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(cross-posted from Beyond Vermont State Hospital blog, here)

UPDATE: August 31, 2011

In my role as director of Vermont Legal Aid’s Mental Health Law Project I’ve received a list of all our clients and where they’ve been moved to. We’re in the process of getting in touch with everyone to let them know that we’re on top of their cases and will stay in communication with them.

If anyone talks to one of the evacuated patients please let them know they can give us a call.

Jack McCullough

*Updated 5x* (view *updates* near bottom of post, below the fold)

News accounts and other sources have reported that the Vermont State Hospital (VSH) has been evacuated, with those locked up there being sent to various sites across the state, here (via Burlington Free Press).

State Representative Anne Donahue (R-Northfield), who also is editor of Counterpoint, reported (via e-mail; posted with direct permission):

I was at the state hospital this afternoon; many unsung heros there. They were without power beginning last night. Ground floor flooded several feet deep (this includes the intake offices and the Brooks Rehab patient unit.) Those patients were moved to spend the night in the treatment mall. Red Cross brought McDonald’s breakfasts this morning. The estimated time for repair of the state office complex is 2-3 weeks, thus beginning this morning, staff began identifying emergency placements for all 51 patients, and expected all evacuations to be completed by nightfall. About 16 going to the Brattleboro Retreat, 7 to Fletcher Allen, other scattered with staff in groups of 3 or less, one group temporarily housed at Springfield Corrections with their own VSH staff in a separated area. Doug Racine and Christine Oliver were on site throughout.  All was going on without power and with impaired phone contact… forget about electronic health records. I saw the chair of the dept of psychiatry at FAHC loading a cardboard box of patient files into his car to take to Burlington.

Longer e-mail from Anne Donahue (excerpted; posted with permission):

… estimated 2+ weeks before VSH can reopen.

Here’s the breakdown (I may miss a few):

16 Brattleboro Retreat

7 FAHC

7 to Southern Corr. Fac, staying on a separated unit with GMH (not corrections) staff

5 to Second Spring, which is temporarily accommodating an “over census”capacity

1 Meadowview

1 Pines Nursing Home

1 Lamoille (discharge was already anticipated)

3 Batelle House

4 [can’t read my scrawled notes]

Doesn’t quite add up perfectly…

In most cases, they were being accompanied by VSH staff, to be providing the necessary extra staff.

National Guard had been called in last night on standby if Plainfield dam had a water release, for an emergency evacuation then, which was not necessary. However, there was no electricity or food since losing power late yesterday, Staff functioned in the dark overnight. Reception and Brooks Rehab were flooded out (many feet of water), and Brooks Rehab patients stayed in the treatment wall.

This morning it became clear that restoration of power and other repairs would be  lengthy, and they began the process of making calls to place patients.

Doug Racine says BGS said it would be 2-3 weeks time for the campus, but he told them all efforts must focus on VSH first.

Patient files were being hand carried to go with patients.

[…]

The river surge power a was incredible. Office furniture was strewn around rooms. The staff locks on Brooks Rehab were knocked onto the floor. Everything was slippery with mud.

Racine, Christine Oliver, etc, etc, were there all afternoon.

[…]

So, as I understand it based on news accounts as well as other sources, including Anne Donahue among others, fifty-one (51) or so people who had up until today been locked up at VSH have been or currently are being transferred elsewhere across the state due to the recent flooding and damage caused by it.

This, however, potentially proves a point I have made over the years of how the state not only could have closed the state hospital long prior to now, but could have also relocated patients elsewhere in order to do so.

In my opinion, the state should not reopen VSH and, particularly for those placements that might only be considered more temporary in nature of one sort or another, the state should find other placements for those who could be elsewhere, including where appropriate, within permanent housing in the community of their choosing for those who should no longer be held at VSH or other such facilities but have continued to be held there due to lack of either other less restrictive setting placement or permanent housing, etc.

*Update 1*: Word is, much like most of the rest of the Waterbury office complex as I understand it, which includes the headquarters of the Agency of Human Services (AHS) as well as some of its departments, the Department of Mental Health (DMH) has no e-mail at this time, as their servers either had been underwater or are still without power or both.

Word also is that Washington County Mental Health Services (WCMHS) has taken ten (10) people total from VSH into Second Spring and other facilities of theirs.

WCMHS has also created shelter for nine (9) people from the Kirby House community care home within their transitional recovery program in Waterbury and have taken two additional residents to crisis beds and have arranged for cots through Red Cross for sleeping. The WCMHS “Sunrise House” day treatment program located in Montpelier is preparing and delivering food.

In addition, WCMHS provided support to residents during their evacuation and bus ride from a trailer park in Berlin and assisted Red Cross at the Barre City Auditorium.

Have also received word about how four (4) people from VSH were placed at Hill House and Robinson House at Counseling Service of Addison County.

*Update 2*: From the Burlington Free Press, here (paragraphs 18 and 19):

[…]

Nearby, the Vermont State Hospital, where 51 psychiatric patients were housed, was evacuated Monday. The patients were sent to various private facilities around the state and the state prison in Springfield. Some employees were sent with them and are being housed in motels, Mental Health Commissioner Christine Oliver said.

Oliver said the details of how much the state will pay those facilities or how long the patients will be there had not been worked out when the move was made. Racine said Wednesday that the arrangements were made with the expectation that they would be for weeks, but because it now appears it will take months to make repairs in Waterbury, some of those patients might have to be moved again.

[…]

*Update 3*: In response to the above update (i.e., update 2), which I had sent out via e-mail as well, someone replied with the following (posted with permission on condition of there being no attribution):

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a hurricane to close a state hospital.

*Update 4*: Within an e-mail to Governor Peter Shumlin and top members of his administration, I shared the following (excerpted):

[…] based on conversations I have had with others who have been following and very interested in these matters whether via e-mail, instant messaging or in-person, I have found I am not alone in my sentiments that repairing and reopening the Vermont State Hospital (VSH) is not a wise or prudent decision, nor a good or best use of taxpayer dollars and other resources. This, particularly given how prior to tropical storm Irene and the destruction it caused, top members of the administration — including Agency of Human Services (AHS) Secretary Doug Racine — have previously stated how VSH should have been closed 20 years ago and is a not suitable or safe environment for persons who are locked up there or staff working there, nor could it be rehabilitated in order to improve it enough to make it more suitable either. The crisis at the state hospital and what to do with after the facility was damaged so significantly by tropical storm Irene should be taken as the opportunity that it is and VSH should be shuttered once and for all. It makes no sense to attempt to repair it as much as can be afforded when there are plans to close it down the road, no sense at all. That said, do not take my word for it, ask around and find out for yourself. If you have not already done so, please reconsider this decision very carefully.

Morgan W. Brown

Montpelier

For those who are so inclined, although he and members of his administration are quite busy with many other matters at the moment, now is the time to weigh in and share your views on the subject of VSH as well as the mental health system as a whole with Governor Shumlin, well before they proceed any further, here. This is well worth doing! It is now or never!

*Update 5*: It is my understanding that the Department of Mental Health (DMH) has received five (5) proposals that would reduce the numbers of VSH beds, however the proposal by Collaborative Solutions Corporation (CSC) would appear to completely eliminate the need for state hospital beds and allow for closing the facility.

That said, the proposal is still very much residential and institutional heavy, nor is it entirely truly community-based and certainly does not appear to include peer-based alternative approaches, nor permanent housing opportunities for people to move onto, either. In addition, many of the sites would have more than six beds, when three to six beds are better. Not too mention how this is still the medical model approach, highly dependent on the use of psychotropic medication, including of the forced drugging variety, not to mention shock treatment (ECT).

To my knowledge this proposal was written and submitted to DMH well prior to tropical storm Irene and done so in response to an informal request stated by DMH Commissioner Oliver for proposals for a community-based approach after the administration decided to go through the motions of reconsidering its plan to build a new version of the same old thing all while continuing to barrel ahead full steam with their original plans.

One fear is how the administration and others concerned could also now consider more fully rehabbing the existing VSH facility in Waterbury and remaining there when it is once again habitable, given how it would take at least a few months to restore enough to bring people and staff back again anyway, so what is another few or more months added on.

This despite how administration officials — including Agency of Human Services (AHS) Secretary Doug Racine — had previously stated how VSH could not be sufficiently rebuilt in order to provide a safe, sound facility.

Rather than being what it took to close VSH, tropical storm Irene could be what it takes to rebuild it and remain in place for 50 or more years.

Stayed tuned … (as additional information as well as reports become available, this post will be updated accordingly)