|
There's a lot going on in Connecticut, but not so much on the inpatient
scene.
According to Wayne Dailey, Ph.D., director of psychological services
for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
(DMHAS), there have been no closures of psychiatric programs in
Connecticut since the mid 1990s, when the state closed two of its
three mental health hospitals. Fairfield Hills Hospital was closed
down in 1995 and Norwich Hospital was shuttered in 1996.
Aside from a reduction in beds at the Connecticut Valley Hospital's
inpatient treatment addiction rehab program from 40 to 30 beds last
year (brought about by cuts in the state budget) the number of beds
statewide has remained basically the same, a number Dailey estimates
at 600.
"Of the 30,000 people we treat in Connecticut each year for psychiatric
diseases," says Dailey, "only about 600 are in state operated facilities
at any time. A good part of what we do is on the outside."
Outside of those inpatient programs is where the DMHAS directs
most of its attention, he adds. Along with initiatives on "Lessons
Learned" (a program to share knowledge gleaned from the various
treatment programs across the state), the treatment of trauma victims,
a faith initiative (to work with ministry professionals in a collaborative
fashion) and a HIPAA initiative among others, the department has
put a lot of energy behind its newly formed program called the "Recovery
Initiative."
Touted as a way to create a system of care that is oriented toward
helping individuals rebuild their lives outside the mental health
system, the department's Recovery Initiative is being called its
"overarching theme" that should guide the department's every aspect.
Working with various state and private agencies and organizations,
the initiative promotes the use of peer support, community-based
programs, and treatment within "natural settings" to "promote the
highest degree of independent functioning and quality of life for
all individuals receiving care" in the system.
"It involves a lot of different kinds of interventions," Dailey
says, "that cover policy, practice guidelines, standard setting,
etc. The program is going to be rolled out over the next several
years."
Catherine Robertson Souter
|
