Central hospital cited by federal regulators

BUTNER, N.C. — The federal government has cited a new state mental health hospital for shortcomings, but won’t prevent the hospital from receiving federal dollars to treat patients.

The state Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that regulators found the agency had failed to integrate operations at Central Regional Hospital in Butner and Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh. The state wants to ultimately shift patients from Dix to Central.

Central and Dix are now under a single authority. The report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told the state the deficiency shouldn’t prevent the hospital from receiving money.

Broughton mental hospital in Morganton and Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro have lost federal funds over the past year. Cherry still isn’t getting the money.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)