With problems such as low morale, escapes and overcrowding still plauging the the state mental hospital, a group of state lawmakers toured the facility Friday.

The hospital has been under federal court supervision for more than a decade, and last week a federal judge appointed a special master to oversee the facility.

But state health director Bruce Anderson said that the hospital is taking care of its problems.

"The hospital isn't overcrowded," Anderson said. "We have consolidated patients within the new campus but there isn't any crowding problem, no problem that relates to treatment and no staffing issues that I know of."

Touring lawmakers said that while there is a definite improvement at the hospital, many problems remain.

"I think the concerns both by the courts and even the legislature has to do with patient safety as well as treatment plans and the ability to move the patients out of this facility," Rep. Dennis Arakaki, chairman of the House health committee, said.

Arakaki said that one of his main concerns is the closure of the one of the Guensberg building, which had just overgone $5 million in repairs before being shut down.

The union that represents hospital nurses say that they feel unsafe now that the 60 patients housed in the building are being mixed with patients at the hospital's four other units. The official also said that the hospital is holding almost 60 more patients than it should.

Another concern for lawmakers was a recent rash of escapes, including that of Leonard Moore. Moore, an auto theft suspect who was ordered into the hospital for evalution, twice threw furniture through a window to escape.

Anderson said people like Moore don't belong at the state hospital, but rather in secure facilities like the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

"There is a need for a treatment facility within the prison system where individuals can be treated in a more secure facilty than they can be treated here," Anderson said.

"We're not building a prison, we're running a treatment facility."

Anderson did predict that with improvements such as new fencing and locks, the hospital could be removed from federal supervision in as early as six months.