One of the state's seven psychiatric hospitals is no longer accepting new patients. Following a week long visit by the United States Department of Justice state officials made the decision to quit taking new patients at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville until they can make some changes.
Right now 450 Georgians with mental illness and developmental disabilities live there. Tom Wilson is with the Georgia Department of Health and Developmental Disabilities. He says federal investigators found three main problems.
"One would be patient on patient aggression. Second would be some of the environmental factors with the physical buildings themselves, and then third would be the effectiveness of the treatment models."
Wilson calls the diversion of patient's temporary but open ended, or until the facility can be made safe. But, he says with decades of challenges fixing things won't happen overnight. He says there are no plans to close Central State Hospital.

Tags: Central State Hospital. United States Department of Justice, Georgia Department of Health and Developmental Disabilities, Tom Wilson