Dive Brief:

• The San Antonio State Hospital has temporarily stopped admitting new patients, mental health advocates said Thursday.
• The 302-bed hospital, which provides in-patient treatment for poor, uninsured psychiatric patients who pose a danger to themselves or others, is short of nurses, allegedly because the pay there is not competitive with other employers.
• The Bexar County judge who oversees the court that handles the cases of many mentally ill people already sees signs of a crisis in the wake of this news. "I’ve already gotten calls from three [local] hospitals, saying they have no place to send people," Judge Oscar Kazen told reporters on Thursday. "We're already sending people to hospitals in the [Rio Grande] Valley."

Dive Insight:

The nation's nursing shortage is a well-documented problem. The situation in San Antonio is just one grave example of how the shortage can have a ripple effect. 

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. The nursing shortage stems in part from a lack of nurse educators. So while there may be enough qualified students applying to nursing schools, there's only so many teachers and so much room. Another issue, the American Nurses Association notes, is the growing number of seniors ages 65+ who need medical care. 

What nursing advocates propose is better long-term policy planning, faster career path options and better wages, among other things.