Monday, November 19, 2007

Task Force Subcommittee Reviewing Need for New DPC Facility Takes First Look at Final Recommendations

Wilmington – Members of a Task Force subcommittee charged with reviewing the need for a new Delaware Psychiatric Center (DPC) building say they’re ready to start drafting the recommendations they will make to the full nine member task force. The Governor’s Task Force on the Delaware Psychiatric Center, which is looking at opportunities for improvement at the DPC, is due to make its final recommendations to Governor Minner by December 15^th.

“A strong case has been built for the need for a new facility,” said Dr. Gary Wirt, leader of subcommittee 4, which met Monday morning at the Dept. of Health and Social Service’s Holloway Campus.

Subcommittee member and Task Force co-chair Peter M. Ross agreed. “The Task Force report must be clear and persuasive as to why we think this is a priority. We want to make the best case possible.”

The primary purpose for Monday’s meeting was to hear testimony related to the adequacy of the current facility or need for a new one. Relatives of former and current patients, as well as members of NAMI Delaware, an advocacy group for the mentally ill, provided consistent testimony that the current facility has poor temperature control in the buildings, poor water temperature control, low water pressure, broken bathtubs, inadequate space with privacy for families to visit, a lack of natural light, or a cheerful atmosphere that is more conducive to improving the patients’ overall outlook.

Dr. Wirt said any recommendation on the size of a new facility should take into account future growth. He also stated he is still trying to obtain construction cost data from other states that have recently built new state hospitals.

Ross said it’s likely that dollars currently being used on maintenance to fix recurring problems could be better spent on a new building. He added that in the long run, a new building would be more efficient and therefore cheaper to run, providing a degree of operating budget relief for the DPC.

Dr. Wirt added, “There has been some discussion that we should recommend to accelerate the building of a new facility because the price is climbing each year construction is delayed.” He cautioned those attending the meeting that the recommendations approved by the subcommittee must still be approved by the entire task force before they become official.

Wirt said his group will meet once more before the December 15^th deadline. Other upcoming subcommittee meetings include subcommittee 1, which will meet Friday November 30^th from 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. in the training rooms of the Springer Building on the Holloway Social Services Campus, and subcommittee 3, which will meet that afternoon in the same rooms from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Members of the public are invited to attend and are urged to continue checking the DPC Task Force website for updates. The website is available at www.dpctaskforce.delaware.gov.

Governor Minner created the nine-member DPC Task Force on August 17 to examine opportunities for continued improvement at the DPC. The group is charged with reviewing key areas of the DPC and its operations and making recommendations regarding hiring procedures, training, professional development opportunities for staff, and potential designs for a new facility.