<\/a>Deputy Alaska health commissioner Albert Wall speaks at a news conference Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska, while Gov. Mike Dunleavy, left, and health commissioner Adam Crum, right, look on. State health department officials discussed proposals they are seeking for a study on the feasibility of privatizing Alaska’s state-owned psychiatric hospital and announced the Alaska Psychiatric Institute is in good standing with federal requirements. (AP Photo\/Mark Thiessen)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
The facility has been under scrutiny from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which the state said found more than 80 deficiencies between July and December 2018.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
State officials said Monday that the facility is now considered to be in good standing with federal requirements. The federal agency, in a report, said an unannounced visit last month found the facility to be in “substantial compliance.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Alaska health commissioner Adam Crum speaks at a news conference Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska. State health department officials discussed proposals they are seeking for a study on the feasibility of privatizing Alaska’s state-owned psychiatric hospital and announced the Alaska Psychiatric Institute is in good standing with federal requirements. (AP Photo\/Mark Thiessen)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Dunleavy, speaking to reporters at the Anchorage facility, said the Alaska Psychiatric Institute was failing in its mission when he took office in December. He said things are moving in the right direction, citing as an example an increased number of patients who can be accepted due to additional staffing. But he said there remains room for “a lot of improvement.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Health Commissioner Adam Crum said there is a demand nationally for psychiatric care providers and that hiring psychiatric nurses and psychiatric nurse assistants has been difficult.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t