Press Releases
04/02/2020
Connecticut Valley Hospital Temporarily Closes Detoxification Unit
Closure Will Allow Hospital to Staff Isolation Unit for Patients with COVID-19
Middletown, CT – The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) announced today that it will be temporarily closing its detoxification, or detox, unit located at the Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH) within its Addiction Services Division in Middletown to new admissions. The detox unit is expected to be closed by Friday, April 3, 2020. There are currently eight patients on the detox unit at CVH in Middletown. The average length of stay for patients on the unit is 4-7 days. It is anticipated that all patients will be discharged and the unit will be closed by Friday. The closure is temporary and the unit is expected to be reopened.
Staff from the detox unit will be temporarily reassigned to a 13-bed isolation unit for CVH patients with COVID-19 or to fill staffing needs created by other hospital employees who have volunteered to work in the isolation unit.
“Like many other hospitals and medical facilities throughout the state, we are grappling with the challenge of continuing to provide routine services while responding to the COVID-19 outbreak,” said DMHAS Commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon. “Over the coming weeks, the state anticipates seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases and it’s imperative that we are prepared to treat patients with COVID-19 while keeping other patients and staff at our facilities safe. I am grateful for the staff who have volunteered to work in such a critical unit during such a difficult time and appreciate their dedication to the people we serve.”
CVH will continue to accept admissions to its detox unit located at the Blue Hills campus in Hartford and to its rehabilitation units in both Middletown and Hartford.
A total of 36 employees, including doctors, nurses, mental health assistants, social workers and a counselor will be temporarily transferred for 90 days in accordance with Article 18 of the collective bargaining unit contract with the State of Connecticut and the New England Health Care Employees Union District 1199.
Connecticut Valley Hospital is an inpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment facility operated by DMHAS with 209 psychiatric beds and 110 substance use treatment beds at the Middletown campus. An additional 42 substance use treatment beds are located on CVH’s Blue Hills campus in Hartford. Over 3,000 individuals received treatment through CVH in 2019.
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Media Contact:
Diana Shaw
diana.shaw@ct.gov
(860) 418-6967 (office)
(860) 558-0024 (cell)