Seriously Ill Psychiatric Patients Need New Home

The future of the former residents of the now-shuttered Vermont State Hospital remains uncertain, as state officials desperately seek housing alternatives for those displaced by severe flooding that devastated the hospital in August. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) recently announced his intention to keep the hospital closed while a newer, smaller facility is built. The hospital has had a troubled history, including the 2003 loss of its certification, but the sudden evacuation of its 51 patients has created an unprecedented challenge for state officials, reported a recent article in the New York Times. According to the paper, local hospitals Fletcher Allen and Rutland Regional Medical Center have provided temporary beds for some of the displaced patients, but they are not staffed and equipped to handle severely ill psychiatric patients, and a permanent fix has yet to be determined. Read more about the recent closure of the only state hospital in Vermont in Psychiatric News.

(Image: Jaskanwar Batra, M.D.)