Gov. Inslee vetoes parts of bill to aid psychiatric hospital

SEATTLE – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed several sections of a bill aimed at improving operations at Western State Hospital, a state-run psychiatric facility.

The Tacoma News Tribune reported that Inslee signed Senate Bill 6656 into law last week but vetoed parts of it, including a portion that would have allowed psychiatric nurses with advanced degrees to fill open psychiatrist positions at the hospital.

Western State Hospital is in danger of losing federal funding after inspectors found the hospital was unsafe. Inslee fired the hospital’s chief executive officer in mid-April after two patients escaped from the facility.

The bill as signed into law will create a committee to recommend improvements for the hospital, and creates a fund that seeks to improve the hospital operations, safety and more.