Family Resources in Resources in Kentucky
- Kentucky Department of Behavioral Health (chfs.ky.gov) Resources and contacts
- Kentucky Determination Criteria Checklist for Serious Mental Illness (dbhdid.ky.gov) Criteria used by providers to determine whether an individual is designated as having a serious mental illness
- Kentucky Community Mental Health Centers (dbhdid.ky.gov) Find mental health centers and psychiatric hospitals by county
- Division of Adult Guardianship (chfs.ky.gov) Information and regional contacts
- Kentucky Legal Aid (klaid.org) Free, civil legal services provider in South-Western Kentucky
- NAMI Kentucky (namiky.org) Support groups, training, information
- Kentucky Protection & Advocacy (kypa.net) Protection and advocacy for individuals with disabilities
- Homeless Information: Kentucky | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (hud.gov/states/kentucky) (hud.gov/states/kentucky) Find help hotlines, financial assistance, foodbanks and shelters by city or county
- Kentucky Offender Lookup System (kool.corrections.ky.gov) Find offenders by name or PID
- (kool.corrections.ky.gov) (kool.corrections.ky.gov) Find offenders by name or PID
- Kentucky Bar Association (kybar.org) Legal assistance
How many people in Kentucky have SMI?
individuals with severe mental illness.
individuals with SMI who receive treatment in a given year.
of the adult population is estimated living with a SMI in the United States.
State psychiatric hospital beds in Kentucky
2023 total beds: 410
- Civil beds: 370
- Forensic beds: 40
2023 beds per 100,000 people: 9.1
Click here for more information about state psychiatric hospital beds in Kentucky.
A minimum of 50 beds per 100,000 people is considered necessary to provide minimally adequate treatment for individuals with severe mental illness. Kentucky fails to meet this minimum standard.
For Additional Information
Data is a powerful tool to advocate for change. Curious about a specific data point in your state? Reach out to us at ORPA@treatmentadvocacycenter.org
Fast Facts on SMI in Kentucky
Deinstitutionalization, outdated treatment laws, discriminatory Medicaid funding practices, and the prolonged failure by states to fund their mental health systems drive those in need of care into the criminal justice and corrections systems.
21%
9,676
410
24 to 1
2021 Kentucky State Mental Health Agency's expenditures
Every state receives block grant funding from the federal government to provide mental health services to their community. Below is some information about how these dollars are spent and compares to other state spending.
$206,967,451
60%
$1,414
0.5%
Kentucky's Treatment Laws
KY. REV. STAT. ANN. § 202A.041(1). Any peace officer who has reasonable grounds to believe that an individual [meets the criteria for emergency evaluation] shall take the individual into custody and transport the individual without unnecessary delay to a hospital or psychiatric facility … for the purpose of an evaluation to be conducted by a qualified mental health professional. KY. REV. STAT. ANN. § 202A.031(1). An authorized staff physician may order the admission of any person who is present at, or is presented at, a hospital. Within twenty-four hours (excluding weekends and holidays) of the admission under this section, the authorized staff physician ordering the admission of the individual shall certify in the record of the individual that in his opinion the individual should be involuntarily hospitalized. KY. REV. STAT. ANN. § 202A.028(1). Following an examination by a qualified mental health professional and a certification by that professional that the person meets the criteria for involuntary hospitalization, a judge may order the person hospitalized for a period not to exceed seventy-two (72) hours, excluding weekends and holidays.
KY. REV. STAT. ANN. § 202A.051(3). The petition shall be filed by a qualified mental health professional, peace officer, county attorney, Commonwealth's attorney, spouse, relative, friend, or guardian of the individual concerning whom the petition is filed, or any other interested person. KY. REV. STAT. ANN. § 202A.026. No person shall be involuntarily hospitalized unless such person is a mentally ill person: (1) Who presents a danger or threat of danger to self, family or others as a result of the mental illness; (2) Who can reasonably benefit from treatment; and (3) For whom hospitalization is the least restrictive alternative mode of treatment presently available. KY. REV. STAT. ANN. § 202A.011(2). "Danger" or "threat of danger to self, family or others" means substantial physical harm or threat of substantial physical harm upon self, family, or others, including actions which deprive self, family, or others of the basic means of survival including provision for reasonable shelter, food or clothing.
Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 202A.0815. No person shall be court-ordered to assisted outpatient mental health treatment unless the person: 1. Is diagnosed with a serious mental illness; 2. Has a history of repeated nonadherence with mental health treatment, which has: (a) At least twice within the last forty-eight (48) months, been a significant factor in necessitating hospitalization or arrest of the person; or (b) Within the last twenty-four (24) months, resulted in an act, threat, or attempt at serious physical injury to self or others; 3. Is unlikely to adequately adhere to outpatient treatment on a voluntary basis based on a qualified mental health professional’s: (a) Clinical observation; and (b) Identification of specific characteristics of the person’s clinical condition that significantly impair the person’s ability to make and maintain a rational and informed decision as to whether to engage in outpatient treatment voluntarily; and 4. Is in need of court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment as the least restrictive alternative mode of treatment presently available and appropriate.
Recommended updates to treatment laws
- 1
Amend Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 202A.041(1) to authorize citizen right of petition for at least enumerated citizens, preferably any responsible adult, for emergency evaluation
- 2
Add psychiatric deterioration criteria or amend grave disability criteria to include it
- 3
Amend Ky. Rev. Stat. § 202A.0815 in order to expressly exclude periods of hospitalization or incarceration from the period of treatment history considered
- 4
Adopt express procedures for the court to monitor uncontested AOT orders entered into voluntarily to give the benefit of the black robe effect to all enrollees