TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Kathryn MacKenzie said she was stuck in a Pasco County mental health facility and kept there for money, not medical reasons.  

MacKenzie said she needed her medication adjusted, but a trip to a local emergency room turned into a seven-day stay at North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital in Wesley Chapel.

The company that owns the hospital tells 8 On Your Side they never make decisions for financial reasons.

Mackenzie doesn’t believe it.    

She said the very sight of North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital off State Road 56 brings back terrible memories.  

“The perception of the outside it almost looks like a resort and on the inside it’s the total opposite,” MacKenzie said.

In August 2020, the veteran social worker had just moved to Tampa Bay to take on a new job.

MacKenzie suffers from bipolar disorder, but said the condition was well-regulated for years with the right prescriptions. She said she was having an issue with her medication, and didn’t yet have a local psychiatrist to consult, so she went to a Pasco County ER for help.

The staff referred her to another local facility instead.

“I was continuously being told that it was not a Baker act, and then I did go into the transport and was taken to another facility,” she said.

MacKenzie was transported to North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital. She said she told the hospital’s intake staff that she was not suicidal, and that she had even been at work earlier that same day without any problems. Despite that, she was admitted. Her stay soon stretched into seven days that Mackenzie said she was held at the hospital against her will.

“We strongly feel that my insurance was the primary purpose to continue my stay,” she said.

Records show the hospital billed MacKenzie’s insurance $2,300 per day, and while her insurance paid the bill, Mackenzie paid a price, too. She said she was just four weeks away from being vested with the State of Florida’s retirement program but lost her job because of her week at the hospital.  

“At the end of the day, it came out to be over 13,000 that they got out of the week,” MacKenzie said.

Court records show that MacKenzie was released after her family hired an attorney and that a judge hearing her case ordered the hospital to discharge her immediately.

North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital is owned by Acadia Healthcare. A recent investigation by the New York Times found that the Tennessee-based company operates 54 psychiatric hospitals nationwide, and raised questions about the reasons that patients were held.

The for-profit mental health chain is currently valued at $7 billion.

MacKenzie later sued Acadia for false imprisonment. A confidential settlement was reached last year, but she says that memories of her stay still haunt her.

8 On Your Side wanted to ask Acadia about MacKenzie’s allegations. Acadia Healthcare spokesperson, Tim Blair, told us the company does not comment on patient treatment due to privacy regulations, but they shared this statement with us:

Assertions made in recent reporting which are driving your interest are inaccurate. Decisions on patient care, including how long treatment may be necessary, are never business decisions. They are medical decisions made by licensed physicians and care clinicians in accredited, regulated healthcare facilities based on medical necessity and associated legal requirements. Additionally, the characterization of the few historic cases cited does not represent all facts influencing complex medical decisions made by multi-disciplinary teams led by psychiatrists. 

To be clear, at every step, our treatment programs are delivered based on medical necessity rooted in more than 50 years of data within behavioral health. Demonstrating our commitment to the highest quality care, over the last several years, we have significantly enhanced already meaningful investments in quality, clinical programming, technology, training, and talent – all to drive positive outcomes for the patients and communities we serve. Acadia Healthcare expanded its leadership team to include new roles and expertise critical to providing the highest quality of care – our Chief Quality Officer of Inpatient Services, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Information Officer, and most recently, our Chief Medical Officer. These have run in parallel to investments made in new leadership, technology, providers, and clinical treatment programs at North Tampa Behavioral Health.

Behavioral health and substance abuse services in the United States have never been in greater need. We take seriously our responsibilities when caring for these acute patients and their families and are proud of the care provided by the team at North Tampa Behavioral Health.

MacKenzie disagrees.

“I think they were doing the best they could to paint a picture of a need that just didn’t exist,” she said.

Acadia has information posted on its website about the process of involuntary admission into one of its psychiatric hospital.

Investigator Brittany Muller asked MacKenzie is she believes that this facility should still be operating, she responded: “Absolutely not.”

MacKenzie said she is now afraid to get help and always will be. She realizes that a stigma remains around seeking help for mental health.

She wants to help combat that by sharing her story. MacKenzie said just because she’s bipolar, it doesn’t mean she’s any less capable of holding a job and leading a great life. She said she‘s a mother of two, raising two amazing children and she wouldn’t trade her life with anyone’s.

If you have had an experience with North Tampa Behavioral Health Hospital or another Acadia facility that you want to share, email Investigator Brittany Muller at bmuller@wfla.com. She would like to hear from you.