VA director, shortage of psychiatrists blamed for Montana's veterans suffering

VA director, shortage of psychiatrists blamed for unit not opening at Fort Harrison

Stories by CINDY UKEN
Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2012

Montana veterans traumatized by their service and in need of acute inpatient psychiatric treatment for problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder or military sexual trauma must travel hundreds of miles out of state for help.

In the meantime, the acute psychiatric wing of the $7 million, 24,000-square-foot inpatient mental health facility at Fort Harrison, which was announced with great fanfare in June 2011, sits empty.

The VA Montana Health Care System has been unable to recruit three full-time psychiatrists to staff the eight-bed wing around the clock.

The remaining 16 beds in the mental health facility near Helena were designed for veterans dealing with substance abuse and less severe PTSD patients. The eight-bed wing for substance abusers has also remained empty due to a lack of staffing. It is scheduled to open for the first time this week.

The staffing problem means some of the sickest veterans in the state must travel to Wyoming, Florida, California, Utah, Idaho or elsewhere to get help.
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