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Reporter’s Notebook: What changed after scathing report on ϳԹ psychiatric facility?

The ϳԹ Mental Health Center in New Haven, ϳԹ is run by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Tyler Russell
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The ϳԹ Mental Health Center in New Haven, ϳԹ is run by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Patient-on-patient sexual abuse and harassment, excessive restraint and rodent infestations are just a few of the allegations documented in an investigative report released last year into conditions at the ϳԹ Mental Health Center.

The inpatient psychiatric facility in New Haven faced scrutiny after a nonprofit published the findings of its nearly three-year-long probe into the facility.

That report, released by Disability Rights ϳԹ, sounded an alarm not only about failings in New Haven, but also a lack of independent oversight of facilities run by the ϳԹ Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).

The Accountability Project wanted to follow up on this issue to see how things have changed in the 10 months since the report was released. We discovered there are differing views on the progress made so far, and the need for systemic changes at ϳԹ's state-run psychiatric facilities.

They include Capitol Region Mental Health Center in Hartford, and the Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center.

Celeste Cremin-Endes, the chief of state-operated services for DMHAS, told us the agency has implemented a better system for documenting complaints made by patients. She said DMHAS is also considering a new safety and security training program for staff.

“I think that there are strides made,” she said. “I think that there are, again, references that they had brought to our attention that we could enhance and did enhance upon.”

Cremin-Endes has previously expressed confidence that psychiatric facilities run by the state already receive thorough oversight, including through a triennial accreditation process.

But more work is needed, according to Rachel Mirsky, a lawyer who worked on the investigation on behalf of Disability Rights ϳԹ, which is designated under federal law to protect and advocate for people with physical, mental and other disabilities. Mirsky said she believes state-run psychiatric facilities urgently need more independent attention.

"We're basically saying give a little responsibility to some agency on the outside to be able to look at complaints of abuse and neglect," Mirsky said.

We also learned that the issue of oversight made its way to the state legislature. State Sen. Saud Anwar, a Democrat and co-chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, voiced concern about the report’s findings, saying that other hospitals run by non-governmental entities routinely face more scrutiny.

He drafted a bill this session that adds guardrails for handling patient complaints. The legislation would require DMHAS to thoroughly document and investigate incidents affecting patient safety, and limit the use of restraints and seclusion.

But that bill won’t gain much traction this legislative session, Anwar told The Accountability Project.

“Sometimes you do not need to pass a law to change things,” Anwar said. “Right now, the way the conversations are happening, DMHAS recognizes that there should be far better systems for patients to be protected and kept front and center of this issue.”

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from ϳԹ, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de ϳԹ, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — ϳԹ.