The public will get a chance to weigh in on the Douglas administration’s ideas about the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury. A public hearing will be held Friday on Vermont Interactive television at 11:30 in the morning. Lawmakers and mental health advocates want to replace the aging facility for treatment of the state’s most seriously mentally ill patients.
Among the three options being considered is a new psychiatric hospital with 50-to-70 beds. A second proposal is for a smaller in-patient unit affiliated with a general hospital. That plan includes separate rehabilitation and residential programs. The third proposal is for two 16-bed inpatient units in different areas of the state. They would be accompanied by separate residential program.