State hospital problems are multiplying
The desire to have a quick, noncontroversial legislative session must not distract state lawmakers from their obligation to watchdog the state’s inpatient psychiatric hospitals, where costly and potentially dangerous problems seem to be multiplying.
Senate and House health committees will hold a joint informational hearing Thursday about Osawatomie State Hospital, which risks losing about $1 million a month as a result of its federal Medicare decertification. Unfortunately, there’s much to discuss regarding not only Osawatomie but also Larned State Hospital, which are both operated by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
Recent headlines depict a system as much in crisis as its patients:
▪ The Topeka Capital-Journal obtained December records showing “appalling” overtime levels among nursing staff at Larned hospital of as much as 40-plus hours a week for some employees. One worker acknowledged falling asleep driving home and expressed fear that “the hours we work are going to end up in an employee dying.” In a meeting with staff last week, new KDADS Secretary Tim Keck reportedly set a goal of cutting the 40 percent nursing vacancy rate to 18 percent. Larned also houses the Kansas Sexual Predator Treatment Program, which has its own problems – and a budget that has grown from $1 million in the late 1990s to an estimated $22 million recommended for fiscal 2016-17. In any case, the chronic understaffing reported at both state hospitals in recent years poses an unacceptable risk to patients and staff.
▪ The Kansas Health Institute News Service reported last week that although KDADS estimates the average wait time for beds at Osawatomie at about 23 hours since admissions were capped last June to 146 patients – amid renovations meant to comply with federal safety standards – Lawrence Memorial Hospital has reported waits of up to 140 hours, necessitating more staff and security. Wesley Medical Center in Wichita also reported seeing more people needing mental health treatment. Even if 23 hours in limbo at a local emergency room somehow constitutes appropriate handling of a dangerously mentally ill person, surely a six-day wait does not.
▪ The Miami County Commission recently aired concerns with legislators about increased crime at Osawatomie State Hospital. The sexual assault of an employee in October, allegedly by a patient, was part of the reason Medicare certification was revoked, along with placement of a male sex offender in a section of the hospital for women and other serious problems.
Thursday’s legislative hearing must lead to more scrutiny and action on behalf of the Kansans who suffer from severe mental illness and the employees who care for them at both troubled state hospitals. KDADS’ assurances are wearing thin.
This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 6:07 PM with the headline "State hospital problems are multiplying."