BURLINGTON, Vt. -
We first told you Monday about psychiatric nurses at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington who say they fear for their safety. That’s because mental health patients at the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury were suddenly forced to move after Tropical Storm Irene. Some went to Fletcher Allen in Burlington. And now nurses there say they’re dealing with escalating attacks.
“I have never seen anything as scary, as chaotic, as unsafe– never, not even close– as Shepardson 6 is now,” said Diana Gallagher, a nurse at FAHC.
Shepardson 6 is where mental health patients are held at the hospital.
Mental Health Commissioner Patrick Flood appeared on the Channel 3 News at 6 p.m. to discuss the issue.
Flood says FAHC is pitching in to help in this crisis, like many other are, but he doesn’t think there are too many mental health patients at the hospital.
“There’s no doubt that everybody feels challenged on a daily basis by caring for these folks because in a lot of cases, they’re not used to it. But I think the hospitals are beginning to learn how to deal with them.”
Flood says the hospitals have tools at their disposal to help them deal with this challenging population.
Watch the video for more of the live interview with Mental Health Commissioner Patrick Flood.
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Psych nurses face onslaught of violent patients
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