A large Hudson Valley hospital network, WMCHealth, has agreed to restore psychiatric beds taken offline during the COVID-19 pandemic and make other improvements to its mental health services following a state investigation, the New York attorney general’s office announced Monday.
HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston reopened 20 of its psychiatric beds in December, after the investigation, and WMCHealth has agreed to create a new 20-bed psychiatric unit at MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, Attorney General Letitia James said.
WMCHealth has also agreed to reform its discharge planning process and protocols for using restraints on psychiatric patients, especially children. And the health system agreed to pay $400,000 in penalties and fees to the state and will face additional fines of $10,000 per violation if it fails to comply with the terms of the settlement, the attorney general’s office said…