Crisis program closing temporarily due to lack of staff

Jan. 13—For the second time in three months, a Fredericksburg-area program that provides mental health care is closing due to lack of staff.

But this closing is temporary. The Sunshine Lady House for Mental Health Wellness & Recovery will close Feb. 7 and should reopen within six months after officials focus on finding more help, according to the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board.

RACSB has treated 5,313 patients — an average of more than 310 per year — at Sunshine Lady House since the program opened in 2007 at a home in downtown Fredericksburg. Patients who were in the middle of a psychiatric crisis were able to receive up to 15 days of treatment which included 24-hour supervision, art therapy, group sessions, counseling and more.

But a significant shortage of staff, particularly nurses, licensed therapists and qualified mental health professionals, has impacted the program's ability to continue, according to a news release.

By closing temporarily, RACSB Director Joe Wickens hopes the agency can focus on recruiting, hiring and training staff, then reopen.

Officials with Fredericksburg Counseling Services Inc. faced similar staff shortages in recent years and announced their closure in December because it couldn't find people to run the program.

The clinic had been in operation for 60 years. Interns who needed to work under certified therapists to complete their training would provide counseling to low-income and uninsured residents at the free clinic.

But it got to the point that FCSI had trouble finding therapists to oversee the program, said Catherine Jennings, FCSI's board chair.

Mental health providers are "just not out there," she said in mid-November. "A lot of them are just gone, retired, just burned out. It's everywhere."

Staffing issues aren't unique to the Fredericksburg area but are part of a nationwide shortage, particularly among those in behavioral health, which typically addresses mental-health issues in combination with substance use disorders.

Even before COVID-19 hit, there weren't enough psychiatrists nationwide to treat those with mental illnesses, according to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The pandemic has made things even worse.

"Within a few years, the country will be short between 14,280 and 31,109 psychiatrists, and psychologists, social workers and others will be overextended as well," according to the AAMC story.

Many crisis stabilization units in Virginia closed during COVID-19, but RACSB was able to remain open, according to the news release. However, as staffing problems continued, so did regulatory requirements, meaning "the program now needs more employees to provide residential crisis services which include 24-hour nursing, round-the-clock admissions, psychiatric assessments, counseling and more," the RACSB stated.

During the months the Sunshine Lady House is closed, those who need treatment will be referred to the Wellness Recovery Center in Charlottesville and Arbor House in Harrisonburg. Sunshine Lady House employees will be reassigned to other RACSB programs.

Doris Buffett, the late Fredericksburg philanthropist, gave $2 million to the RACSB to open the house and help those in crisis. The money also was used to provide long-term housing for those with mental illness. That program will not be affected by the temporary closure, according to the RACSB.

Resuming services at the Sunshine Lady House "is a top priority," said Amy Jindra, director of community support services for the RACSB.

"We know the community relies on Sunshine Lady House," she said, "and we look forward to continuing that tradition as soon as possible."

Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425

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