BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -
The federal government may pull Medicare and Medicaid funding from the Brattleboro Retreat.
Inspectors found problems with governance and quality assessment at the mental hospital during a review earlier this month. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent the Retreat a letter saying if the problems are not corrected, it will stop reimbursing the hospital as of July 30. The review was sparked by patient deaths earlier this year, in particular one patient who overdosed and died after stealing methadone from a nurse's cart.
The Retreat is now handling dozens of state mental health patients since Irene damage forced the state hospital in Waterbury to close.
Advocates for the mentally ill in Vermont say this is a troubling situation that should not have happened, but they expect the Retreat will take the allegations seriously and correct the problems quickly.
The Vermont Department of Mental health released a statement saying it has faith in the Retreat and the care it provides.
