RALEIGH — Medical officials warned lawmakers in Raleigh on Wednesday that a key part of Iryna’s Law could overwhelm North Carolina’s state psychiatric hospitals without new funding and staff.
A hearing in Raleigh was held on Wednesday to discuss the impacts of Iryna’s Law, which took effect on Dec. 1.
The law was named after 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, the Urkranian woman killed on Charlotte’s light rail earlier this year. DeCarlos Brown is accused of stabbing her multiple times in an unprovoked attack. He has a long-documented mental health history.
Medical officials sounded an alarm on the impact a portion of the law will have when it goes into effect next year at meeting held by the House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety.
A portion of the law goes into effect in December 2026, which says if someone is charged with a violent offense and has previously been involuntary committed or if a judge believes they are a danger to society or themselves, they must go through the psychiatric evaluation process again.
“We are fully expecting along with other inpatient hospitals to see an increase in demand,” said Karen Burkes, deputy secretary for Facilities and Licensure at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Officials with NCDHHS told lawmakers that without additional funding and resources, the new law will make matters worse at the three state psychiatric hospitals.
“We want to operate as many beds as we can,” said Burkes. “We are trying to do that as fast as we can.”
The state says currently there are 300 beds available but are not being used, because of staffing issues.
Nurses are hard to hire these days, and they’ve had trouble hiring psychiatrists, too, officials said.
State health officials said the impact will likely trickle down to local hospitals potentially making less beds available there, too.
“We know that we have people waiting to get in the front door, so the longer an individual stays in the facility, the harder it is to bring in new individuals,” said Dr. Carrie Brown, chief medical officer for NCDHHS Facilities.
IVC patients or inmates must wait in local hospitals or jail longer delaying treatment that could be crucial due to state facilities getting full
Lawmakers expect to hold more hearings on this to offer some solutions.
VIDEO: More inmates expected under Iryna’s Law, sheriff says
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