St. Anthony Central hospital will close its 29-bed inpatient psychiatric unit Jan. 1, a move that will add to the shortage of treatment options for the area’s indigent mentally ill.
St. Anthony’s administrator Mike Schrader made the announcement to employees Wednesday.
In a letter to hospital employees obtained by The Denver Post, Schrader called the decision to close the unit “extraordinarily difficult and emotional.”
Schrader said in the letter that the hospital has “struggled to maintain the viability of our psychiatric unit and feel(s) a responsibility to use our resources differently.”
A number of financial pressures prompted the move, Schrader said.
“More and more people are unable to pay for their care, government reimbursements continue to fall short, and medical supply and other costs continue to rise,” he wrote.
There are 21 Colorado hospitals with facilities and staff to treat the mentally ill, according to the Mental Health Association of Colorado.
That number has been shrinking in recent years.
The St. Anthony’s closure was called a “grave concern” by administrators at Denver Health, one of the few area hospitals still providing inpatient psychiatric care for the uninsured.
“The closure will increase the uncompensated-care burden on Denver Health and other hospitals with psychiatric units and emergency departments,” said Peg Burnette, the hospital’s chief financial officer.
The Mental Health Association of Colorado found that admissions to emergency rooms for mental-health and substance-abuse issues grew 83 percent between 1999 and 2003.
In June, St. Anthony received approval from its parent, Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives, to build a new $440 million hospital on 30 acres near the Federal Center in Lakewood.
Catholic Health Initiatives operates 111 hospitals and nursing homes in 19 states and, in partnership with Adventist Health System, formed Centura Health, Colorado’s largest hospital system.
Schrader’s letter said employees from the unit may be able to get other jobs at the new hospital.
Several employees, however, said they doubted that would happen.
“We’re psych people. There’s no other place for us to go,” said Mary Hemker, a registered nurse who has worked in the unit for 17 years.
For those who are “unable to continue with our organization,” there will be severance packages and help finding jobs elsewhere, Schrader said.
Staff writer Karen Auge can be reached at 303-820-1733 or kauge@denverpost.com.
