Louisiana’s first state-run psychiatric hospital, which opened more than 170 years ago, is “deplorable, antiquated and quickly deteriorating,” according to an article on the NOLA.com website.
The Louisiana Department of Health has asked for $348 million over five years to build a 750-bed replacement for the hospital in East Feliciana Parish.
More than 600 people live at the original facility. Nearly all its patients arrive through the criminal justice system.
“Physical condition of buildings, roadways, utilities and supporting infrastructure is deplorable, antiquated and deteriorating quickly,” the department wrote in its request for funding. “Buildings and facilities are becoming unsafe and are not conducive to a therapeutic environment.”
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