Legislation Responds to Anderson Guest House Fire

The tragedy of eleven deaths at a southwest Missouri residential home for the elderly and the mentally ill has prompted legislation requiring sprinkler systems at all long-term facilities. Long-term care facilities licensed by the state, such as nursing homes, would...

State Rep. Pleased with Bellefontaine Announcement

A state representative who has the Bellefontaine Habilitation Center in her district is pleased there are plans to keep the center open, but worries that the plans might lower quality of care. Rep. Gina Walsh (D-St. Louis) wants to hear more about plans to keep...

Blunt Relents, Bellefontaine Stays Open

Governor Blunt relents and the Bellefontaine Habilitation Center in St. Louis will remain open. Blunt had been adamant:  instances of patient abuse by staff at the Bellefontaine Habilitation Center in St. Louis should lead to its closure. But talks with family...

Community Mental Health Centers Ask for More Money

The people who run Missouri’s community mental health centers say a gaping hole exists in the mental health safety net and only money will patch it. A spokesman for the centers describes them as service providers to people with serious mental illness, youth who...

Elder Abuse Hotline Gets Some Heat

Some of those who care for elderly people who stay in their own homes think Governor Blunt’s effort to save money by combining hotline telephone services of two high-profile departments into one hotline operation is a failure. They’ve let some important...