Kansas City mental health hospitals to close [Video]

Signature Psychiatric Hospital has announced the closure of two locations in the Northland, citing the loss of a lease at North Kansas City Hospital’s campus.The announcement, sent to Missouri Department of Labor officials Friday, means other mental health providers will need to absorb the impact of 92 inpatient beds and 150 outpatients per month that Signature provided at North Kansas City Hospital and Liberty Hospital.According to a layoff notice issued by the CEO of Acadia Healthcare to Missouri officials, 124 full-time employees and 30 part-time employees will lose their jobs.Acadia, Signature’s parent company, was recently featured in a New York Times investigation that reported Acadia facilities were holding patients longer than medically necessary to charge more for services.An Acadia Healthcare spokesman said the assertions made in the article are inaccurate, saying, “Decisions on patient care, including how long treatment may be necessary, are never business decisions made by the company.”The …