About 21% of staff at Solnit South, Connecticut’s psychiatric hospital for children based in Middletown, are out on workers’ compensation for injuries sustained on the job, the Hartford Courant reported Aug. 24.
Lawmakers have called the situation a “safety crisis,” while employees have raised concerns about staffing, worker injuries and facility conditions. Farmington, Conn.-based UConn Health, which operates the hospital, and the Department of Children and Families, which oversees it, said they are investing in staffing and facility upgrades.
Here are six things to know:
1. Darnell Ford, children’s service unit supervisor at Solnit, estimated that 64 out of 300 employees are out on workers’ compensation with significant injuries. To address shortfalls, he also estimated that nine to 15 employees are working 16-hour shifts.
2. Independent monitor reports from June 22 to July 3 said staffing was at “critical levels,” with over 100 shifts needing to be filled on weekends. Administrators paused admission of new patients because of staffing issues.
3. Reports from July 5-18 documented 22 staff injuries over the previous four weeks. Of those, 10 resulted from patient assaults and 12 occurred during restraints.
4. Independent monitor reports also flagged that staff voiced concerns about facility maintenance failures, including holes in the roof, broken sidewalks, garbage piled in hallways and overgrown grounds limiting outdoor space.
5. Service Employees International Union 1199 called for at least $21 million in support. The funds would be used to restore and expand staffing, rebuild therapeutic programming and create three specialized public-sector programs.
6. UConn Health and the Department of Children and Families said they are addressing staff shortages by accelerating hiring and hiring temporary resources for nursing and additional security. They also said they are securing state funding for facility upgrades.
Becker’s has reached out to UConn Health and the Department of Children and Families for comment and will update this story if information becomes available.
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