Report: Psychiatric Hospital Not Following Decree Terms

The court-appointed overseer of the Riverview Psychiatric Center in Maine says the hospital has failed to abide by the terms of a consent decree by not adequately reducing risk of injury to clients and staff and by arbitrarily limiting treatment options for patients.

The Kennebec Journal reports that Elizabeth Jones in her report made public Wednesday listed failures in treatment strategies, failure to provide proper interventions following aggressive acts by patients, and continued risk to clients and staff.

She said the use of seclusion and restraint needs to follow consent decree requirements.

The 92-bed state-run hospital in Augusta houses mentally ill patients convicted of crimes as well as involuntarily committed civil patients.

A state Department of Health & Human Services spokesman says the agency is still reviewing Jones' report and had no comment.