It’s a story we’ve told before—and one that keeps repeating. Local hospitals are calling police, sometimes daily, to remove people who refuse to leave their property. But these aren’t just routine trespass calls—they’re another sign of how the city’s homeless and mental health crisis is spilling into every corner of public life.
🏥 Early-Morning Arrest at SOMC
Just after 3 a.m., officers were dispatched to the main campus of Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) after staff reported that Charles Harless was refusing to leave. Harless, from South Shore, was taken into custody for criminal trespass and booked into the Scioto County Jail.
By the next morning, he was in Portsmouth Municipal Court, where he was released on his own recognizance. His pre-trial hearing is set for August 20 at 10 a.m.
🚪 Repeat Trouble at King’s Daughters Medical Center
Later that same day, around 10 p.m., officers were called to King’s Daughters Medical Center for a homeless woman causing a disturbance. This wasn’t her first encounter—police say she’s from Kentucky and has no way to return home.
Last week, she was taken into custody after showing up at multiple hospitals, a retirement center, and even the police station looking for help. This time, officers served her with a no-trespass order, banning her from the property. She still has an open criminal trespass case pending.
🧠 The Bigger Crisis
These incidents aren’t simply about people refusing to leave—they’re about what happens when people with nowhere else to go turn to hospitals as shelter. With no local crisis stabilization center, no inpatient psychiatric beds, and shelters that can’t meet the demand, emergency rooms have become the last stop before the street.
Hospitals say they can’t act as long-term housing. Police say they can’t force treatment. The result? People like Harless and the unnamed woman cycle through hospital entrances, jail cells, and sidewalks, with no permanent solution in sight.
💡 What Could Help
Experts and community advocates point to a few urgent steps:
- Low-barrier shelters that accept individuals regardless of mental health or addiction issues
- Mobile crisis response teams to handle non-emergency mental health calls
- Court diversion programs connecting people to treatment instead of jail
- More coordination between hospitals, law enforcement, and social services
Until those systems are in place, hospitals will keep calling 911—not for medical emergencies, but for a crisis that’s far bigger than their front doors.