State officials announced Tuesday Eastern State Hospital’s Long Term Care facility will be shutting down, due to budget constraints. The transition is expected to mean moving just over a dozen residents to other facilities or community settings.
The Lexington facility currently serves 14 residents with acquired brain injuries or geriatric residents with long term care needs. Eastern State is managed by UK HealthCare and primarily serves patients with acute mental health needs. The action only affects the long term care center and all other services will remain intact.
Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Adam Meier is quoted as saying Kentucky Medicaid’s acquired brain injury waiver program provides an alternative to institutional care and, with the addition of new slots, can serve more people. Closing the facility is expected to save $2 million.
