TOPEKA — A Democratic legislator in Kansas says safety problems at a state mental hospital should prompt employee firings, but a Republican lawmaker argues it’s too early to call for such actions.
Democratic Rep. Jim Ward of Wichita and GOP Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook sparred during a legislative committee hearing Tuesday over safety issues at Osawatomie State Hospital.
Federal officials said earlier this month that the Medicare program would stop paying for patient care at the mental hospital in eastern Kansas.
Among multiple issues, federal officials cited a report that a patient raped an employee in October.
Ward said in the private sector, such problems would prompt firings. Pilcher-Cook said lawmakers should gather all the facts first.
Kansas Department for Aging and Disabilities Services Secretary Kari Bruffett declined to discuss personnel issues.
