January 10th, 2008
St. Elizabeths: Latter-Day Snake Pit?
An article in The Washington Post and another at Examiner.com describe a new report on St. Elizabeths Hospital by University Legal Services, an advocacy group for Washington D.C.’s disabled population. The report criticizes serious “deficiencies”, “dysfunction”, and “failure” on the part of the hospital staff, blaming the poor quality of care at the hospital for the deaths of eleven patients in 2007. It’s disturbing, but not too surprising given the long history of such problems at public psychiatric hospitals. That’s not to say that all treatment at psychiatric hospitals has been poor or inadequate, but it is unarguably a recurring issue.
You can read the full report here: Patients in Peril 2008 (PDF File)
Somewhat related, and more in line with what this site is about, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been planning to make the abandoned western half of the St Elizabeths campus (including the Kirkbride building) its new home. But another article on Examiner.com mentions that Congress recently “saw fit to take back a promised $345 million” for the project. Whether this is a temporary setback or an indication of serious trouble for the project’s future remains to be seen.
An older but more lengthy story on the proposed project is available here: Tussle Over St. Elizabeths.
