Navaretta has been the department’s acting commissioner since Miriam Delphin-Rittmon left the position several months ago.
DMHAS
Posted inJustice
Investigation finds ‘grave staffing shortages’ at Whiting Forensic Hospital
The report underscores how a stubborn staffing shortage at the state’s sole maximum security psychiatric hospital can erode patient safety.
Posted inHealth
COVID lawsuit against CVH and Whiting hospitals dismissed
With vaccines for patients on the horizon, plaintiffs agreed to the case’s dismissal.
Posted inJustice
Competency exams are being used in more criminal cases, even as criminal court dockets shrink
Courts’ use of competency exams increased while the criminal docket shrunk between 2015 and 2019.
Posted inHealth
Death toll and confirmed COVID-19 cases rise sharply as Gov. Lamont warns state: ‘We’re on our own’
Connecticut’s death toll nearly doubles in one day and hospitals near capacity. But no supplies are coming from the federal stockpile.
Posted inHealth
Watchdog organization calls for ‘drastic change’ at Whiting Forensic Hospital
Another investigation of Whiting Forensic, a state-run psychiatric facility, calls for significant reforms.
Posted inJustice
DMHAS not candid with Whiting advisory board about abuse scandal, chairman says
“I think the biggest problem that we had was that if we were to give any sort of advice, we’d like to be informed,” Board chairman William Wynne said. “And we were never informed.”
Posted inHealth
Health care workers describe staffing crisis at Whiting
The workers said chronic staffing shortages and forced overtime have created a dangerous situation for both employees and patients.
Posted inHealth
CT officials defend opposition of court-ordered mental health treatment
Connecticut recently received an “F” grade in a national report for being one of three states that doesn’t allow the courts to order people with mental illnesses to comply with outpatient treatment. But Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and other key mental health care advocates wouldn’t have it any other way.
Posted inHealth
Senate passes bill increasing oversight to stem abuse at Whiting
More than a year after the repeated, cruel abuse of a Whiting Forensic patient was captured on videotape, the state Senate approved a bill that would create an independent task force to oversee the maximum security psychiatric facility and would make staff there and other state behavioral health facilities subject to fines or even criminal charges if they fail to report abuse.
Posted inHealth
After abuse scandal, CT lawmakers push to reform Whiting
About a year after cruel, ongoing abuse of a Whiting Forensic patient was revealed, the legislature’s Public Health Committee has reported out three bills aimed at reforming the state’s only maximum-security psychiatric facility by increasing transparency and oversight.
Posted inNews
Op-Ed: Preserve the citizen’s voice in Connecticut mental health policy
Cutting state funding to Connecticut’s five regional mental health boards is a little like deciding to drive without dashboard warning lights and gauges. Things will go fine for a while, then, when trouble goes unnoticed, serious harm can result.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Preserve the citizen’s voice in Connecticut mental health policy
Cutting state funding to Connecticut’s five regional mental health boards is a little like deciding to drive without dashboard warning lights and gauges. Things will go fine for a while, then, when trouble goes unnoticed, serious harm can result.