LARNED, Kan. (AP) – A psychiatric hospital in west-central Kansas challenged with staffing troubles and leadership turnover has implemented stringent spending controls after burning through more than 60 percent of its annual budget in six months.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that as of Dec. 31, Larned State Hospital had spent at least $34.2 million of its $57 million budget for the fiscal year ending June 30.
The hospital has cut down on spending, increased auditor review of purchases and prohibited non-urgent expenditures. A Jan. 15 memorandum to the hospital’s administrators and program directors outlined the restrictions.
The Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services, which oversees the hospital, says the spending rate and memo had been extensively discussed at a House Social Services Budget Committee hearing.
