State health officials want to add more facilities for discharged state hospital patients who need support reentering their community.
Health department director Charlie Brereton told lawmakers his staff is working on legislation that would open so-called “step-down” facilities for Montana State Hospital patients.
“At least one more subacute step-down facility in the state of Montana, but we’re interested in several, at least one or two at this point in time," said Brereton.
These facilities would bridge the gap between the high level of care at the state hospital and the low level of care in their home communities. Gov. Greg Gianforte’s budget has already called for one of these step-down facilities to be built.
Breton says the facilities in the preliminary legislation would be in addition to what Gianforte has proposed.
A state watchdog group and families have long complained that the state hospital fails to prepare patients for discharge. There have been reports of patients being discharged into homelessness without proper medications or follow-up care.
State health officials also told lawmakers that they have improved their discharge planning and are increasing the number of staff that work on those plans.
