Hospital held man in solitary for 20 years, committee says (Va. mental facility)

underpants

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Fri Jun-06-08 08:05 AM
Original message

Hospital held man in solitary for 20 years, committee says (Va. mental facility)

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch

Western State violated state law, rights panel says

Western State Hospital's Local Human Rights Committee has found that a longtime mental patient there has spent some 20 years locked in solitary confinement in violation of state law.

"We think it is an egregious violation of human rights, and that is why we are announcing publicly findings that this man was secluded in violation of the law and without access to adequate mental-health treatment," said Alex R. Gulotta, executive director of the Legal and Justice Center, based in Charlottesville.

Gulotta and Nathan J.D. Veldhuis, a private attorney who has helped represent the patient in the past two years, said in interviews yesterday that his family does not wish to be identified until allegations against the mental hospital in Staunton are resolved

The system has been under intense review in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy; federal investigations a decade ago looked into the use of seclusion and restraints in Virginia institutions.

Read more: http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-06-06-0184.html

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babylonsister

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Fri Jun-06-08 08:25 AM
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1. Where were the caregivers, food delivers, etc. This is tragic. If

this person wasn't already mentally challenged, he must be now.

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underpants

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Fri Jun-06-08 08:27 AM
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2. Oh this human being is basically over

this is beyond tragic. I can't really even imagine or even try to empathize.

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boobooday

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Fri Jun-06-08 08:37 AM
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3. Warehousing our vets

I worked in a nursing home and saw this first-hand. If these men and women don't have family to watch out for their care, they are put in storage.

Shameful.

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Javaman

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Fri Jun-06-08 09:45 AM
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4. If this patient had any level of sanity or hope at the start, it's basically been

flushed out of him now.

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