State Says Problems At Mental Home Are Fixed

The state Department of Human Services say it has fixed problems that led to six deaths at the state nursing home for the mentally ill. Officials say by making the corrections, they hope to save 16 (m) million dollars in annual Medicaid funding that would have been lost. The Office of Long Term Care, a division of D-H-S, says the Arkansas Health Center in Benton has fixed the last of dozens of deficiencies cited in April. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Dallas still needs to conduct its own federal review to clear the mental home for continued Medicaid funding. Any facility that fails to comply with federal regulations for six consecutive months must lose its Medicaid funding. Officials say losing the funding would effectively shut Arkansas Health Center`s doors. Its six-month deadline is October 18th. Posted by Mike Hellgren