Here's what we know about the plan to fix Eleanor Slater Hospital

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island is moving toward the establishment of a standalone psychiatric hospital on the campus of the state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital.

Announced Tuesday, the "relicensing" decision is a key part of Gov. Dan McKee's effort to chart a new, more financially stable direction for the "last resort" hospital that has been at the vortex of a firestorm the last two years.

Spread across two campuses in Cranston and Burrillville, the hospital is home to nearly 200 patients with severe medical and psychiatric disorders who have been there an average of 12½ years. It is not yet clear what direct effect, if any, the decision to relicense the 52-bed Benton building on the Cranston campus as a standalone psychiatric hospital will have on the patients who were sent there by state judges for care and treatment, instead of to prison.

But a statement issued by the McKee administration said:

"Benton will continue to operate as a secure facility, serving patients who are involved in the criminal justice system, while Eleanor Slater will continue to serve patients with longer-term medical and psychiatric conditions."

Read more: https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2021/11/23/eleanor-slater-hospital-psychiatric-wing-dhddh-ri-may-spin-off/8733433002/