"THE REPORT RELEASED condemning Bridgewater State Hospital —Massachusetts’s state psychiatric facility — felt more like a broken record than a revelation. The 87-page DisabilityLaw Center report outlined issues that have plagued the facility for years, including allegedly illegal practices used to restrain and seclude patients and potentially lethal health risks, including exposure to mold, asbestos, and brutally hot temperatures, no air conditining.
Though disturbing, I can assure you the report is no exaggeration. I spent a day inside Bridgewater while serving as an intern for state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, who chairs the Massachusetts Legislature’s Criminal Justice Reform Caucus. I asked to accompany the senator on a tour of Bridgewater for lawmakers, and was tasked with observing what I could to gather information on conditions at the facility.
What I saw with my own eyes was nauseating. The sickening heat, the chemical smell, the damp and mold-coated bathrooms. The men calling out to me as I walked the halls, asking me to help them, with fear and desperation in their voices.
The Disability Law Center, which released the recent report, has been advocating for better conditions at Bridgewater for over a decade. The organization observes the facility and continuously calls for action to address the dubious practices perpetuated by the Department of Correction, which maintains oversight of the hospital, and its private health care contractor, Wellpath Recovery Solutions.
Wellpath has a notorious reputation, including being sued over 1,500 times in federal court for poor or wrongful patient care across the country. Wellpath’s contract with Bridgewater was set to expire in June, yet the DOC quietly revealed that it has extended the partnership until July 2030.
If Wellpath isn’t good enough for the rest of the state’s incarcerated population, why is it determined sufficient for Bridgewater?
My own visit to Bridgewater State Hospital made clear to me that no compassionate, effective psychiatric treatment can occur at a facility run by a carceral body designed to punish and a private contractor with a national reputation for negligence.
The report spelled out what I saw by outlining a slew of alleged misconduct, stating that the “DOC and Wellpath have employed policies and practices that subject [persons served] to medication absent emergency circumstances in violation of Massachusetts law.”
The review also claimed that security staff at the facility used riot gear to force administration of medication. In addition, the document states that the DOC has made little effort to reduce mold, the presence of asbestos, and extreme heat, as has been recommended for years.
It’s time to break the cycle of inaction. Beacon Hill must pass the legislation to transfer the oversight of Bridgewater to the Department of Mental Health immediately, and the governor must commit to building a new facility to house Bridgewater patients and ending Wellpath’s contract".
I fear that a failure to make use of the opportunity before us to ensure quality care for those at Bridgewater today will spell a lifetime of health risks and abuse for those inside".
Summer Maxwell is a senior at Tufts University majoring in political science. She served as an intern for state Sen. Jamie Eldridge.
Note: this is a partial report.