HARRISBURG — A Pittsburgh-area state hospital for the mentally ill will close by the end of 2008 as part of a decades-long effort to move patients into less costly community-based programs, Pennsylvania's top public-welfare official said Wednesday.

The 225 patients at Mayview State Hospital in Bridgeville will be evaluated to determine the best settings for their care and gradually discharged in a process similar to one used during last year's closure of Harrisburg State Hospital, Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman said.

"People do better in community-based settings than in state hospitals," Richman said. "Hospitals are meant for treatment, not living."

The department also will eventually halt the admission of new patients to Mayview, but it has not yet determined when that will happen. A Sept. 10 public hearing in Bethel Park is scheduled on the closure.