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State mental hospital halts new admissions during renovations

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Osawatomie State Hospital has stopped accepting new admissions while the facility undergoes renovations.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports officials with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services told the Kansas Mental Health Coalition Wednesday the moratorium on new admissions began over the weekend.

The renovations come after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found the hospital not in compliance with federal standards.

Under the moratorium, the hospital’s patient population is capped at 146, below its previous capacity of 206.

The moratorium has raised concerns for people in need of the care that the hospital provides.

But KDADS says there’s a diversion process in place to provide care for patients who can’t be admitted to the hospital immediately, and no one was on a wait list at noon Wednesday.

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