Looking for millions in public money to keep psych hospital open

Pima County [Arizona] Administrator Chuck Huckelberry will ask the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to approve up to $3.2 million in contracts for professional help at Kino Community Hospital where a psychiatric patient died in July while being restrained.

Huckelberry wants the board to approve a $1.7 million contract with Horizon Mental Health Management, a Texas-based company, to run Kino's psychiatric unit. He also asked for $750,000 to hire four private firms to supply "travel" nurses from out of the community to staff the psychiatric unit, and $826,000 for Oakland, Calif.-based Health Care Financial Solutions to help hospital officials prepare correction plans to satisfy state and federal health-care regulators that patients can safely be treated at Kino.

The July 15 death of Wendy Gazda, 32, sent state health inspectors to Kino a few days later. They found numerous deficiencies in policies and procedures, enough to threaten the hospital's status with the Center for Medicare Services in San Francisco and the reimbursements for Medicare patients, without which Kino cannot survive financially.

The Pima County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Gazda's death a homicide last week, saying she died as a result of being restrained. The Arizona Attorney General's Office is deciding whether to file criminal charges against any of the hospital mental health workers or private security guards involved.

Looks like it is in line to join the many other psych hospitals that have closed, all due to abuse of patients and public funds.