Western State Hospital signs agreement with federal agency amid safety concerns

Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital, Western State, has reached an agreement with federal regulators, who had threatened to cut millions in funds over safety concerns at the 800-bed Lakewood facility.

According to a document acquired by The Associated Press, officials at Western State Hospital signed an agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services late Thursday.

As part of the agreement, independent consultants were on site on Friday to begin a root-cause analysis of the hospital's many problems.

In April, the hospital's Chief Executive Officer, Ron Adler, was fired

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One of the escapees, Anthony Garver, was accused of torturing a 20-year-old woman to death in 2013.

U.S. regulators already were investigating a recent violent attack on a worker and a patient-on-patient sexual assault at the hospital. A workplace inspection released this week found a series of missteps that posed safety risks, including unlocked rooms and unattended items that could be used as weapons.

Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Cheryl Strange as the new CEO.  Strange and Inslee announced the details of the agreement on Friday morning.

The federal agency threatened to cut Medicare and Medicaid funds four times last year and agreed to extend the deadline several times this year, with the latest deadline on Friday.

The threats came after inspectors found violations that put patients and staff at risk.

Information from Associated Press reporter Martha Bellisle is included in this report. 

Associated Press