The Montana State Hospital’s forensic unit has been struggling for years to keep up with the number of inmates criminally committed to the facility. That’s led to long wait times in jail cells for inmates awaiting treatment. State health officials said they have a way to fix the problem.
There are currently 67 people on the state hospital’s forensic facility’s wait list. That’s according to State Health Department attorney Chad Parker, who went before members of the Behavioral Health for Future Generations Commission Friday. The commission will largely decide how to spend $300 million on the state’s mental and behavioral health system.
Parker told members that nearly half of inmates on the waiting list need court-ordered evaluation services that will determine whether they need further treatment or can proceed to trial. Parker says the department's proposal to contract out some those services to counties would cost roughly $3.5 million annually.
“We hope that the near-term initiative would resolve the wait-list issue. We should be operating, probably, as we should be operating,” Parker said.
Members agreed to send that proposal onto Gov. Greg Gianforte ahead of its final report of recommendations. Gianforte will have the final say over which proposals are funded.
