Western Montana Mental Health Center announced recently that it was closing Lake House, a facility in Polson that provides stabilization for patients undergoing mental health crises.

According to Devin Huntley, chief operating officer for Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, the closure was unfortunate, but came as no surprise.

“We’ve been anticipating this for some time,” he said Monday. An upswing in mental health issues nationwide, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, and an increase in staffing shortages have caused problems across the U.S.

Western Montana Mental Health Center (WMMHC) initiated community-based mental health crisis stabilization across western Montana more than a decade ago. The Polson facility was built in tandem with Lake County, which contributed resources for design and construction.

In addition to closing Lake House, the organization is also closing inpatient programs in Gallatin and Butte-Silver Bow counties but will continue to offer those services in Missoula and Hamilton. According to Lake County Commissioner Gale Decker, who is on the WMMHC board, the closures translate into the loss of 35 positions.

“There just weren’t enough referrals for crisis stabilization to keep the program afloat,” he said. “Lake House has eight beds and often had none of them filled.”

Decker says the Lake House opened shortly before he joined the commission in 2012. The county contributed an estimated $500,000 toward design and construction from Jail Diversion grants and made an annual contribution of $40,000 after it opened to help support staffing costs.

"It was our belief that we would save at least that much by not having to transport people in a mental health crisis to Warm Springs," he said. After about five years, the payment was discontinued.

"I think there is still a need for those services but trying to provide beds that are secure is the problem," he added. He expects WMMHC will be presenting a plan on how to repurpose Lake House.

Huntley said he met with WMMHC’s leadership about a year ago, and knew they were having staffing issues. He was told, “We can’t fill every bed, not because there’s a lack of need or demand, we just don’t have the supply of caregivers we need to take care of everybody over there.”

“I think it’s going to be felt far and wide for sure,” Huntley added, noting that the facility has offered inpatient care to patients from the Mission Valley and beyond.

“Regardless of circumstance, any loss of a mental health service is a loss to the state of Montana and its residents,” said Levi Anderson, chief executive officer of WMMHC, in a press release.

Lake House is located just across the street from St. Joe’s, which made it especially convenient for patients who arrived at the Emergency Department in crisis, and were willing to seek inpatient care and stabilization.

“They did great work for us,” said Huntley. “It was a wonderful resource and a great collaborative environment.”

With the doors now closed, local health care providers will need to look farther afield for inpatient crisis management. And for patients who need that level of care, it now means a trip to Missoula, Kalispell, Helena, or further. That shift could make it more expensive and the additional distance from family and friends could deter patients from getting the help they need.

In a press release, Anderson blamed the closure in part on significant increases in costs and inadequate Medicaid reimbursement. He said the closure of the three facilities will help WMMHC provide services to a broader range of patients and “pivot into expanding residential programming that focuses on supporting Montanans with an ongoing and significant need for residential supports.”

While the Legislature is trying to address the problem of inadequate reimbursement for mental health services, they still haven’t agreed to pony up 100% of the cost.

"The problem for mental health providers like Western is there is no way to make up the gap in funding," Decker said.

“My concern is that Western is the only provider left in western Montana,” he added. “Services are already limited and may become more scarce in the future.”

Huntley views the closure as emblematic of healthcare issues facing the nation. “It’s just something we’re seeing across America,” he said. While St. Joe’s is almost fully staffed now, chronic staffing and supply shortages paired with long work hours have taken a toll on the industry.

Plus, with the recent advent of telemedicine, more healthcare providers are opting to work from home.

“In lot of ways, the ways we provide care have been turned upside down,” he said. “That’s not necessarily bad – it’s just different and we’re all learning how to deal with it.”