A new report is raising concerns about a mental health center in New Haven that is partly run by the state.
Now, amid allegations of sexual abuse of patients and rodent infestations, there are calls for action.
“They should be doing the right thing, but they’re not,” said Rachel Mirsky, supervising attorney for the Disability Rights Alliance of Connecticut.
Mirsky said the investigation found unsafe conditions and inadequate treatment for patients at the Connecticut Mental Health Center, an inpatient psychiatric facility in New Haven.
“What we’re really doing here is fighting for those guys,” Mirsky said.
Their findings include:
- Patients did not receive appropriate aggressive treatment to transition to discharge
- They lived in a rat infestation.
- They are overly constrained
- Are victims of harassment or sexual abuse by other patients
“We had a man who was accused of as many as 50 instances of sexual abuse against patients,” Mirsky said.
The facility is run by the Yale University Department of Psychiatry and the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to Yale for comment but has not yet heard back.
In a statement, a state spokesperson said:
“It is in DMHAS’s best interest to care for our clients in the best facilities we can provide. All of our facilities, including the Connecticut Mental Health Center last year, are accredited by the Joint Commission, which requires them to meet rigorous, accurate, objective standards of care.”
The agency also expressed concern about the report’s findings, saying some incidents were isolated and have since been corrected.
But Mirsky said while the report focused on specific examples, systemic changes were needed, including to policies and procedures.
“Am I here to say they’re doing it all wrong? No. Do they need reforms? Yes,” Mirsky said.
The group argued the centers should also be subject to oversight by the state public health department.
Republican state senators said the report’s findings were shocking and that efforts should be made to resolve the allegations.
Democratic state senators have not yet responded to requests for comment.
