Houston Psychiatric Facility Closed After It Fails Safety Inspection

HOUSTON, TX — Stating that it failed to meet required safety standards, federal officials closed HopeBridge Hospital here permanently this month, bringing to an end a years-long series of issues at the facility.

HopeBridge, formerly known as Westbury Community Hospital, was told on April 20 that it would no longer be eligible for participation in federal Medicare and Medicaid programs after officials determined that it did not meet national standards. Federal investigators, during an inspection of the facility in March, cited problems including faucets, doorknobs, and other items that patients could use in suicide attempts.

HopeBridge, as reported by the Houston Chronicle, committed more than $250,000 in an effort to meet the safety standards, but the notice earlier this month from federal officials denying it an extension was the final nail in the coffin.

To make matters worse, some employees of the hospital said they had not been paid.

"We're all just left hanging," Charlene Freeman, a mental health technician who said she is owed four weeks pay, told the Chronicle. "How are we supposed to pay rent?"

Anthony Brown, chief financial officer at HopeBridge, said that the facility is owed $1.6 million in Medicaid payments by Cenpatico, an Austin-based company. A call to Cenpatico about the issues was not immediately returned.

"As soon as we receive that money," Brown said, "the employees will receive the money that's owed to them."

HopeBridge changed its name from Westbury Community Hospital in 2013; the facility's previous owners filed bankruptcy following a federal investigation alleging Medicare fraud.

— Image: HopeBridge Hospital website