Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services has proposed eliminating 38 beds across two state psychiatric hospitals and closing a residential psychiatric treatment facility as part of an effort to reduce state spending, PBS and NPR affiliate Nebraska Public Media reported Oct. 13.
The proposed reductions are outlined in agency budget requests submitted in September. The plans call for closing a 20-bed unit at Lincoln Regional Center and an 18-bed unit at Norfolk Regional Center.
The Norfolk unit treats men with serious mental illness and medical conditions. Under the proposal, those patients would be transferred to Lincoln Regional Center, a 250-bed secure psychiatric facility that treats individuals involuntarily committed by courts or the Board of Mental Health.
The department said closing the Norfolk unit could reduce Lincoln Regional Center’s capacity to serve patients on waitlists and increase costs associated with housing individuals in county jails while they await psychiatric treatment. A September report from the Douglas County Correctional Center listed 16 people on the Lincoln Regional Center waitlist.
The agency also proposed closing Whitehall Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility, which treats male adolescents who have sexually offended or have substance use disorders. The facility can house up to 24 people, and necessary repairs are estimated to cost upward of $6.3 million.
The proposals are part of an 8% budget reduction exercise as Nebraska faces a projected $846 million budget shortfall through fiscal year 2029. The cuts remain preliminary and would require further consideration through the state’s budget process.
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