Fulton State Hospital

ABOUT THE HOSPITAL and COMMUNITY

Fulton State Hospital, opened in 1851, is the oldest public mental health facility west of the Mississippi River. The hospital is certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and has been accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) since 1984.  Service recipients come to Fulton State Hospital on both a voluntary and involuntary basis, sometimes being committed by the courts for evaluation or treatment. Fulton State Hospital also serves as a statewide treatment facility for persons found not guilty or unable to stand trial by reason of mental disease or defect. FSH is located in Fulton, Missouri, a community of about 11,000 people located in central Missouri. A number of other State facilities are located in Fulton, including the Missouri School for the Deaf, and the State Reception and Diagnostic Center. The size of these facilities makes the State of Missouri the largest employer in the city of Fulton.  Fulton is located 25 miles from Columbia (University of Missouri) and 90 miles from St. Louis.

FSH treats an individual population that is both clinically and demographically quite diverse.  Due to our location and our catchment area, we have many individuals who come from small communities in rural parts of the state. However, we also have many individuals from urban centers because we provide the state's only maximum and intermediate security psychiatric units.  Clinically, our individuals have a very wide range of diagnoses, covering virtually all the major categories of the DSM-IV. The most common primary diagnoses include Schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, mood disorders, and Antisocial and Borderline personality disorders. Also treated are individuals committed for sexual offenses and have corresponding diagnoses of paraphilias. Additionally, many individuals have primary or secondary diagnoses of substance abuse, borderline intellectual functioning, and anxiety disorders, while a smaller number suffer from dementias (including those due to Alzheimer's disease, vascular conditions, HIV, or traumatic brain injuries), Huntington's disease, other organic disorders, and dissociative conditions. The average length of stay for individuals on the inpatient wards is 2.7 years.

As would be expected with such a diverse individual population, a correspondingly wide variety of services are offered at Fulton State Hospital including: forensic evaluations and admissions, competency restoration treatment, acute inpatient treatment for Department of Corrections inmates, substance abuse treatment, and long-term treatment and rehabilitation for individuals with severe and persistent mental disorders, developmental disabilities and personality disorders. Our long-term treatment and rehabilitation programs emphasize the application of state-of-the art technologies in the form of structured ward-wide programs.  

ABOUT THE FUTURE

FSH is in the process of building a new campus  for the 300 bed high security unit, which is set to be completed by the end of 2017.  It will include a state of the art recreation and treatment facilities both inside and out.  Outside will have a Mindfulness courtyard; recreation and park type yards; unit courtyards; and a comprehensive treatment mall area full of recreational facilities on the inside.