Minnesota will no longer allow hotel rooms to be used for crisis respite, a Medicaid-funded program that provides care and supervision to people experiencing mental health crises, MPR News reported Sept. 14.
The state stopped allowing new hotel placements in June, and starting Sept. 15, all existing hotel placements must end, with Hennepin County already having stopped using hotels for crisis respite.
Debbie Ackerman, the area manager for Hennepin County Human Services, said the county had concerns about providing crisis respite in settings without the oversight required of licensed facilities. Crisis respite outside the home cannot exceed 180 days without an exception plan, and hotel placements require updates to the Department of Human Services every seven days.
Hennepin County has increased the number of licensed beds for children in ongoing placement settings by 45 beds since 2021 and currently has 59 licensed beds. The county also has a youth stabilization center with 13 beds for stays of 30 to 45 days.
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