The closing of two mental health hospitals affects services in Kansas City’s Northland
Signature Psychiatric Hospital has announced the closing of two locations in Northland, citing the loss of leases at the North Kansas City Hospital facility. of 92 inpatient beds and 150 outpatients per month Signature provided at North Kansas City Hospital and Liberty Hospital. According to the layoff notice issued by the Acadia Healthcare CEO to Missouri officials, 124 full-time employees and 30 part-time employees will be lost. their jobs. Acadia, Signature’s parent company, recently appeared in a New York Times investigation reporting that Acadia facilities were holding patients longer than medically necessary to bill for additional services.’ A spokesperson for Acadia Healthcare said the statements made in the article were not correct, he said. , “Decisions about patient care, including how long treatment may be needed, are never business decisions made by the company.” The Times stands by its report. Two sources told KMBC 9 Investigates that inspectors from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services visited. Signature locations in Kansas City last week. Acadia health care spokesman Tim Blair said inspectors were at the site for a “routine investigative process,” unrelated to the closure. while the signing affects two locationsBlair also noted that the closure comes as North Kansas City Hospital is returning. space leased by Signature to support hospital expansion. “Signature has been in contract negotiations with our partner at North Kansas City Hospital for several months, which is a timeline in advance and independent of the Times article,” Blair said. Blair added that The closing of the North Kansas City location, which serves as the administrative center for two Signature locations, has forced the closure of Signature’s presence at Liberty Hospital. North Kansas City Hospital spokeswoman Amy Schemenauer said Signature is announced the hospital will close operations on Oct. 18 in an email statement. . “North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health are committed to supporting holistic care and making mental and behavioral health services available to the community through a nonprofit model with top-notch regional partners and of the regions,” the statement said. did not say specifically whether North Kansas City Hospital will now refer patients who come through its emergency department for inpatient mental health services. reviews by an independent contractor. “We will continue to provide psychological counseling in our emergency department,” Manuel said. “As part of the health system, we will continue to ensure that patients who come to our ED who need emergency health care will receive it.” Manuel added that Liberty Hospital and the University of Kansas Health System will work with patients who need mental health. be sure to connect them to the appropriate resources.Tom Petrizzo, CEO of Beacon Mental Health, which provides outpatient services in the Northland, said Signature’s closing could force patients to travel farther for care. of people who may need psychiatric services of patients who have to seek care in many outside or community settings, “Petrizzo said he hopes that the closure of both places for care of patients will be a temporary gap and provide an opportunity to rethink how mental health services are provided in Northland, including the possibility of having a new 24/7 crisis center the same as the rest of the Kansas City metro area. “It’s an opportunity to build something new here,” Petrizzo said hear from you Email investigates@kmbc.com.
Signature Psychiatric Hospital has announced the closing of two locations in Northland, citing the loss of leases at the hospital’s North Kansas City campus.
The announcement, sent to Missouri Department of Labor officials Friday, states that other mental health providers will need to absorb 92 inpatient beds and 150 outpatients per month that Signature Hospital has provided. North Kansas City and Liberty Hospital.
According to a layoff notice issued by the Acadia Healthcare CEO to Missouri officials, 124 full-time employees and 30 part-time employees will lose their jobs.
Acadia, Signature’s parent company, was recently featured in a New York Times investigation reporting that Acadia’s facilities were holding patients longer than necessary to charge for additional services.
A spokesperson for Acadia Healthcare said the statements made in the article were inaccurate, saying, “Decisions about patient care, including how long treatment may be needed, are never business decisions made by company.”
The Times stands by its report.
Two sources told KMBC 9 Investigates that inspectors from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services visited Signature locations in Kansas City last week.
Acadia Healthcare spokesman Tim Blair said inspectors were at the site for a “routine inspection,” unrelated to the shutdown.
The closure of the signature affects two areas
Blair also noted that the closing comes as North Kansas City Hospital is occupying space leased by Signature to support the hospital’s expansion.
“Signing has been in contract negotiations with our partner at North Kansas City Hospital for several months, a timeline that is unexpected and independent of the Times article,” Blair said.
Blair also said the closing of the North Kansas City location, which serves as the administrative center for two Signature locations, has forced the closure of Signature’s presence at Liberty Hospital.
North Kansas City Hospital spokeswoman Amy Schemenauer said Signature notified the hospital it would close operations in Oct. 18 in an email statement.
“North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health are committed to supporting holistic care and making mental and behavioral health services available to the community through a not-for-profit model with high-quality local and regional partners ,” he said.
The statement, however, did not specifically address how North Kansas City Hospital will refer patients who come through its emergency department for inpatient mental health services. .
The next question was not immediately answered.
Liberty Hospital spokeswoman Michelle Manuel said its emergency department will continue to provide mental health evaluations through an independent contractor.
“We will continue to provide psychological counseling in our emergency department,” Manuel said. “As part of the health system, we will continue to ensure that patients who come to our ED who need emergency health care will receive it.”
Manuel added that Liberty Hospital and the University of Kansas Health System will work with patients in need of mental health care to connect them with appropriate resources.
Tom Petrizzo, CEO of Beacon Mental Health, which provides outpatient services in the Northland, said Signature’s closing could force patients to travel farther for care.
“I think it’s going to be kind of a ripple effect of people who may need mental health services needing to seek care in other inpatient settings or in the community,” Petrizzo said.
He expressed hope that the closure of both facilities for inpatient care would be a temporary hiatus and provide an opportunity to rethink how mental health services are delivered in the Northland, including and the possibility of having a new 24/7 crisis center similar to other places. in the Kansas City metro area.
“It’s an opportunity to create something new here,” Petrizzo said.
If you have any tips about Signature Psychiatric Hospitals, we’d love to hear from you. Email investigations@kmbc.com.
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