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Staffing Shortage Creates Crisis Situation At Western State

An aerial view of Western State Hospital in 2010.
Thomasp94
/
asylumprojects.org
An aerial view of Western State Hospital in 2010.

A staffing shortage at Western State Hospital has created a crisis situation. Federal inspectors this week determined that patients and staff face immediate risk for harm.

That means the state psychiatric hospital could lose federal funding.

The situation is so bad at Western State that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid issued six notices of immediate jeopardy. The surveyors reviewed recent patient deaths and assaults involving patients and staff.

The hospital currently has more than 300 staff vacancies despite recently approved pay raises. Psychiatrists and nurses are in especially short supply.

Carla Reyes, the assistant secretary in charge of state mental hospitals, said “there is no sugar coating” the problem.

“We are very concerned about the immediate jeopardy here at Western,” she said. “We need to take it very seriously.”

Reyes said in the short-term they’re halting a 30-bed expansion at the hospital. Managers are also developing a plan of correction.

The hospital has 30 days to correct the problems or lose federal funding.

Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy as well as the Washington State legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia." Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland and Boise. Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Austin’s reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Austin Jenkins
Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."