New mental health facility

A new specialty psychiatric hospital to treat people under age 21 would be built in Woodbury, under a bill passed 125-8 by the House May 7.

Sponsored by Rep. Marsha Swails (DFL-Woodbury), HF3539 would allow for construction of the 66-bed facility. Children and adolescents with mental illness would have 44 beds with the additional 22 beds for adolescents with mental illness and chemical dependency.

Health care plans continually expand and provide high-margin services, but neglect those that bring in fewer dollars, like mental health, Swails said. Because of fewer services, children in the state are continually transferred far from home or out of state for mental health services.

“Ten percent of our children and adolescents going to outstate locations or even to another state for services is just unacceptable,” said Rep. Julie Bunn (DFL-Lake Elmo).

“We are sending kids into facilities where those kids are treated worse than livestock,” said Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville). She said people are in desperate need for care and are sometimes forced to put their child into facilities where it can make bad situations worse.

The Department of Health released a report that said the new facility would not be in the public’s best interest. The report notes providing more hospital beds might not translate into better access or services.

Rep. Diane Loeffler (DFL-Mpls) voted no. She said the issue is more complicated than just adding beds, and that expanding preventative and early response care is needed instead.

Received May 7 from the House, it awaits action by the Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee. Sen. Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury) is the Senate sponsor.