The Hawaii State Hospital has admitted more patients via civil commitment this fiscal year that at any point over the last dozen years thanks to so-called “decompression efforts” that have opened spots by reducing the number of court-ordered commitments in criminal cases.
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So far in Fiscal Year 2026, HSH has admitted 10 patients via civil commitment, the most since FY2024
Under Green’s administration, the state has undertaken a coordinated effort to reduce the number of people admitted through court-ordered forensic mental health proceedings related to criminal cases, helping to shift the hospital’s focus back to its original mission of serving civilly committed individuals
According to DOH, decompression efforts have included placing elderly and medically frail patients in skilled nursing facilities and releasing patients to care on their home islands. HPH has also been developing new approaches to “fitness restoration” and identifying new options for placing patients who do not require hospital-level care
In addition, HSH is working with the other divisions of the Behavioral Health Administration to ensure programs and services are available in the community to support discharged patients
So far in Fiscal Year 2026, HSH has admitted 10 patients via civil commitment, the most since FY2024.
“Treating our residents who need advanced mental health care is an essential role of the Hawaii State Hospital,” said Gov. Josh Green. “By carefully managing their resources and partnerships, HSH and DOH are taking concrete steps toward improving and expanding behavioral health care in our community by directing patients to the most appropriate level of services. These accomplishments would not be possible without the dedicated physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists and support staff at Hawaii State Hospital, whose commitment to patient care helps improve the lives of some of Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable residents every day.”
Under Green’s administration, the state has undertaken a coordinated effort to reduce the number of people admitted through court-ordered forensic mental health proceedings related to criminal cases, helping to shift the hospital’s focus back to its original mission of serving civilly committed individuals.
According to DOH, these efforts have included placing elderly and medically frail patients in skilled nursing facilities and releasing patients to care on their home islands. HPH has also been developing new approaches to “fitness restoration” and identifying new options for placing patients who do not require hospital-level care.
In addition, HSH is working with the other divisions of the Behavioral Health Administration to ensure programs and services are available in the community to support discharged patients.
“We are actively breaking down silos and working across the entire behavioral health system to ensure discharged HSH patients and all residents have access to necessary and appropriate mental health and substance-use services,” said Courtenay Matsu, deputy director of the DOH Behavioral Health Administration. “This joint effort between DOH, the Governor’s Office, other state agencies and our community partners will enable us to better care for our most vulnerable community members.”
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.