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Families and advocates tell committee hospital conditions, staffing and community supports remain gaps in Vermont mental-health system
Summary
Judy Seiler, president of the board of NAMI Vermont, and several people with lived experience told a legislative committee that closures, poor conditions, staffing shortages and limited community supports are leaving families without adequate options for relatives with serious mental-health needs.
Judy Seiler, president of the board of NAMI Vermont, and several individuals with lived experience addressed a legislative committee to describe persistent gaps in inpatient capacity, community supports and family resources for people with serious mental-health needs.
Seiler told the committee that many families experience isolation, stigma and lack of support for relatives who cannot live independently. "We have this program already created," Seiler said of NAMI’s Family-to-Family course. "Our NAMI's family to family class is updated every couple of years. There's new science, there's new education." She urged the committee not to reinvent an evidence-based family-education program when a nationally taught NAMI curriculum—created in Vermont and taught nationwide—is available.
Seiler asked that funds proposed for a separate early-psychosis block grant consider using or scaling the existing NAMI program; the committee requested written materials to document the block-grant specifications and to follow up.
Several other commenters described poor conditions and workforce pressures at inpatient facilities. Dodie Gerard, who identified herself as a long-term mental-health survivor and author, described a recent short hospitalization at the Brattleboro Retreat before the COVID-19 pandemic and said she observed unsafe or unsanitary conditions, including mold and darkened windows. Gerard said limited supplies and routine restrictions contributed to a demoralizing environment for patients.
Lori Moffin, who identified herself as a parent of children with disabilities, recounted long-term family experiences of limited services, inconsistent access to care and barriers from poverty, transportation and provider shortages. Moffin urged the committee to increase funding for services so families across Vermont can access care.
Committee members and attendees also raised workplace-safety concerns at inpatient units. One commenter noted recent violence on a psychiatric ward and said nurses and other staff have resigned; a committee member said the panel will take testimony on workplace violence in health care at a future meeting.
Advocates also described local community projects intended to reduce isolation and increase connection. Jeanette Langston, founder and director of Social Centering (based in Rutland), spoke about loneliness as a public-health issue and requested an opportunity to present more fully at a later time after scheduling was clarified.
Why it matters: Speakers told the committee that gaps in community supports, intermediate residential options and safe inpatient facilities increase family burden and can contribute to repeated hospitalizations, emergency-room visits and crisis events. Seiler urged the committee to leverage existing programs and described NAMI Family-to-Family as an evidence-based, Vermont-originated curriculum that provides education, peer connection and practical resources to families.
Next steps and follow-up: Committee staff asked Seiler to provide the block-grant documentation in writing and said the panel will schedule additional testimony on workplace violence and hospital conditions. Several public commenters asked for more state funding and clearer pathways to community-based housing, respite and supportive services that would allow people to live more safely and independently.
