A $42 million behavioral health campus in Vancouver, Wash., is slated to be completed in June but will not accept any patients, The Seattle Times reported May 21.
Washington lawmakers cut $74.4 million in funding for the new Brockmann Residential Treatment Facility. The state is facing a $16 billion budget shortfall, according to the Times.
Legislators voted to fund a “warm closure” for the 48-bed, newly constructed facility, paying to maintain the building so it can be opened in the future.
State Sen. Adrian Cortes told the Times that lawmakers plan to revisit funding to open the center in one to two years.
Other new behavioral health sites in the state have not opened, according to the Times. A center in Lynnwood, Wash., halted plans to open after the operator for the facility dropped out, citing unsustainable reimbursement models.
Beds at the University of Washington’s new $244 million behavioral health hospital in Seattle have remained empty because the state does not have enough defense attorneys to represent patients civilly committed to the facility.
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