Selectmen this week peppered a principal developer of a planned new, state-of-the-art mental health recovery hospital being eyed for Fairfield Hills with questions about security, and the potential for patients’ comings and goings to interfere with recreational activities on the town-owned campus.

On May 18, Richard Kresch, MD, appeared before the Board of Selectmen to pitch an idea for opening Connecticut’s first US HealthVest behavioral health care venture in the area of Norwalk Hall. Dr Kresch, who is CEO of the growing hospital syndicate, said the strategically located facility would help fill a significant need for mental health recovery services, including support and programs for youth and veterans here in western Connecticut.

In late March, the psychiatric hospital developers submitted a formal letter of intent (LOI) to the Fairfield Hills Authority for a land lease to establish their roughly 100-bed facility. That proposal was accepted by the authority for consideration.

The company specifically is interested in space in the area of Norwalk Hall, a large, multistory building at the back of an open lawn on the corner of Keating Farms Road and Mile Hill South. If the new development gets eventual approval, Norwalk Hall would be torn down and replaced by a proposed single story building developers describes as lower profile and “less invasive.”

The Newtown Bee previously reported that US HealthVest representatives have studied the site, and met with officials including Land Use Director George Benson. The aspiring developers also obtained estimates for an environmental study, abatement, and demolition.

Dr Kresch’s appearance before the selectmen is a typical early-stage exercise for any serious development proposal on the campus, since the Fairfield Hills Authority is an advisory body to the Board of Selectmen with no policy making power.

The company CEO told selectmen that the acute psychiatric hospital would be licensed similarly to a medical/surgical or “medsurg” facility. He said staff at the hospital would primarily treat individuals diagnosed with affective or mood disorders, and those conditions might include bipolar disorder, clinical depression, schizophrenia, post-partum depression, even eating disorders.

Dr Kresch told selectmen that patients would be in separate men’s and women’s wings of the facility; occasional patients might be as young as age 5; and that there is a special geriatric program specifically for seniors suffering from acute depression. In addition, former company owners have developed an initiative called Freedom Care, providing a 40-plus-day program for veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

He said the average length of patient stays at other US HealthVest facilities is eight to nine days, that 98 percent of admissions are voluntary, and that the company admits all patients regardless of their ability to pay.

Plan Includes ICU

Dr Kresch said his staff develops a close working relationship with local police departments and EMS services to best coordinate occasional emergency admissions, and that each facility has an ICU or intensive care unit “designed to stabilize and treat the most agitated patients.”

“The structure of the hospital is self-contained, the building is secure, and each unit is locked,” Dr Kresch told selectmen. “From the outside, you’ll probably never see a patient unless they are walking in or out.”

He said there could also be occasional ambulance transports.

Selectman Will Rodgers asked about the extent of onsite security personnel, and was told that employee theft typically represents a significantly greater security challenge than any issues the company has historically experienced with patients.

Dr Kresch said in lieu of security officers who are generally trained to dominate and control, US HealthVest favors training experienced mental health staff in proven, nonconfrontational “de-escalation” techniques.

He said US HealthVest facilities experience “fewer police or security issues than a typical retail store.”

Pursuing concerns about voluntary admission patients, Selectman James Gaston asked about the potential for anyone departing the facility possibly meeting, confronting, or interacting with campus visitors.

“Involuntary admission patients cannot leave,” Dr Kresch responded. “And it’s rare for voluntary patients to leave. Those voluntary patients who do leave generally don’t come back.”

First Selectman Pat Llodra asked about discharge protocol, “to keep people off the property and out of Fairfield Hills.”

Dr Kresch replied saying any youth or juvenile discharges depart with a parent or guardian, and adult discharges tend to have prearranged housing situations ready upon their departure.

Interference Concerns

Mrs Llodra said there would have to be “an understanding that [Fairfield Hills visitors] will not be interfered with by someone entering or exiting the facility.”

“I understand your concern,” Dr Kresch responded, “It’s reasonable.”

He further clarified that discharges are only done during the day, that the facility would not accept chronic patients or individuals the facility does not have the ability to control. Dr Kresch said US HealthVest already operates a 125-bed facility in Chicago, six centers in Texas, and facilities in Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Fort Lauderdale, and Summit, N.J.

There are also plans to build a center in the Worcester, Mass., area.

Authority Chairman Thomas Connors was on hand for the selectmen’s presentation. The LOI to the authority detailed a desire to construct a 70,000-square-foot building and parking area, along with an outdoor assembly and play area that would be closed off from the main campus.

Terms of the lease as stated in the LOI would be 99 years with a proposed rental rate of $68,200 annually. That initial rate would increase by ten percent every five years.

The letter also states that HealthVest and FHA would “equally share the preconstruction development costs specifically including the environmental study, abatement, demolition and debris removal/disposal, estimated to be approximately $750,000 for each party.”

The for-profit facility would pay real estate taxes, and create as many as 150 jobs covering three shifts, from janitorial to health care staff.

In closing, Dr Kresch told selectmen he would welcome the opportunity to hold one or more public information forums in the future, to meet community members and address any specific questions or concerns.