New Jersey psychiatric hospitals undergo major improvements

TRENTON » The state’s psychiatric hospitals are undergoing turnaround efforts to modernize clinical care and rectify long-standing patient safety and physical plant improvements.

The state released last week an executive assessment of the hospitals, along with an 18-month action plan for improvements.

Some of the improvements, such as the hiring of 220 clinicians and other staff, have already been made, according to state officials. In addition, the state has a $23 million capital plan to make critical physical plant upgrades.

“We are changing the culture of the hospitals,” Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal said in a written statement. “Since my first day as commissioner seven months ago, we have focused on enhancing clinical care, improving patient and staff safety while continuing to reduce the census and patient assaults.”

Across the hospital system, officials say, there has been a 30 percent reduction in violent assaults to both patients and staff in the first quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter of last year. Additionally, the census at the four hospitals has declined by nearly 60 patients from 1,510 in January 2018 to 1,453 last month.

“Our vision is to have the hospitals operate as one health system of regional psychiatric facilities using the same clinical and patient safety standards,” Dr. Elnahal said. “Just like acute care hospital systems or a children’s hospital, our regional psychiatric hospitals should be specialized hospitals where patients are treated, stabilized and then returned to the community–with the supports they need.”

Two weeks before Governor Phil Murphy’s administration began, a commission warned officials at Ann Klein Forensic Center that the facility could lose its accreditation if it did not end a long-standing administrative lock-in policy in place on certain shifts. Officials say Ann Klein retained its accreditation by ending administrative lock-ins, hiring 111 staff personnel and making anti-ligature improvements to prevent patients from harming themselves. Other improvements include making sure that appropriate labels with expiration dates are in place for all medications and having a pharmacist review 100 percent of patient charts monthly to ensure that allergies and adverse drug reactions are clearly separated and listed.

In the press release announcing the hospital changes, officials said that Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains has increased supervision and oversight on one-to-one monitoring to ensure patient safety, opening up more time for clinical staff to spend with higher acuity patients.

Officials also touted the fact that Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Winslow Township was recently cited by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as a national leader in integration of trauma-informed care, which recognizes that past traumatic experiences can affect a person’s mental wellbeing.

Officials say that despite a national and state shortage of psychiatrists, hiring of clinical staff is an ongoing priority.

To read the full executive assessment of state psychiatric hospitals and the action plan for improvement, visit:https://nj.gov/health/ integrated health/