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State hospitals’ accreditation and rising civil-commitment costs draw committee scrutiny
Summary
Lawmakers heard that all three state hospitals are now accredited, billed Medicaid receipts are beginning, and the department is seeking supplemental funds to cover higher-than-expected civil-commitment expenditures.
Ross Edmonds, administrator for the Department of Health and Welfare’s Division of Behavioral Health, and Director Alex Adams briefed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on psychiatric hospitalization funding, accreditation, billing and civil-commitment costs.
Alex Williamson (LSO) said psychiatric hospitalization is organized into community hospitalization and three state hospitals — State Hospital South (Blackfoot), State Hospital North (Orofino) and State Hospital West (Nampa). The division is authorized for 467 FTP. The department asked for a targeted fiscal 2025 supplemental of $2,600,000 from the General Fund to cover increased civil-commitment expenditures after Senate Bill 1327 (2022) shifted billing responsibility to the state.
“Civil commitments and state coverage for civil commitments was a deliberate policy choice that this…
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