May 18, 1999 -- Trenton, NJ, ---
A decade before the tragic death last year of Kelly Young at the hands of
Arthur Brisbane Child Treatment Center staff, the state-run psychiatric hospital
for children and adolescents had overwhelming problems with staff training,
staff interactions with patients, and deficiencies in the areas of physical
plant, and diagnostic, therapeutic and educational services. Brisbane is supposed
to be a place where young people like Kelly can go to get help with serious
mental health problems. But the state-run facility remains plagued with deficiencies,
right down to its mission and purpose.
Prompted by concerns about the quality of care and treatment
at Brisbane, NJP&A began the Brisbane Project in April, 1998, to review
the care and treatment Brisbane provides for children and adolescents in New
Jersey.
Among the report's findings are:
Kelly Young's tragic death at Brisbane last year highlights
serious and enduring problems; the State's May '98 Action Plan in response
to her death mirrors its March 1990 Workplan.
Despite a litigious history, long-documented shortcomings,
and repeated plans for reform, severe deficiencies remain.
Failings in the system of mental health services for
children and adolescents result in a reliance on Brisbane as a "place
to wait"; an extremely high percentage (avg. 70%) of Brisbane kids are
ready for discharge, but have nowhere to go.
The State's failure to provide placement for kids leads
to prolonged, damaging institutionalization.
Brisbane's isolated setting and unsuitable physical plant
compromise safety and supervision.
DYFS plays key role in the long wait for placement of
Brisbane kids.
The report highlights the de facto or real role of Brisbane
-- to house a group of adolescents who no longer need commitment but have
no where else to go -- leaving it to serve as a "safety valve" for
the entire mental health system for adolescents.
New Jersey Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (NJP&A)
is part of a nationwide network of agencies and programs established by Congress
to protect the legal, civil and human rights of persons with disabilities.
NJP&A was designated as New Jersey's protection and advocacy system by
Governor Whitman in 1994, succeeding the Department of the Public Advocate.
Through its Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness program,
authorized by 42 U.S.C. §§ 10801-10807, NJP&A is responsible
for monitoring the care and treatment of persons receiving services in mental
health facilities, particularly state-operated institutions.
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Copies of the report are available by contacting NJP&A,
and are available online at www.njpanda.org.