Closing Period
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Central State Hospital’s closure had been discussed many years prior to its announcement. However, each time it was met with opposition due to feasibility, cost, and politics. This changed when Bill Clinton was elected president. National healthcare began to reform, and Vice President Al Gore’s wife advocated for mental health. (1)
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Many states began to downsize or close their mental institutes, and Indiana was soon to follow. Two incidents of sexual assault had been reported and publicized as well as four deaths between May 1991 and March 1992, with the one in March being the final straw. In March 1992, a patient was reported to have drowned in a bathtub, unattended, while mental health workers on duty played cards or napped. Two days later Central State stopped taking in new patients. (2)
Nothing's better than a refreshing bath by Rawbert K Photo used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Soon after, Governor Bayh called for a report about the hospital and what should be done with it. The recommendation was closure. The closure was announced on June 23,1992, with a 2-year deadline for completion. This decision was met with opposition from both political parties, as Republicans felt they weren’t included in the decision and Democrats were worried about job loss. However, the plan was never stopped. The plan used for restructuring Indiana’s mental healthcare focused more on the privatization of the providers and the creation of networks, with consumer satisfaction being a priority. (1)
Governor Bayh used under Public Domain
This transition plan of state to community healthcare was consistent with other many other state’s plans and was put into practice with Indiana House Bill 1702: Mental Health and Addictions Reform. The closing of Central State forced the transition of 600 IDMH (Indiana Division of Mental Health) employees, with 143 of those employees being laid-off. The patients were transferred to other hospitals, with the estimation of 80% being let back out into the community in two years. No extra funding was provided to the hospitals that received these patients. (3)
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