Safety Report Calls For Shutdown Of Bridgewater State Hospital

BRIDGEWATER, MA —A new report alleged harmful levels of mold growth at Bridgewater State Hospital, among other issues, and argued for the hospital's closure.

The Disability Law Center issued a report summarizing its findings from monitoring Bridgewater State Hospital from July to December 2021 and concluded that the state of the facility warranted its closure. The center is authorized under federal law to investigate incidents of abuse and neglect and the death of individuals with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth.

Bridgewater State Hospital is a medium-security facility for men with severe mental illness who are incarcerated, involuntarily committed or awaiting pretrial evaluations.

The report called for the hospital's closure and asked the Department of Corrections to immediately remediate the mold and assess for other toxins within the building. The law center also called for all patients currently at the hospital to be transferred to a new facility until the current building can be made safe and transformed into a therapeutic environment for patients.

The center also called for Wellpath, the health care provider for the hospital, and the hospital to provide regular health screenings for symptoms of mold and environmental toxins exposure, to be provided by a health professional, and for an immediate stop of chemical restraint practices.

Patch reached out to Wellpath, the hospital and the Department of Corrections for comment.

Photos of the mold were redacted from the report but descriptions of the facility painted a picture of the problem, according to the report.

The law center reported harmful levels of mold growth that covered walls throughout the facility. It also found black dust inside heating, ventilating, and air conditioning diffusers and mold-covered ceilings.

The report also described what it characterized as the illegal use of chemical and physical restraints and seclusion practices, along with excessive use of restraints for punishment and intimidation.

The hospital also limited access to medical care for patients in need of medical attention, the report said. The law center also described what it called deficiencies in discharge planning and continuing care for patients leaving the grounds.

In 2017, Gov. Charlie Baker launched an evaluation of the hospital after a 2014 lawsuit voiced years of complaints by advocates for patients with mental illness.

This reform separated people convicted of crimes from those who have not been convicted, hiring a private company to provide clinical services instead of just correction officers — but the new report suggested that the hospital still has a long way to go.

"Incarcerating people in the name of providing mental health care in an unsafe and untherapeutic facility while subjecting them to punitive and illegal restraint and seclusion practices can only be viewed as a failure of our Commonwealth," Tatum A. Pritchard, the law center's interim executive director and director of litigation, said in a statement.