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Cleveland could get $84M hospital; Twin Valley still closing
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
COLUMBUS — The same state leaders who want to close Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare in a cost-cutting move want to spend nearly $84 million on a new psychiatric hospital in the Cleveland area, state budget records show.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health is seeking $83.7 million to build a new hospital in Cuyahoga County that would replace two older facilities, according to the state capital appropriations bill lawmakers hope to pass next week.
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"Unbelievable," said Bryan Bucklew, president of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association and leader of a local effort to keep the 110-bed Twin Valley on Wayne Avenue open.
Bucklew said it's "extremely frustrating" to see ODMH seek $84 million for Cleveland, which isn't losing any psychiatric beds under Gov. Ted Strickland's budget-cutting moves, and not a dime to help Dayton deal with the aftermath of losing its only public psychiatric facility.
ODMH spokeswoman Amy Cooper said Wednesday, May 21, that her department's capital request is part of a strategic plan to streamline services, become more efficient and ultimately save taxpayers' money.
Cooper said the new hospital, years in the planning and still five years away from construction, would allow the state to close two aging psychiatric hospitals in the Cleveland area that are just 12 miles apart.
"We are investing, essentially, to save," she said.
Cooper said Dayton's a "priority" for other capital funds, though. ODMH is seeking $8 million for improvements to mental health centers around the state, she said, and some of that money could help the Dayton region after Twin Valley closes June 30.
Bucklew on Monday asked Strickland for $20.7 million in capital funds to establish a community-run "crisis care center" and to help local hospitals, primarily Grandview and Good Samaritan, address an anticipated higher demand for mental health services in their emergency rooms when Twin Valley closes.
Strickland, though, is hesitant to increasing the capital bill, a bricks and mortar blueprint financed by borrowing. And as of Wednesday evening, Bucklew's request still hadn't made its way into the bill.
By closing Twin Valley and consolidating services with Summit Behavioral Healthcare in Cincinnati, the state expects to save $13 million next year. The state is closing a similar hospital in Cambridge to help avoid a $733 million budget deficit.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7408 or agottschlich@DaytonDailyNews.com.
