental Health Institute. So many patients benefitted from Dr. Sud and other doctors there. It is too bad that Knoxville no longer has such a facility to help these unfortunate souls.