OSAWATOMIE – State officials say they have a three-stage plan to make sure Osawatomie State Hospital keeps its federal funding. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has given the state until Dec. 8 to address overcrowding and other concerns at the hospital or lose Medicare and Medicaid funds, in effect shutting down the hospital. The state has been working with CMS and the fixes include so-called “fire watch” room checks when the facility is over its capacity, and changes in nursing and pharmacy procedures, Kansas Dept. for Aging and Disability Services spokeswoman Angela De Rocha told the Kansas Health Institute News Service. The fire-watch checks involve having two staff members check each hospital room once an hour when the facility is above its limit. Osawatomie State Hospital is the largest of the state’s two in-patient facilities for adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses. Most of the hospital’s patients have been admitted because they have been declared a danger to themselves or others. Some mental health experts as Kyle Kessler said Gov. Sam Brownback has come up with a workable plan to improve mental health services in the state. However, he sayid legislators must agree to fund Brownback’s plan.
Tuesday, Nov. 25, 10 a.m.
