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Getting private money into the state mental hospital is not a new idea, but it is one that won't go away.
During a tour of the 80-acre Provo facility on Wednesday, state Sen. Curt Bramble and state Rep. Becky Lockhart broached the topic with the state director of Human Services.
"I'm not against privatization as a philosophy," said director Lisa-Michele Church. But she has been opposed to such a move if it's based solely on philosophical reasoning. Mental hospitals across the country haven't shown marked improvement after going private, with the exception of Florida. But in that case, Church said, "they started with a very, very low standard of care."
Getting private dollars into the state hospital would, in theory, help expand and improve services. Two years ago, Lockhart, R-Provo, unsuccessfully ran a bill that sought out private proposals to see if the hospital could be run more efficiently. Bramble, R-Provo, was cautious with his words on Wednesday.
"My concern is that there is a lot of opportunity for unfounded rumors," he said. "There is no foregone conclusion."
Specifically, he cites the hospital's forensic unit, which would likely be the first place that needs more beds. He spoke of the possibility of a public/private partnership.
"We're simply trying to say 'What are all the possible alternatives?' " he said. "As a legislator, I don't know if it makes sense or not."
The forensic unit, which houses those mentally unable to stand trial, is the fullest unit, Church said. But it doesn't need expansion, yet.
"It's an ebb and flow, and we manage that. Right now we're well within our limit," she said. "Right now we're not asking for an expansion. We're satisfied with the 100 beds that are there."
There are seven people on the waiting list to get into the forensic unit of the hospital, down from 12-15 when an audit came out in 2007.
Bramble said he's not for wholesale privatization of government services. He cites the state Tax Commission's use of private collection agencies, which he said have not done an adequate job.
"The point is privatization is not always the best answer," he said.
For her part, Church's department spends $100 million on private partnerships, be it on group homes or therapists. But she said privatization of the hospital is not a priority, as her department is working with blinders on to deal with recent cuts because of revenue shortfalls across the state.
"We're all really focused on budget cuts. We're not really focused on the right or the left." |
