Mental health hospital's sudden collapse: 'It was just mismanagement'
Palm Beach PostOct 22, 2019
The chief executive and board of a
"It was just mismanagement,"
The Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network tried to keep open beds at the
Berner's comments mark the first time an official has publicly blamed the nonprofit Golden Center's volunteer board, made up of accountants, lawyers and doctors who say they only learned about the center's debilitating financial situation a month ago.
The 44-bed psychiatric hospital, formerly Oakwood Center of the Palm Beaches, closed Friday with no public explanation, laying off most of its 347 employees and disrupting countywide mental health care.
The center operated an in-patient hospital, an out-patient clinic, a pharmacy and addiction treatment programs. It served more than 1,800 mostly indigent patients a year.
The center's chief executive officer,
The board planned to sell its properties to a for-profit company, undermining Berner's efforts to keep the hospital open, Berner said. The sale fell through after the center closed, a Golden Center spokesman told
The closure leaves a severe shortage of mental health beds countywide and no facility can expand fast enough to fill the void, Berner and county commissioners said.
Good
The Golden Center had been a critical destination for patients held under the state's Baker Act for those who are a danger to themselves or others.
And the Golden Center's housing, which sheltered several long-term patients, might close, which could leave county officials dealing with an influx of vulnerable, homeless people.
A blind man, for instance, just two weeks ago moved into one of the Golden Center's apartments, retrofitted to accommodate his disability, Berner said. He and others housed by the Golden Center likely will be forced to move by mid-December.
JFK Medical Center North Campus plans to add mental health beds but not until next year, Berner said. The not-for-profit
While Berner blamed the Golden Center's leadership, her organization came under criticism Tuesday as well.
County Mayor
"I hope for the board to hold you accountable for this mess that we're dealing with," Bernard said.
Though Southeast Behavioral audits the Golden Center's finances, the hospital was independently managed, Berner pointed out.
Berner only learned about the center's financial difficulties two weeks before it filed for bankruptcy, when top staff said the center couldn't make payroll.
"I am deeply disturbed we didn't catch it sooner," Berner told
The Golden Center gave workers just three hours notice before closing its doors Friday, employees told
Two employees have filed a lawsuit claiming the Golden Center violated federal labor law by not providing the legally required 60-day notice before laying off most of its workforce.
The board learned about the center's insurmountable debt after federal prosecutors on
Heide, who pleaded guilty on
His indictment prompted the board to examine the center's books, Miller said on
But the center's annual audits and tax filings show it operated on a nearly
"I've got to say, I'm frustrated. I'm tired of looking back at lessons learned," Commissioner
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