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Immediate Jeopardy
status removed at Connecticut Valley Hospital
(December
2007 Issue)
By Ami Albernaz
After addressing problems related to patient safety and record
keeping, Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown had its Immediate
Jeopardy status removed by the Federal Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid (CMMS) on Oct. 10. Connecticut Valley, the state's largest
public psychiatric hospital, has been dogged by criticism in the
wake of four patient suicides over the last four years.
The CMMS survey on Sept. 12 noted deficiencies related to patient
assessment and progress reporting; building features such as door
knobs, hinges and plumbing fixtures that could pose hazards to suicidal
patients; and flawed documentation of patient interventions and
responses to medication.
The measures the hospital undertook to meet CMMS's 23-day timeline
for corrective action were part of an ongoing quality improvement
process that had begun much earlier, says Wayne F. Dailey, Ph.D.,
a spokesman for Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction
Services.
"There's a very intensive focus on the hospital and making sure
all aspects of care provided there are of the highest quality,"
Dailey says.
Comprehensive risk assessments are administered to all patients,
Dailey notes. Hospital staff now checks patient records more frequently
to ensure they comply with CMMS standards and an electronic medical
records system is currently being implemented.
Within the past year and a half, a new leadership team has been
established at the hospital, and additional nurses and psychologists
have been hired. Modifications to the building have been made to
improve safety and staff presence has been increased in areas where
needed changes have yet to be made.
The CMMS inspection followed the August release of a U.S. Department
of Justice report faulting the hospital in the areas of patient
protection, psychiatric and psychological services and discharge
planning and placement. Among the specifics mentioned in the report
was the use of seclusion and restraint; these have been reduced
by 65 percent in the past year, Dailey says.
Despite the efforts made toward resolving the problems, some might
be more pervasive than the new administration first realized, says
Susan Aranoff, J.D., a staff attorney with the Connecticut Legal
Rights Project, an independent advocacy agency housed on the Connecticut
Valley campus.
Aranoff describes some longtime staff members' behavior as "shockingly
recalcitrant," and says the new administration has experienced "significant
push-back" in trying to implement some of the changes.
Still, she says, "I have no doubt that there's a commitment to
change. Every day I'm impressed with the commitment of the administrative
staff."
Future inspections of the facility will ensure that problems have
been fixed, a Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
release stated.
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