New Data Shows Slight Dip In Texas’s Massive Hospital Bed Waitlist

Everybody in the state of Texas feels sick at one point in their lives. Sometimes, the situation is serious and requires somebody to go to the hospital for medical attention, especially when the person is in jail. But over the years, getting a hospital bed has become tough in the state.

Why Is Tough To Get A Hospital Bed In The State Of Texas?

According to KXAN, there is a major reason that an inmate in the state of Texas needs a hospital. Per the news organization, Texas has a rule that  "people charged with a crime and found incompetent to stand trial are required to undergo competency restoration in an HHSC state hospital."

Get our free mobile app

This in turn, puts the case on pause, not allowing it to move forward. So the need for an examination becomes paramount to keep the justice process going forward. KXAN revealed however, that in December of 2022, the waitlist to get a bed topped nearly 2,500 people.

Read More: Texas Law Enforcement Stunned By Mortuary's Condition In State

While that number was a bit concerning at the time, new data has shown that things have improved slightly.

What Has Led To The Decrease On The Waitlist For A Hospital Bed?

Supervising attorney with Disability Rights Texas, Beth Mitchell, told KXAN that there doesn't seem to be a reason for the decrease.

“It would be impossible to say that the wait list is not improving since their high in December of 2022, but I also know that it’s now kind of become stagnant...If you look at just this year from January until now…the wait list hasn’t moved much at all.”

Strides have been made to make it easier for beds to be obtained, but still that doesn't plan for future issues, even though the waitlist has gone down a little bit. As stated by Mitchell:

“Not to discount...They all may help, and they’re necessary, but they still need to do more.”

Time will tell if things will steadily improve.