State Hospital study rejected by Senate

BISMARCK — The Senate on Friday rejected a Fargo legislator’s request to study transferring the State Hospital’s property in Jamestown to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Even though Senate Concurrent Resolution 4025 states twice that its purpose is to look at the transfer of the hospital’s “facilities and property” to the Corrections Department, its sponsor, Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, and some other Democrats said their emphasis is on providing more mental health services in community settings and does not mean it could lead to closing the State Hospital.

His incredulous colleagues said it pointed to nothing less.

“The net effect would be to begin a study of how to close the State Hospital,” said Sen. David Nething, R-Jamestown. He and other senators who opposed the resolution said the issue of mental health services around the state has been studied several times in recent years and passing the resolution would hurt morale among hospital employees.

“I don’t think there’s any need for it,” Nething said.

A few former hospital buildings are now used for a prison called the James River Correctional Center and Mathern said that creates a stigma for the hospital patients to be housed in view of razor-wire covered security fencing.

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