(August 20, 2025) – Today, the Special Committee on Health and Social Services, chaired by Representative Will Carpenter (R-El Dorado), heard from conferees with information from other states about how they tackled state hospital challenges, including privatization.
The committee members attempted to compartmentalize issues into manageable categories, including operational adjustments and continuations, potential university partnerships or privatization of facilities and services, system efficiency enhancements, nursing pipeline improvements, phasing out contract staffing and expansion of State Institutional Alternatives Beds in private hospitals.
The committee agreed to request an additional day to meet from the Legislative Coordinating Council after identifying the items they would like to consider and discuss more in-depth at future meetings, including:
- State Institution Alternative Program
- What costs are without changes over the next five years
- Allowing APRNs to order restraints
- Medicaid billing options
- Partnerships in the future with small rural hospitals
- Building a nurse pipeline
- Crisis Intervention Centers
- Chart of the continuum of care and where beds are located statewide
- Nurse educators' perspectives
- Housing for those coming out of psychiatric hospitals and staff
- Larned staff members were requested
- Clubhouses' report for the Intellectual /Developmental Disability community
- Making service scholarships for nursing available for part-time students
- An overview of the programs in each level of nursing
- Promise Act and if there are any hardship flexibilities
- Remedial class options as part of the Promise Act
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services guidelines for what is reimbursable and the inspection process
- Requested staffing agency presentation
- Possibly having a private consultant make recommendations
- What treatments and innovations can be suggested to stabilize patients quickly by university research departments and community mental health centers
The committee will meet again on Oct. 1, and possibly Oct. 2, pending LCC approval.