14 under long-term care face transfer as Eastern State Hospital ends service
Lexington's Eastern State Hospital, a state-owned psychiatric facility managed by University of Kentucky HealthCare, will close its long-term facility this summer, the state announced Tuesday.
The long-term facility currently serves 14 residents with acquired brain injuries or geriatric residents with long-term care needs, according to the state. All other services will remain intact.
The transfer of the 14 residents out of the long-term facility will be "supported" by staff at Eastern State Hospital and UK HealthCare, said Doug Hogan, communications director for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
There are two remaining state-run facilities in Kentucky — Western State Nursing Facility and Glasgow State Nursing Facility — that are able to provide long-term mental health care for geriatric patients, Hogan said.
While a specific plan for the patients with acquired brain injuries was not given, Hogan noted that 2018-2020 state budget for health care added support for an additional 118 "waiver slots" for people with acquired brain injuries.
"Kentucky Medicaid’s acquired brain injury waiver program provides an alternative to institutional care and, with the addition of new slots, can now serve more Kentuckians," Hogan said.
Closing the long-term care facility, which was done because of state budget constraints, was not an easy decision, said Wendy Morris, Commissioner of the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. Closing the facility is expected to save $2 million.
The long-term facility has the smallest population of any unit in Eastern State Hospital and has, based on size, the highest per resident cost, Hogan said.
The staff of the long-term facility might be eligible for transfers within the hospital or with UK HealthCare, Hogan said, "but that will depend on a number of factors, including the wishes of staff members themselves."
UK took over Eastern State Hospital in 2013. The original Eastern State Hospital opened in 1824 and cared for individuals for 189 years.
This story was originally published May 22, 2018 at 5:26 PM with the headline "14 under long-term care face transfer as Eastern State Hospital ends service."