A climate and culture survey of workers at the Montana State Hospital published last week found that toxic management is among the top reasons people intend to leave their jobs.
Earlier this year the Montana State Hospital, the state’s only psychiatric facility for adults, lost federal funding because of unsafe conditions and patient deaths.
The state brought in consulting firms to help improve conditions for patients and hospital workers. Many employees told state lawmakers during hearings that administrators fostered a toxic environment, forcing many to quit.
A climate and culture survey conducted by an outside consulting firm supported those anecdotes, and found that up to 20% of state hospital respondents indicated they plan to leave their job in the next year. The state has since moved former administrator Kyle Fouts to another facility. Fouts was moved to the Boulder-based Intensive Behavior Center, a state-run 12-bed facility for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Surveys at six other facilities operated by the state health department found overall employee satisfaction at the state hospital to be among the lowest. The outside consulting group says interviews with workers will be needed to further understand how to improve working conditions at the hospital.
