Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Bridgewater State Hospital is overly violent with patients, watchdog says
The report accuses Wellpath of dehumanizing and disrespecting patients through medicative restraint.
Bridgewater State Hospital — a Massachusetts Department of Correction facility in Bridgewater — continues to illegally restrain patients and inadequately provide medical care during a mold infestation, a watchdog organization’s newest report on the aging hospital says.
The Disability Law Center, a private, nonprofit organization, released a report today after sharing it with lawmakers a few weeks ago. The report is just the latest in more than a decade of watchdog reports. Since 2014, the DLC has reported excessive restraints and neglect at the hospital.
The report accuses Wellpath, a private organization based in Tennessee which is contracted for medical care of the facility, of dehumanizing and disrespecting patients through medicative restraint.
Advertisement:
One patient said, “I still think about it even now,” the DLC reported.
Bridgewater State Hospital is a medium security prison hospital for criminally-charged inmates who are mentally ill or defendants in criminal cases undergoing observation. There are about 250 men receiving treatment at the hospital.
Unwarranted force on patients while mold concerns went largely ignored
The report describes multiple incidents where unaggressive patients were sedated involuntarily by the hospital’s security staff, who wear riot gear. One man was in his room reading before receiving the psychotropic medication, and another was laying on his bed when the team injected the medicine into his buttocks.
The sometimes delayed administration of the forced medicine after an aggressive incident calls its application into doubt, the report said.
Advertisement:
“Others describe staff not taking (persons served) seriously, and arguments with staff leading directly to intramuscular injections without any attempts at intermediate interventions,” the report said. “They also talk about the physical pain and psychological trauma of handcuffs and 4-point restraints.”
The DLC said the DOC should transfer the population of patients to the Department of Mental Health and construct a new facility.
“It is clear that neither the care that DOC and Wellpath offer, nor the deteriorating prison facility meet the needs of the BSH population,” the DLC’s Director of Litigation Tatum Pritchard. “DLC’s monitoring efforts reveal persistent legal violations, abuse, inadequate medical and mental health treatment, and mold contamination at BSH.”
The report said that mold has gone largely ignored, and the HVAC system is in “deplorable” condition.
“The facility should not be occupied until these problems have been fully resolved and the buildings retested to verify that the moisture and mold sources have been removed and resolved, respectively,” the DLC’s contracted mold experts reported.
Wellpath’s history, and future, in Massachusetts
While the MADOC operates the hospital, they contract Wellpath, a private organization based in Tennessee, to provide care for hospitalized inmates. The company has been under fire for cost-cutting measures and understaffing.
Advertisement:
The Boston Globe reported that Wellpath has already lost two contracts with Massachusetts sheriff’s departments, and their lucrative contract with MADOC is up for renewal soon.
In Barnstable County, officials there ended their contract with Wellpath early after they were staffing jails at 20%, the Provincetown Independent reported.
In a statement, the DOC said they’ve “enhanced staff training and increased independent oversight by behavioral and mental health experts.”
“The Massachusetts Department of Correction, in coordination with our external medical provider, remains deeply committed to ensuring that patients with complex needs who require strict security hospitalization receive the highest quality of person-centered and trauma-informed care,” a spokesperson said. “These significant measures are designed to ensure the well-being and safety of those living and working at Bridgewater State Hospital.”
Wellpath did not respond to a request for comment.
The DOC said Wellpath has submitted revisions to their Seclusion and Restraint Policy and Involuntary Psychotropic Medication Policy, but did not comment on the company’s upcoming contract renewal.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com