Clarks Summit hospital may add patients
Published: October 9, 2009
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share thisClarks Summit State Hospital could pick up additional mental health patients if the state closes Allentown State Hospital, state officials said.
The Department of Public Welfare is "seriously considering" closing the Allentown hospital as a way of saving money, said Gary Tuma, a spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell.
Wernersville State Hospital in Berks County is also a possible destination for Allentown patients.
In its Thursday edition, The Morning Call, Allentown's daily newspaper, quoted an unnamed welfare official who said the hospital would close, but other officials backed off the statement later in the day, and Mr. Tuma said no final decision has been made.
Allentown had a patient population of more than 2,000 in 1950, according to the DPW Web site, but Mr. Tuma said its population stands at 167 with a capacity of 175.
Clarks Summit, which has space for 225 patients, has 218 patients, Mr. Tuma said. Wernersville, which also has room for 225, has 217 patients, he said.
It was unclear how many, if any, patients might be transferred to Clarks Summit. Mr. Tuma said some patients could be well enough to live in a group home, with their families or another mental health facility outside the state hospital system. Mr. Tuma said he did not know when a decision on whether to close Allentown would take place.
"I don't think it's something that is going to continue forever," he said.
Efforts to reach Clarks Summit superintendent Thomas Comerford were unsuccessful. A call to his office was referred to the welfare department, which referred calls to Mr. Tuma.
The state, which once owned dozens of psychiatric hospitals, has closed them gradually for decades as community-based treatment became the preferred way of caring for the mentally ill. Under Mr. Rendell, the state closed Harrisburg State Hospital and Mayview State Hospital in Allegheny County.
In a letter to Rep. Mario Civera, R-164, Upper Darby Twp., welfare Secretary Estelle B. Richman said the department regularly reviews the operation of state hospitals to assess whether individuals may live in their own communities. Mr. Civera wrote to her after hearing rumors of the closure.
"The cost of providing care in a state hospital is much higher than in a community setting," she wrote. "However, before a closure occurs, DPW completes an extensive cost/cost savings analysis ... Any closure has to demonstrate a cost savings to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as appropriate placements for clients in the community."
Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com
2 posted comments
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