Troubled state official tapped to run Intensive Behavior Center

A state official plagued by complaints, staff exodus and patient deaths during his tenure as the administrator of the Montana State Hospital has been transferred to a new role as the administrator of the Intensive Behavior Center in Boulder.

Kyle Fouts is leaving his role as the head of the hospital in Warm Springs and will begin a new job running the IBC on May 9, according to the state Department of Public Health and Human Services, which oversees both facilities and announced the move on April 21. The IBC—the last remnant of the former Montana Developmental Center—houses up to 12 people with profound mental disabilities.

The Montana State News Bureau reported Fouts’ move to Boulder on April 21, noting that “Fouts, who has been the hospital administrator since 2019, had been identified by current and former staff as a significant driver of the employee exodus that forced the facility to rely more heavily on contracted staff, exacerbating other issues at the hospital in Warm Springs.” The bureau stated that NBC Montana was first to report on the move.