DENVER — The Colorado Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health (OCFMH) hosted a grand opening event Monday for the new unit on the Colorado Mental Health Hospital (CMHHIFL) campus in Fort Logan.
“We have a severe problem with treating patients who are involved in the justice system and getting them out of jails and into treatment so that they can participate and be competent in the process. Today, we are opening up 22 new beds, and this was made possible because of the support of the governor and the legislature,” said Leora Joseph, Office for Civil and Forensic Mental Health director. “This is the first time the hospital at Fort Logan will be serving competency patients.”
In a press release, the Colorado Department of Human Services said "the wing will serve Coloradans in need of competency restoration services to proceed in criminal trials."
In 2011, CDHS was sued for failure to provide timely competency evaluations and restoration treatments, resulting in a long waitlist for pretrial detainees.
Joseph said now, there are more than 400 detainees waiting to take one of the 22 beds.
“We'll take anything we can get," Joseph said. "I think we're excited about what this means."
The new unit will begin accepting patients on Tuesday, and the unit is expected to be filled by January.