Bridgewater State Hospital Mold Contamination Very Dangerous:
A watchdog report sounded the alarm about a range of poor conditions that observers found at Bridgewater State Hospital, including mold contamination since 2019.
"It is clear that neither the care that DOC and Recovery Solutions offer, nor the deteriorating prison facility meet the needs of the BSH population. DLC's monitoring efforts reveal persistent legal violations, abuse, inadequate medical and mental health treatment, and mold contamination at BSH. Transfer of oversight to DMH is long overdue," DLC Litigation Director Tatum Pritchard said. "Failure to prioritize appropriate, stabilizing care and protect individuals with mental health disabilities at BSH from compounding trauma has real consequences for those individuals, their loved ones, and the Commonwealth's larger mental health and criminal justice systems."
Read the mold report Beginning on page 54 in this February 7, 2025, Disability Law Center Monitor Report- Bridgewater State Hospital.
Mold Contamination Deaths in Hospitals:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-09-26/county-usc-hospital-surgeries-mold
https://www.healthcarefacilitiestoday.com/posts/Florida-hospital-responds-to-mold-discovery--8611
https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/28/health/moldy-hospital-bed-linen-deaths/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/hospital-mold-patients-die/story?id=67130687
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-11-hospital-mold-outbreak-linked-infections.html
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/pittsburgh-post-gazette/20170215/281487866104865
https://myfox8.com/news/mold-at-two-hospitals-linked-to-5-deaths/
https://findingthemold.com/the-asbestos-of-the-2000s-black-mold/
Failures at Bridgewater State Hospital include
Significant health and safety violations, such as patient abuse through the inappropriate use of physical and chemical restraints, seclusion, and violence from security staff. The hospital has also been cited for inadequate medical care, poor sanitation, and issues like mold.
Health and safety failures
Inappropriate restraint: Patients have reportedly been subjected to chemical and physical restraints unrelated to clinical needs.
Physical violence: Instances of physical violence by security staff against patients have been reported.
Negligent care: The hospital has been criticized for negligent medical care.
Seclusion: Patients are allegedly held in seclusion for all but a few hours a day.
Facility and sanitation failures
Poor sanitation: The facility has faced issues with sanitation The Department of Public Health is concerne about disease transmittal.
Mold: The presence of very harmful and toxic mold has been noted in reports.
Systemic and oversight failures
Inadequate oversight: While a previous effort in 2015-2017 aimed to improve conditions by bringing in an outside company to manage daily operations, its benefits are no longer being realized. The health, dental care, and facility have deteriorated significantly over the past two years.
Recommendations
A new facility should be built.
Operations should be transferred from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Mental Health (DMH).
Critical employee shortages- Housing units operating without unit directors
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