COLUMBUS — The Ohio House is poised to give Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare in Dayton six more months to operate beyond its scheduled June 30 closing date, according to Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering.

The six-month moratorium on closing the mental hospital on Wayne Avenue and an earmark of $6.3 million for a Dayton-area crisis care center to ease anticipated pressure when it does close will be in the capital improvements budget the House is expected to approve on Thursday, May 22, Husted said.

"This is the best news we've had in a long time with regard to Twin Valley. It's extremely helpful to our community," said Bryan Bucklew, president of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association. "We truly appreciate the effort of Speaker Husted in making sure this happens."

Dayton-area leaders also had sought an additional $14.4 million in the capital budget for other Dayton-area hospitals to help cope with an anticipated increase in emergency treatment for patients with mental health problem.

Bucklew said "we're going to look for other sources on the state, local and federal level" for that money.

Closing Twin Valley and a mental hospital in Cambridge is part of Gov. Ted Strickland's plan to help avoid a $733 million budget deficit. The six-month moratorium also would apply to the Cambridge hospital.

The $6.3 million earmark would come from $8 million already in the budget to help communities across the state with crisis care centers. Keith Dailey, Strickland's spokesman, said the money was there to help communities like Dayton and Cambridge but did not know if Strickland would go along with an earmark targeting most of the money for Dayton and the six-month moratorium.

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1608 or whershey@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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