The Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris will host a virtual family forum on Dec. 14 to discuss the recent settlement over serious problems at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. The state has agreed to to increase oversight and safety and improve access to health care at the state-run hospital in Morris Plains.
The event, starting at 6 p.m., will be hosted by Ann Portas, assistant director of the state Division of Mental Health Advocacy in the Office of the Public Defender.
The Office of the Public Defender filed a class-action lawsuit two year ago on behalf of patients of the state-run hospital. Patients and their families complained of overcrowding, violence and a shortage of psychiatrists, among other things.
The settlement sets patient maximums and staffing minimums. For example, it requires Greystone to have 20 psychiatrists on the premises for day shifts. It can have no more than 450 patients in the main hospital. Greystone can accommodate another 56 patients in its seven cottages.
Greystone will provide better access to dental and medical care for patients, and emergency treatment will be available on site under the settlement. It also creates a seven-person oversight committee.
NewBridge Services encourages families who are interested in the settlement to register for the event on Zoom. Email Dorothy Faucett at dfaucett@mhaessexmorris.org.