Western State Hospital, the state’s largest psychiatric facility, is set to open a pair of newly renovated psychiatric wards to try and reduce by half the violence coming from a handful of patients deemed most dangerous.
A 10-patient ward — set to open Monday — will combined increased staffing, more therapy for patients and tighter security to help stabilize and treat those who are hardest to handle.
The hospital has endured a host of struggles in recent years. Federal regulators decertified the hospital in 2018 over a variety of safety and other issues. That move cost $53 million in annual federal funding.