Montana’s psychiatric hospital is poorly run and neglect has hastened patient deaths, lawsuit says

By AMY BETH HANSON
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed this week argues that Montana’s psychiatric hospital has been so poorly run for decades that patients are not safe. The suit contends that the patients are not treated with dignity and respect and that understaffing, lack of training and neglect have hastened the deaths of two patients. A current patient and the families of two deceased patients filed the lawsuit Tuesday. It alleges that low-income Montana residents with mental health issues are “systematically abused and neglected” at the Montana State Hospital. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and an order that the state provide a safe environment for hospital patients.