State Rejects Hospital Privitization Bid
The state had considered privitizing its hospital in Kerrville, above, as a way to cut costs. Photo courtesy Texas Department of State Health Services.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is not going forward with the planned privatization of a state psychiatric hospital in Kerrville.
State Health Services said today that Florida-based GEO Care, the sole bidder for the proposed privatization, had offered to save the state money primarily by reducing staffing at the hospital. GEO Care runs private prisons and some mental health facilities.
One of the company’s mental health facilities in Florida has been involved in a series of scandals for the deaths of some people in its care. The state rejected GEO Care’s bid, saying it lacked detail and could have put patients at risk. During the last legislative session DSHS was ordered to try to privatize at least one state hospital in hopes of saving the state 10 percent of its costs.
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Profit-making organizations have an inherent conflict of interest when dealing with long-term mental health care. State abandonment of mental health care has resulted in no benefit for those who were in care, endangering all around them. The idea that the mentally ill will choose to continue their medications is ludicrous.