Alleged patient abuse puts staffers on leave

BY PRESS STAFF

MIDDLETOWN — The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has placed four Whiting Maximum Forensic Unit staff members on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into an incident where patient abuse was alleged.

These actions were taken as DMHAS “aggressively monitors the quality of client care at the Whiting Maximum Forensic Unit,” according to a news release, following allegations of client abuse that occurred this past spring that resulted in the arrests of 10 staff members.

The department was able to respond quickly to the recent abuse allegation due to the implementation of procedures including real-time security camera feeds of activities on patient units, according to the news release.

During the course of monitoring the camera feeds, a possible incident of client abuse was identified. DMHAS has initiated a full investigation into this potential abuse.

The staff will remain on administrative leave until a comprehensive human resource investigation is completed and appropriate disciplinary action is taken.

“New systems and processes in place helped to identify the incident quickly, allowing us to respond immediately,” said DMHAS Commissioner Miriam Delphin Rittmon, in a press release. “Client abuse will not be tolerated and staff will be held accountable for their actions.”

In addition to installing state-of-the-art video monitoring staffed by a contracted security company, DMHAS has also taken the following measures:

Changed Whiting Maximum Security Unit management team

Increased staff training and managerial presence on-site

Improved mechanisms for staff/management communication Hired additional staff Increased office hours for client rights officers and client advocate

Retrained all staff on procedures to immediately report any alleged violations of DMHAS Policies, Procedures, Regulations or Work Rules, which include abuse of any kind, to their supervisor.