text: Sen. David Vitter touts privatization of former state mental hospital near Mandeville | NOLA.com
  Sen. David Vitter touts privatization of former state mental hospital near Mandeville
  Updated September 1, 2015 at 5:52 PM ; Posted September 1, 2015 at 5:09 PM
  Gallery: Mental health hospital
  U.S. Sen. David Vitter and a host of St. Tammany Parish officials toured the campus of the former Southeast Louisiana Hospital near Mandeville Tuesday (Sept. 1), emerging from the visit to praise its privatization and roughly outline plans to make it a model for other mental health facilities in the state. Vitter, in the midst of a gubernatorial campaign, complimented parish officials for taking control of the psychiatric care facility and keeping its doors open.
  Speaking at a media event on the hospital campus following the tour, Vitter, a Republican, said he was impressed with the privately-run facility and while it remains "a work in progress," he would like to see it possibly replicated in other areas of the state as part of an effort to reform the mental health system. He said it's time to move mental health care out of the criminal justice system where it often "falls through the cracks."
  In many parishes, "the biggest mental health provider is the sheriff and that's ridiculous," Vitter said.
  The former state mental health hospital, located on U.S. 190 east of Mandeville, is now operated by the private company Meridian Behavioral Health Systems and is called Northlake Behavioral Health System.
  The state mental health facility had been a fixture on the north shore for 60 years before the state Department of Health and Hospitals announced in July 2012 that it would be closed as a cost-saving move. At the time the state health department said it wanted to ensure a sustainable behavioral care system for the future by de-emphasizing the role of large public institutions and instead building partnerships with community providers.
  The announcement ignited a backlash from hospital employees and patients' family members, who decried the anticipated lack of mental health services in an area known for its high suicide rates.
  Local legislators began a push for privatization as a way of saving the services and jobs provided by the hospital. That effort set the stage for Meridian to take over control of the facility at the start of 2013.
  In March of 2015, the parish signed an agreement to pay the state $15.5 million for the hospital and the land that surrounds, a site that encompasses 294 acres. Parish government hopes to solicit bids from health care providers interested in purchasing the hospital itself, with the stipulation that only would-be buyers committed to operating a psychiatric hospital would be considered. Northlake Behavioral Health has expressed an interest in buying the property, parish officials have said.
  Brister said part of the 294 acres would be set aside for a land mitigation bank, which could save the local government money on future projects that require mitigation. Another section of the property may be used to expand nearby Pelican Park and construct a new roadway connecting Louisiana 1088 to U.S. 190.
  She said plans also call for a crisis intervention center on the campus, which Coroner Dr. Charles Preston said would serve as "a portal of entry into the mental health system."
  While she provided a rough outline for the future of the former state hospital site, Brister said more details will be forthcoming. She said the private mental health hospital now employs close to 400 people.