Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Healthcare Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Legislators weigh funding, wages and repurposing plans to address staffing at Montana State Hospital and other state facilities
Summary
Lawmakers heard DPHHS and facility leaders describe recruitment, pay changes, vacancy reductions and near‑term facility investments aimed at reducing reliance on contract 'traveler' clinical staff at the Montana State Hospital and other state‑run facilities.
Members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee (Section B) pressed DPHHS officials on staffing pressures and capital and operating requests for the state’s seven state‑run health care facilities, including the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs.
DPHHS Director Charlie Brereton told the committee the department has “reduced contract clinical staff or traveler expenditure spending at MSH by approximately 25% per patient,” but said the facilities still “depend quite heavily on the travelers or contracted clinical staff to keep our doors open.” Brereton introduced Dr. Kevin Flanagan, the Montana State Hospital CEO, and described pay changes and hiring activity the department said are beginning to improve staffing stability.
What the agency reported - Pay increases: The department said it implemented a $4‑per‑hour increase for RNs at the Montana State Hospital and built those increases into the base for all state run facilities. As presented, RNs now start at $45.47 per hour at MSH; psychiatric technician/CNA starting pay reported to the subcommittee was $23.85 per hour after adjustments. - Hiring and vacancy changes: Since Jan. 1, 2025, DPHHS reported at least 66 state hires at MSH, including RNs, licensed practical nurses, psychiatric technicians/CNAs and other clinical and support staff. Director Brereton said RN vacancy rates improved from 79.5% in January 2025 to 67.4% and psych tech/CNA vacancy rates moved to just under 10%. - Proposal to temporarily reduce budgeted positions: DPHHS asked to temporarily remove funding for 97.3 budgeted positions at MSH (and several other facilities) to make vacancy savings explicit and to shift funds toward contracted clinical services while recruiting and building state staffing capacity.
Capital and program DPs discussed and recorded in the subcommittee narrative - The committee moved several decision packages related to the facilities, including a one‑time student loan repayment program ($3 million over the biennium) intended to improve recruitment and retention. - The subcommittee approved funding for two near‑term repurposing projects that were described as $10 million each: repurposing a wing of the Lewistown mental health nursing center and using the “Grasslands” facility in Helena as a step‑down facility for patients leaving higher levels of care; the subcommittee narrative reports those DPs were moved.
Committee questions focused on whether the measures address both staffing shortages (recruiting clinicians) and bed availability (forensic and competency restorations). Director Brereton and Dr. Flanagan told members the problem is a mixture of both staffing and capacity, and that some solutions include recruiting out‑of‑state clinicians for short term needs while building state staff capacity.
Ending: Members asked for more detail about outcomes and the department’s timeline to return to the legislature if further position restorations are needed. The department said it expects to continue hiring and to report back on facility performance and vacancy metrics.
