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concerning Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities

MEMPHIS MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE RELEASED FROM FEDERAL OVERSIGHT

FIFTEEN YEAR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUIT DISMISSED TODAY

NASHVILLE--A fifteen year federal civil rights lawsuit and settlement against Memphis Mental Health Institute has been dismissed, effective today, based on a Joint Motion and Stipulation filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Tennessee Attorney General earlier this year. The parties agreed that MMHI has made significant advancements in the care of patients at the facility, and that it is most appropriate to terminate the court’s jurisdiction.

“This is great news for the patients, families and health care professionals who depend on the Memphis Mental Health Institute for quality care,” said Governor Bredesen. “I want to thank Commissioner Betts and her staff for their dedication to quality care and for the sound management that has gotten us to this point.”

“This achievement was accomplished by a highly motivated staff, both current and past, who have worked tirelessly for many years to improve patient care at MMHI,” stated Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities’ (TDMHDD) Commissioner Virginia Trotter Betts. “I congratulate the senior leadership and every single staff member of MMHI for this crucial milestone in the history of this important hospital.”

The original Consent Decree was entered in 1996 and called for changes in staffing, treatment planning, discharge planning and non-psychiatric medical care. Since then, MMHI has implemented major changes including an action oriented, centralized Treatment Mall. The Treatment Mall assures that all patients, each day, attend several therapy sessions designed to meet their individual treatment needs. The hospital has also improved staffing ratios, quality of nursing and psychiatric care, and treatment planning processes, (including discharge planning). MMHI’s treatment planning process involves all levels of staff, including psychiatrists, registered nurses, social workers, psychologists, nurse practitioners, and psychiatric technicians, working together with the patient to identify treatment needs, objectives, and related interventions.

The order entered by The Honorable Bernice B. Donald on June 21, 2005 dismisses the fifteen-year-old court case and resolves all U.S. Department of Justice issues with MMHI and the Department of Mental Health and Development Disabilities.