Osawatomie (Kan.) State Hospital is at the center of patient safety concerns over a proposed $1 billion, 283-acre data center that would sit a few hundred yards from the psychiatric facility, KSHB 41 reported Sept. 6.
Clayton Sherlock, who spent 16 years caring for psychiatric patients at the hospital, told KSHB 41 he is concerned construction and operational noise of Project Catalyst could interfere with treatment. Mr. Sherlock said noise, light, vibration and machinery sounds could worsen psychosis or become incorporated into patients’ delusions, specifically concerns about affecting sleep. Nearly all patients at the hospital are court-committed.
Osawatomie City Manager Bret Glendening said a traffic impact study has been completed and other studies are underway. He said the city council and planning commission will have roles once a formal application is received and did not “want to give the appearance that minds are made up and the project is moving forward without studies being completed.”
When asked what informed his conclusion that patient-safety concerns “have been determined not to be concerns,” Mr. Glendening did not describe a formal assessment and instead directed KSHB 41 to visit a data center. The city, he said, is rescheduling a presentation and question-and-answer session with hospital employees.
The developer has said the project would generate $30 million or more in annual revenue for Osawatomie. Miami County and the Osawatomie School District are each projected to receive more than $10 million annually.
Becker’s has reached out to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services for comment and will update this story if information becomes available.
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