The revival of Southeast Louisiana Hospital near Mandeville may become the task of a private company as early as next week, a development that could quell consternation over the unexpected closure of the state mental health facility that has treated area patients for 60 years. Local and state officials have been meeting with one or more of the four private companies that responded to the state Department of Health and Hospitals' Sept. 13 request for information and proposals related to the takeover of the facility.
While DHH has been coy about identifying which company has the upper hand, only one of the respondents offered a plan that would keep the facility intact on its present campus on U.S. 190 just east of Mandeville, a stipulation local officials have embraced from the get-go.
That company, MBH of Louisiana, LLC, a subsidiary of Meridian Behavioral Health Systems of Gainesville, Fla., offered a plan to reopen the hospital at its current location with almost 200 beds. Local officials said they've had several meetings with MBH executives and have emerged very impressed with the company's plan.
In its submission to DHH, the company indicated it would provide 40 acute care adult beds for patients ages 18-64; 15 acute child beds for ages 5-11; 25 acute adolescent beds for ages 12-17; 75 psychiatric residential treatment beds for children and adolescents; and 20 "diagnostic acute" beds for children and adolescents. The three other companies proposed either moving operations to other campuses or severely downsizing the Mandeville-area ?facility.
MBH officials could not be reached for comment.
DHH reported last month that its Office of Behavioral Health was evaluating the proposals and would make a decision by early November as to who will be chosen to operate the facility. DHH spokesperson Meghan Speakes said Friday that more than one company can be selected to operate the hospital, but she declined to say which companies were in negotiation with the state or when an announcement might be made.
"All we can say at this point is that things are going really well," she said. "We can not provide a timetable."
But on Wednesday, state Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville, one of several legislators involved in the effort to save the mental hospital, told the St. Tammany-West Chamber of Commerce that negotiations were ongoing and "moving in the right direction. Positive results could be announced very soon," he said, declining to elaborate.
And on Thursday night, the St. Tammany Parish Council unanimously approved two resolutions setting the stage for a transfer of the hospital's operations. The resolutions authorize Parish President Pat Brister to execute cooperative endeavor agreements with DHH and an unnamed private provider. One resolution states "DHH will enter into an agreement with a private provider to continue the mental health services currently being provided at the hospital."
Brister said she has been involved in meetings with the state on the future of the hospital and "I'm feeling more optimistic with each meeting."
The hospital resolutions were taken up at the Thursday meeting in case the state reaches an agreement before the council's next meeting. "We're just being prepared," Brister said.
Catching many local officials by surprise, DHH announced in July that it would close the hospital, which had 94 in-patient beds earlier this year. DHH officials believe the closure will save $1.6 million this fiscal year and $3.5 million in subsequent years as the state struggles to cope with reductions in federal money for Medicare.
The state health department says it wants to ensure a sustainable behavioral care system for the future by de-emphasizing the role of large public institutions and instead building partnerships with community providers.
The shuttering of the hospital unleashed a wave of opposition from employees, families of patients and others who dread the loss of mental health facilities in the region. The immediate formation of the Committee to Save Southeast Louisiana Hospital helped stoke the issue by holding public rallies at the hospital and at the business offices of local legislators.
The group lobbied for a special session of the Legislature to address significant budget cuts made by Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration to the state's health care system. But a coalition of lawmakers failed to secure enough signatures to conduct a vote that would have forced a special session in late November.
Committee members have said privatizing the hospital is better than shutting it down, but they would prefer that it remain a public institution. They raised concerns that for-profit companies might be too focused on revenues and might be inclined to turn away patients who need long-term care. Committee spokesman Loren Foret said Friday that members have thus far been unsuccessful in getting a meeting with either DHH or the companies interested in taking over the hospital.
Several public bodies, including the Mandeville City Council, have gone on record to oppose the state's decision to close the facility. Area legislators from conservative-leaning St. Tammany, most of whom are close political allies of the Republican governor, have also spoken against the move.
Supporters say the hospital, which provided mental health and substance abuse treatment for patients from throughout the New Orleans area for 60 years and treated the likes of former Gov. Earl K. Long, allows families to stay in close contact with patients, an advantage that has ceased as beds are transferred to other?facilities in Jackson and Pineville, La.
Southeast Louisiana Hospital also provides an economic boost to the parish. With around 500 employees, it has been one of the largest employers in St. Tammany.
Jindal administration officials, who say they are grappling with an $859 million cut to the state's federal Medicaid financing and must take steps to close the gap, have been undaunted by the pressure. Hospital supporters have been miffed that DHH officials have failed to appear at public hearings and rallies in Mandeville.
In early October, DHH began the process of transferring patients from the hospital to similar state facilities in Pineville and Jackson. The transfer process is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
"The process has gone smoothly," Speakes said.
Source: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/mandeville_mental_health_hospi.html
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