AUGUSTA — Maine’s Republican governor says he predicts the Trump administration will re-certify a state-run psychiatric hospital. Gov. Paul LePage said during a Tuesday call-in on WVOM-FM that Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price is “very receptive” to the LePage administration’s case to re-certify Riverview Psychiatric Center. Riverview lost federal Centers for Medicare and […]
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LePage says forensic psychiatric unit won’t be near Riverview
Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration has zeroed in on a site to build a new facility for forensic psychiatric patients held in state custody. The governor said during a Thursday morning radio interview that he expects to identify the site early next week. Though he did not disclose the location, LePage appears to be following […]
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Report says Riverview still lacks sufficient staff, bed space
AUGUSTA (AP) — A report issued by the former chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court says Augusta’s Riverview Psychiatric Hospital is still having issues with staffing and space. The Portland Press Herald reported that a report issued Tuesday by Daniel Wathen acknowledged that the state Department of Health and Human Services, which runs Riverview, […]
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Gov. Paul LePage says he will keep looking for psychiatric unit site
Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday that his administration will continue to look for a location for a state-run psychiatric unit outside Augusta despite a meeting last week that House Speaker Sara Gideon said produced progress toward a compromise. The prospect of building a step-down facility for state-held forensic patients — such as those who are […]
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Republicans up pressure on Democrats to OK LePage’s new mental health facility
Republicans are increasing the pressure on Democratic leaders to reverse last week’s decision to block Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed facilty to house forensic mental health patients in Augusta. The LePage administration has billed the new facility as a way to regain the federal certification that Riverview Psychiatric Center lost in 2013, putting millions of dollars […]
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Lawmakers skeptical of LePage plan to build psychiatric unit
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s pledge to move a proposed mental health facility out of Augusta to bypass legislative approval caused disappointment among lawmakers who said that wouldn’t be necessary if LePage’s administration would share its plans in public. At issue is the LePage administration’s attempt to build a stand-alone facility for mentally ill patients […]
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Gov. Paul LePage wants to decrease income tax
Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday morning on radio that his upcoming two-year budget proposal will seek to cut income taxes without increasing the sales tax. It’s a departure from the Republican governor’s budget proposal nearly two years ago, which proposed an income tax reduction balanced with a sales tax increase. Many Republicans didn’t like the sales […]
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Democratic leaders block Gov. LePage’s $3 million Riverview plan
AUGUSTA — Construction of a crucial forensic psychiatric unit in Augusta was dealt a blow by Democratic legislative leaders who, using an oft-overlooked oversight power, voted against Gov. Paul LePage’s administration’s plan on Wednesday. LePage and the Department of Health and Human Services have been trying for months to start work on the building, which […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Report says Riverview failed to adequately track staff behavior
AUGUSTA — A report released Friday by the Maine Legislature’s watchdog group found that Riverview Psychiatric Center hasn’t tracked staff behaviors that could undermine safety at the facility. It was among minor problems flagged at the hospital, which was decertified by the federal government in 2013 after violations including restraint and use of a stun […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate blocks plan to move psychiatric patients to prison
The Maine Senate likely doomed Gov. Paul LePage’s plan to house violent psychiatric patients at the Maine State Prison after opposing it by just one vote on Wednesday. The Republican governor’s proposal drew heat from advocates as a violation of patients’ civil rights after it was announced in February, but it’s a response to issues […]