Washington State Health Officials Request $800M For New Hospital

LAKEWOOD, WA — Could a recent state department request for $800 million to construct a new psychiatric facility on Western State Hospital property help the decertified institution regain the confidence of state and federal regulators? Of the many options being considered, this is the one Washington Department of Social and Health Services officials are pushing for.

According to a Friday report in The Seattle Times, Western State lost $53 million in annual federal funding after federal regulators earlier this year discovered a variety of safety issues at the facility, which ultimately led to its decertification. To address those issues, bring the facility back up to federal standards and regain its certification, the state would need to invest roughly $200 million into the hospital — an apparently unappealing option for Washington State budget committee legislators.

Instead, DSHS officials propose using $50 million of the $800 million request to cover costs related to designing the new facility between the 2019 and 2021 budget cycles, then use the remaining $750 million to construct the new hospital beginning in 2023.

It's unclear whether the request will be included in Gov. Jay Inslee's 2019-2021 budget proposal, set to be unveiled in December — one month before the the start of the next legislative session in January. But legislators are reportedly in agreement something must be done, and that pouring more money into an outdated and currently uncertified facility is not a viable solution.

Click here to read the full report from The Seattle Times

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