When Tropical Storm Irene forced the
closure of the Vermont State Hospital last year, it meant the loss of more than 50 beds for
psychiatric patients. And that has resulted in an
increase in the number of people who are waiting in emergency rooms because
there aren’t enough mental health beds available.
We get an update from Mental Health Commissioner Patrick Flood on how the state is coping a year after the closure of the state hospital in Waterbury and we hear about a new program that helps families discuss end-of-life care.
The Shumlin Administration was hoping to demolish more
than 20 buildings in the State Office Complex in Waterbury that
suffered extensive damage from Tropical Storm Irene. But now the Administration is considering the option
of renovating many of these buildings and flood proofing them as much as
possible.
Town
officials in Berlin say they prefer the state build its new mental health
hospital next to Central Vermont Medical Center rather than adjacent to the town’s elementary school.
Town officials in Morristown have
formally approved an agreement with the state to host some beds from the
state mental hospital. The agreement comes nearly nine months after
Tropical Storm Irene devastated the State Hospital in Waterbury.