State committee adds to growing consensus about diverting patients from Western State

A state committee studying Washington’s two psychiatric hospitals has recommended shifting hundreds of civil, or noncriminal, patients to other regional facilities to address safety and capacity issues.

The panel, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday with a list of recommendations to improve conditions at Western State Hospital and Eastern State Hospital.

The committee’s advice is the latest attempt to improve Western State, an approximately 800-bed facility in Lakewood that has faced a series of documented problems in providing quality and timely care to patients in need of mental health treatment.

It also reflects a growing consensus at the Legislature that Western State should address some of its issues by not serving most civil patients in the future and instead focus on a growing population of criminal forensic patients.

In his 2017 budget plan, Gov. Jay Inslee proposed such a change, phased in by 2020. He also would build nine new 16-bed regional state-run psychiatric facilities to house civil patients. Inslee contends the plan will bring down wait times for all patients and help with safety problems.

Though key lawmakers from both parties agree with Inslee’s plan to build beds in the community for civil patients, they have not yet agreed on the specifics of how that could be accomplished and how much it would cost.

The committee’s recommendations do not offer a concrete proposal for where the civil patients should get treatment other than in “community settings,” which could be state-operated, or state-reimbursed facilities scattered throughout Washington. There are currently 830 beds for civil patients at the two state hospitals.

It also does not offer a time line for Western State to move away from serving civil patients.

The letter notes the committee intended to provide a “framework for future work in this area.”

Inslee has made improvements to Western State and the mental health system a top priority for this legislative session.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler was asked at a news conference last week where the issue ranks as a priority for Republicans. The Ritzville Republican said: “It’s darn high.”

This story was originally published January 16, 2017 at 1:05 PM with the headline "State committee adds to growing consensus about diverting patients from Western State."