Vt. regulators give UVM Health Network ‘flexibility’ on $18M mental health spending plan
WCAX
Vermont’s mental health care system was under the microscope again Wednesday as state regulators unanimously voted to give the UVM Health Network greater flexibility on how it spends funds originally earmarked for adult inpatient psychiatric care.
The Green Mountain Care Board in 2018 ordered the network to set aside $21 million in surplus funds dedicated to increasing inpatient mental health capacity. The network and GMCB agreed to build a $158 million adult inpatient facility at Central Vermont Medical Center to expand the current unit’s 15-bed capacity to 40. Three million of that funding was spent on planning and designs. But the project was put on ice last April following pandemic budget shortfalls, leaving the remaining $18 million in limbo.
Some called Wednesday’s board vote concerning, saying that if regulators don’t compel private providers to invest in inpatient psychiatric care, the state’s critical bed shortage will never get solved, fueling long wait times that continue to leave Vermonters stranded in emergency rooms for days.