JESSUP, Md. (AP) — A state mental hospital has been turning away patients even though one of its wards remains vacant.

The Baltimore Sun reports (http://bsun.md/29JQpZk) that Dr. Barbara Bazron, the head of Maryland’s Behavioral Health Administration, testified during a hearing last week that a ward remains empty at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center.

Bazron and other Department of Health and Mental Hygiene officials have been asked by a judge to explain why the agency had ignored several recent court orders to admit patients to Perkins. Health department officials have said they face a shortage of beds.

Health Secretary Van T. Mitchell is expected to testify Thursday.

Spokesman Christopher Garrett says the department is working to figure out how the empty ward might be used to address the census challenges faced by Maryland’s system.

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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com