OSAWATOMIE — A rolling landscape and tree-dotted vistas belie a flurry of activity at the state mental hospital in eastern Kansas, as administrators and employees work to bring it back into line with federal standards this summer and officials ponder its longer-term future.
Citing a “systemic failure” to protect suicidal patients, adequately supervise care and perform required safety checks, the federal government decertified Osawatomie State Hospital in December. The state is losing up to $1 million a month in federal funds.