Vermont State Hospital to close canteen; move decried by mental health advocates

Article published Oct 19, 2009 Vermont State Hospital to close canteen; move decried by mental health advocates By DANIEL BARLOW Vermont Press Bureau MONTPELIER — The Vermont State Hospital is closing … its canteen. It is a seemingly minor action, but for mental health patients, it's a dramatic and damaging decision, advocates in mental health say. For two decades, patients and staff at the Waterbury facility, home to some of the state's most severe cases of mental illness, bought hot meals and snacks at the canteen, a cafeteria that is located in a nearby building. But state officials last week said they would soon close the canteen as part of Vermont's recent round of budget reductions. Vermont Department of Mental Health Commissioner Michael Hartman said the closing of the canteen, scheduled for the end of November, is estimated to save the state about $150,000 a year. Hartman said it was a decision that was not easy to arrive at, but he was forced to choose between closing the canteen or cutting staff positions that are directly connected to patient care and safety. "In normal times, we probably wouldn't have done this," Hartman said. The upcoming closing of the canteen, reported first last Thursday on the Beyond Vermont State Hospital Blog, has upset mental health advocates in the state who say that the experience of going to the canteen for a meal was a normalizing experience for patients. Authority to operate the canteen is included in Vermont state statutes, although it is not a requirement of the hospital. The law states that the hospital "may conduct a canteen or commissary, which shall be accessible to patients, students, employees and visitors of the state hospital and training school at designated hours and shall be operated by employees of the hospital and the school." The canteen is not located in the State Hospital building in Waterbury, but at the nearby Dale Building, accessible through an underground public hallway that connects the building. Patients with certain privileges were allowed to go there unattended; some other patients would be supervised during these trips. Operating much like a cafeteria, the canteen featured a serving counter, fridge, stove, cooler and a television set. It had seating for about 30-40 people. It was mostly staffed by State Hospital employees, although sometimes patients worked there as well. "I know patients at VSH who basically get no time off the wards except the time they spend going to the canteen," wrote Jack McCullough, a Montpelier attorney who advocates for mental health patients, on the Beyond Vermont State Hospital blog. "It may be the best part of their day. Forget about whether it's therapeutic, and I think it is, because it's just about the only chance to spend time integrated in the larger community, it's the best part of their day that the state is taking away." Ken Libertoff, the executive director of the Vermont Association for Mental Health, said he knows state government is in an "era of tough choices," but the canteen is a valuable resource for patients living in an "antiquated facility." He added that, as far as he knew, legislative oversight panels were not notified of this decision. He said the state should reconsider the decision. "No one confuses the State Hospital for the Taj Mahal and no one confuses the canteen with an upscale coffeehouse," Libertoff said. "But it is clear that the canteen has been a valuable resource for the patients and served as a social center for many years." Hartman didn't disagree with those assessments, saying that the canteen has been a "place where patients could get away from the buzz of the hospital." But with rising numbers of patients at the facility, despite the fact it has been slated to close for years now, they had no choice but to close it. "We simply had to make reductions," Hartman said, adding that staff at the facility have taken on overtime to deal with an increased patient population there. "And we had to make these reductions in a way that would not impact patient care." As of Thursday, there were 52 patients at the State Hospital, an increase from 36 one year ago. The hospital has capacity for 54 patients. Daniel.Barlow@timesargus.com