A court-appointed monitor will track West Virginia's progress in resolving overcrowding at its public psychiatric hospitals and other problems with mental health care.



Kanawha County Circuit Judge Duke Bloom made the order Thursday. Bloom's order will transform the Office of the Ombudsman for Behavioral Health, which reports to the state Department of Health and Human Resources, into a court monitor position.

The court monitor will be responsible to Bloom and will report to him regularly on the state's handling of mental health care.

Bloom's order comes as the state is reaching agreement with petitioning attorneys over mental health care.

Persistent overcrowding at the hospitals in Huntington and Weston led to the current development in the case, which dates to the 1980s.

| Home | Eyewitness News Newsroom | Storm Team Weather | Eyewitness Sports | Schedules | Programs |

---

Send email to news@wchstv.com for information or comments concerning WCHS-TV Eyewitness News.

Copyright ©2009, WCHS-TV8. Portions are
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.