Krebs concerned with funding for Springfield Hospital's SETT Program
The price tag for housing patients at Springfield Hospital Center’s Muncie Building is raising objections from a state lawmaker.
Del. Susan Krebs, R-District 9B, said that although Sykesville’s Secure Evaluation and Therapeutic Treatment program has been secure so far, she thinks too much money is being spent on it.
The SETT program at Springfield Hospital Center’s Muncie Building is for patients who are incompetent to stand trial and therefore unable to be held criminally responsible for their crimes.
“The program has been very seamless; we have not had any problems,” she said Thursday during a telephone interview from Memphis, Tenn. “It’s very secure, but it’s very costly.”
Krebs said the ideal plan would be for all state patients to be at the same location. That way, staff can be shared and costs will be lower. Fourteen forensic patients are currently housed in Sykesville, and 11 are housed at Clifton T. Perkins in Jessup.
“The operating costs of this program need to be looked at; we’re in an economic crisis,” Krebs said.
Many of the Sykesville patients came from the Rosewood Center in Owings Mills after Gov. Martin O’Malley ordered that facility be closed because of structural problems and patient safety issues. The program has been harshly criticized by Sykesville council members, residents and merchants who were concerned about safety, money and planning.
The state spent about $400,000 to renovate the Muncie Building and budgeted about $3.6 million for fiscal year 2009 to house the residents, said Jim Johnson, deputy secretary for operations for the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
That is about $332,000 per patient, based on the 11 that were served in 2009, Johnson said.Johnson said the cost includes one-time startup expenses for the facility and staff training.
The state has budgeted about $5.2 million in operating costs for fiscal year 2010. Based on full capacity, or 22 patients, that would be about $237,000 per patient, Johnson said.
“The $237,000 is comparable to what we’re spending at other facilities, so we don’t think it is a cause for concern,” he said.
Johnson said the operating costs are higher in fiscal year 2010 because the building wasn’t in operation for all of fiscal year 2009.
By comparison, it will cost about $234,000 to run the Potomac Center in Hagerstown, $244,000 for the Brandenburg Center in Cumberland, $169,000 for the Holly Center in Salisbury and $288,000 for Clifton T. Perkins in Jessup for fiscal year 2010.
All those facilities are run by the Department of Developmental Disabilities Administration, a division of DHMH.
Ellen Dix, president of the Freedom Area Citizens’ Council, said some South Carroll residents were taken aback by the fact that there was no discussion with elected officials about the patient transfer process. She said she is appalled at program spending.
“We’re in a period of recession, and they’re spending this kind of money,” Dix said.
Krebs said she’s talked with state health officials about her concerns and they’re looking into the matter.
Reach staff writer Jennifer Jiggetts at 410-857-7873 or jennifer.jiggetts@carrollcountytimes.com.