Arkansas State Hospital is full and understaffed while 79 Pulaski County inmates wait on forensic evaluations
Documents obtained by KARK show the Arkansas State Hospital asked in September 2017 for 62 additional positions to operate at full capacity and meet federal and accreditation standards. The Pulaski County sheriff said 79 inmates in his roughly 1,200-person jail were committed to the hospital for pretrial evaluations of fitness to stand trial and only 12 had completed them; the hospital serves all 75 counties and takes patients first come, first served.
The sheriff said delays in evaluations delay trials and that his jail, with about 65 full-time health staff and a nearly $4 million medical budget, functions as a mental health facility in a fashion. The Department of Human Services said the hospital would like more staff but is fully compliant with staffing requirements.
Source: Reports: Arkansas State Hospital at Max Capacity yet Understaffed — KARK (Little Rock)
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