Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital History

Firm hired to analyze Marlboro
Hospital redevelopment blueprint
Township Council wants
professional examination
of planned uses for tract
By jeanette m. eng
Staff Writer

The Marlboro Township Council has hired a New York City firm to provide an analysis of the redevelopment plan the council has approved for the 411-acre property on Route 520 that formerly housed the Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital.

Marlboro officials remain in negotiations with the state Treasury Department to purchase the now-unused property.

During a special meeting of the council held Nov. 25, the governing body hired North American Realty Advisory Services of New York City to serve as consultants on the redevelopment of the hospital tract.

The firm has been retained at a fee of $25,000, payable in the amount of $10,000 upon signing the agreement and $15,000 upon submission of the final written recommendations to the council.

Councilman Barry D. Denkensohn offered some insight into the council’s intentions in hiring a consultant.

"We have been working with dozens of developers and views have been changing since the original redevelopment plan (was approved). Now we are considering a market analysis from a private company in order to make sure that our redevelopment plan is appropriate," he said.

The redevelopment plan approved by the council calls for a mix of commercial-corporate, limited residential and municipal uses on the hospital property. At present, the property is zoned for residential development on 10-acre lots.

According to the township, North American Realty Advisory Services will provide recommendations in Phase I with regard to area development, changes necessary in the redevelopment plan, market research, planning, construction economics, financial analysis, governmental and community relations, marketing, and standards for evaluating redeveloper project solicitations, as well as a plan of action. A formal report and presentation of findings is expected to be made to the council in January.

According to information provided by the township’s public information office, North American Realty Advisory Services has 40 years of nationwide experience assisting corporations and communities to solve 1,000 divestments of large, unique and distressed properties, including the revitalization of former hospital facilities, including the redevelopment of Jersey City Medical Center, the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Meridian, Ct., the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center in Dover, N.Y., and the reuse of the Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Va. — all large tracts.

During a public comment session at the Nov. 25 council meeting, several people who spoke urged the members of the governing body to take environmental responsibility into account during any potential development of the hospital property.

Katie Buckley of the Navesink Swimming River Group, which is a subwatershed regional council of the Monmouth Coastal Watersheds, spoke of a need to "promote the preservation of open space of most, if not all, of the [hospital] property."

Buckley spoke about two streams on the hospital property that she said the council should consider in its decision-making.

According to Buckley, one stream, Big Brook, transects the hospital property and is impaired for phosphorus, fecal coliform and macro-invertebrae. She said Willow Brook, into which the northeastern portion of the hospital property drains, is impaired in the same way.

"Increases in impervious cover across the site could further impair these bodies of water, which could affect the drinking water quality and the quality of life for everyone," Buckley said.

Esther Greenberg, president of the Monmouth County League of Women Voters, supported the protection of the nearby Swimming River Reservoir.

"We want to restate our concerns ... on the need for careful planning and stringent safeguards in the development of this tract. It is critical to the protection of the Swimming River Reservoir, which under current rule making will be a Category 1 Watershed, that attention be paid in the redevelopment of this site to on-site compaction of soils and that provision be made for adequate forested and naturally vegetated buffers of headwaters/stream areas," Greenberg said.

Nancy Post, who is a member of Marlboro’s Burnt Fly Bog-Imperial Oil Citizens Advisory Committee, also offered an environmental perspective.

"The [redevelopment] plan is a weak attempt and not a worthy document to base the fate of 411 acres upon," Post said.

Post asked members of the council about the status of a citizens panel that had convened in the past to discuss the reuse of the hospital property.

"At this point in time, while we are already working with (hired) professionals, I don’t feel it is necessary to have a citizens advisory group," Denkensohn said.

Subsequent to the council’s hiring of North American Realty Advisory Services on Nov. 25, Stephanie Luftglass, director of Marlboro’s public information office, said it is the council’s belief that a citizens component will be added to the discussion at an appropriate time in the redevelopment process.

Published in the Asbury Park Press

Marlboro village, then a section of Freehold Township, is named for the extensive marl beds found in the vicinity and because it was here that marl was first used as a fertilizer. In 1848, the village and surrounding areas break away and become Marlboro Township.

1699 Old Brick Reformed Church, Route 520, is organized when Dutch families first come to Monmouth County from Long Island. The present building was erected in 1826, and an education building was completed in 1970.

1869 Morganville United Methodist Church is established and originally is known as Bishop Janes' Chapel. Congregants worship in a building on Route 79 until 1981, when they move to the Conover Road church.

1882 Robertsville Bible Church is formed as the Robertsville Methodist Protestant Church. In 1883, the congregation purchases Tennent Hall in Englishtown and moves the building to Church Road in the Morganville section of Marlboro.

1897 Township resident Garret A. Hobart becomes vice president of the United States as William McKinley becomes president. Hobart died in office on Nov. 21, 1899. His home still stands next to the firehouse off Route 79.

1909 Collier Estates is built by Peter Collier, founder of Collier's magazine.

1933 Marlboro Fire Company dedicates its $10,000 firehouse and community hall, built on the site of a 150-year-old house once belonging to Vice President Hobart.

1934 Marlboro Chrysler-Plymouth dealership at Route 79 and Schanck Road opens.

September 1957 Central School, Route 79, opens. It was built at a cost of $330,000 for the building and $20,000 for the land. Today, it is the oldest active school in the elementary district.

May 1962 A full-time police force is proposed. At the time, one special policeman serves the township, in addition to state police from the Tennent, Howell, and Keyport barracks.

1978 The 26-acre nonprofit Kateri Environmental Center, on Conover Road in the Wickatunk section of the township, is founded.

1982 Burnt Fly Bog makes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's first Superfund list of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites. The 1,700-acre site, between Spring Valley and Texas roads, contains toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and petroleum hydrocarbons.

1982 Imperial Oil, on Orchard Place off Tennent Road, is put on the Superfund list. The 14-acre site is tainted by about 100,000 gallons of oil, PCBs, arsenic, beryllium, lead and other carcinogens.

June 1985 Marlboro Green, a 340-unit adult condominium community on Clayton and Union Hill roads, is granted final site approval.

1988 Hindu-American Temple and Cultural Center, Wooleytown Road, is established.

February 1990 The Rev. Arlene Thomas of Wicker Memorial Baptist Church, in the Morganville section, is installed as the first black female pastor of a Baptist church in Monmouth County.

1993 The Marlboro Improvement and Cultural Fund is created by Matthew Scannapieco, who decided that the community needed a charity to raise money for dozens of worthy causes in town.

April 1998 The Marlboro Historic Commission issues a coin to mark the town's 150th anniversary.

July 1998 The Hindu American Temple and Cultural Center at 31 Wooleytown Road opens.

February 2000 After 40 years delivering mail to more than three generations, Morganville's first rural letter carrier, Ralph Babrisky, retires.

July 2000 Marlboro adopts an ordinance prohibiting the use of hand-held mobile telephones while driving. It is the first New Jersey municipality to enact such a law.

Oct. 9, 2000 The Kiddie Care Academy, 208 Commercial Court in the Morganville section, officially opens.

New Jersey Department of the Treasury offering
disposition of the former
Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital

· 411 ACRES OF LAND

· 600,000+SQ. FT. OF EXISTING BUILDINGS

Office/Research/Professional Services, Corporate Campus, Independent Living, Assisted Living and Nursing Care Facilities, Institutional Facilities, Civic, Cultural & Entertainment Uses, Housing, Agricultural, Active Open Space, i.e., Golf Course, Recreational, as well as leased, etc. Responsible open space and/or conservation subdivision designs and uses for this property are encouraged. Environmentally sensitive property may have deed restrictions.

IF INTERESTED IN THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY, PLEASE CONTACT THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, OFFICE OF PROPERTY & LEASE NEGOTIATIONS FOR FURTHER DETAILS AT 609-292-9694 OR FAX AT (609)-292-2828

Marlboro Hospital
546 County Route 520 & E/S Conover Road
Block 159, Lot 11
Marlboro Township, Monmouth Co., N.J.

As of May 1995, the municipal zoning ordinance governing future development of the site, was changed to A/LC "Agricultural/Land Conservation District". In addition to two principal types of permitted uses, Detached Single Family Residential on minimum 10 acre lots and Agricultural uses on minimum 10 acre lots, the following conditional uses are permitted:

In this initial offering, the sale of this parcel WILL NOT involve a zoning change contingency. Prospective purchasers are strongly encouraged to contact local officials of Marlboro Township to discuss issues regarding zoning on this site.

There are a total of 13 underground storage tanks located on the property. Three #6 oil tanks considered non-essential are scheduled for removal in the latter part of 1998. The sale of this site will be contingent on the purchaser obtaining a Phase I environmental study of the property. Any environmental issues discovered at that time will be negotiable.

The property is currently exempt from local real estate taxes. The amount of taxes will depend on the eventual use of the property. All questions regarding this matter should be addressed to the Marlboro Township local tax assessor.

The property is equipped with its own powerhouse and sewerage treatment plant. These facilities will be either sold with the property or separately. In either case, the property will have all utilities. The utilities that service the site are as follows:

Currently, a firm price has not been determined. Once available, it will be made known to all interested parties.

State is currently evaluating procedures and coordinating a disposal process with Marlboro Township officials. All interested parties will be advised of the disposal process at the appropriate time.

For further details on the sale of the former Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital property, call (609) 984-0976 or fax (609) 984-6858.

MARLBORO PSYCH HOSP - MARLBORO, NJ

Beds - Total (Total number of beds in a facility, including those in non-Participating or non-licensed areas): 670

Beds - Total certified (Number of beds in Medicare and/or Medicaid certified areas within a facility): 670

Physicians (The number of full-time equivalent physicians employed by a provider): 33.60

Accreditation effective date (The effective date of the current period of accreditation by the joint commission on accreditation of health care organizations (jcaho) or the american osteopathic association (aoa)): Oct 1993

Accreditation expiration date (The expiration date of the current period of accreditation by the joint committee on accreditation of health care organizations (jcaho) or the american osteopathic association (aoa)): Oct 1996

Accreditation indicator (Indicates the organization that is responsible for the accreditation of the provider): JCAHO

Clia - Hosp lab id #1 (Number assigned to a hospital laboratory licensed in accordance with the clinical laboratory improvement act (clia)): 31D0717251

Current survey ever accredited (Indicates if this provider was an accredited hospital anytime during the current survey): Yes

Current survey ever non-Accred (Indicates if this provider was a non-Accredited hospital anytine during the current survey): No

Current survey ever swingbed (Indicates if this provider was a swingbed hospital anytime during the current survey): No

Dieticians (Number of full-time equivalent dieticians employed by a facility): 7.60

Licensed pract/vocat nurses (Number of full-time equivalent licensed practical or vocational nurses employed by a facility): 155.80

Medical school affiliation (The type of affiliation that a hospital may have with a medical school): NO AFFILIATION

Other personnel (The number of full-time equivalent other salaried personnel employed by a facility): 841.50

Participating code (y,n) (This code indicates whether a provider is participating in the Medicaid or Medicare program): Yes

Program participation (Indicates if the provider participates in Medicare, Medicaid, or both programs): MEDICARE AND MEDICAID

Registered nurses (The number of full-time equivalent registered professional nurses employed by a provider): 189.70

Resident program approved by ada (Indicates if the resident program at a hospital is approved by the american dental association): No

Resident program approved by ama (Indicates if the resident program at a hospital is approved by the american medical association): No

Resident program approved by aoa (Indicates if the resident program at a hospital is approved by the american osteopathic association): No

Resident program approved by other (Indicates if the resident program at a hospital is approved by other professional organizations): No

Srv: acute renal dialysis (Indicates how acute renal dialysis services are provided in a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: alcohol and/or drug (Indicates how alcohol and/or drug services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED BY STAFF

Srv: anesthesia (Indicates how anesthesia services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: blood bank (Indiciates how blood bank services are provided by a hospital): 2

Srv: burn care unit (Indicates how burn care unit services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: chiropractic (Indicates how chiropractic services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGMENT

Srv: coronary care unit (Indicates how coronary care unit services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: dental (Indicates how dental services are provided): PROVIDED BY STAFF AND UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: dietary (Indicates how dietary services are provided): PROVIDED BY STAFF

Srv: emergency services(organized) (Indicates how organized emergency services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: home care unit (Indicates how home care services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: hospice (Indicates how hospice services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: inpatient surgical (Indicates how inpatient surgical services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: intensive care unit (Indicates how intensive care unit services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: laboratory (anatomical) (Indicates how anatomical laboratory services are provided in a hospital): PROVIDED BY STAFF AND UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: laboratory (clinical) (Indicates how clinical laboratory services are provided in a hospital): PROVIDED BY STAFF AND UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: neonatal nursery (Indicates how neonatal nursery services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: nuclear medicine (Indicates how nuclear medicine services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: obstetrics (Indicates how obstetrics services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: occupational therapy (Indicates how occupational therapy services are provided): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: open heart surgery facility (Indicates how open heart surgery facility services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: operating rooms (Indicates how operating room services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: optometric (Indicates how optometric services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: organ bank (Indicates how organ bank services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: organ transplant (Indicates how organ transplant services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: outpatient (Indicates how outpatient services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: outpatient surgery unit (Indicates how outpatient surgery unit services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: pharmacy (Indicates how pharmacy services are provided): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: physical therapy (Indicates how physical therapy services are provided): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: postoperative recovery room (Indicates how postoperative recovery room services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: psychiatric (Indicates how psychiatric services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED BY STAFF

Srv: radiology (diagnostic) (Indicates how diagnostic radiology services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED BY STAFF

Srv: radiology (therapeutic) (Indicates how therapeutic radiology services are provided by a hospital): 2

Srv: rehabilitation (Indicates how rehabilitation services are provided by a hospital): PROVIDED BY STAFF AND UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Srv: social (Indicates how social services are provided): PROVIDED BY STAFF

Srv: speech pathology (Indicates how speech pathology services are provided): PROVIDED BY STAFF

Swing bed indicator (Indicates if a hospital provides swing bed services - Beds can be used for either hospital or long term care services): No

Type of facility (Indicates the category which represents the type of facility): PSYCHIATRIC

Speech pathologists, audiologists (The number of full-time equivalent speech pathologists or audiologists employed by a provider): 2

Srv: respiratory care (Indicates how respiratory care services are provided): PROVIDED UNDER ARRANGEMENT

Medical social workers (Number of full-time equivalent medical social workers employed by a hospital or hospice): 38.80

Compliance: plan of correction (Indicates if a provider is in compliance with program requirements based on an acceptable plan for correction of deficiencies): COMPLIANCE BASED ON ACCEPTABLE POC

Compliance: status (Indicates if a provider or supplier is in compliance with program requirements): IN COMPLIANCE

Current survey date (The date of the health or life safety code survey, whichever is later. the "official" survey date for the provider): Jul 1996

Eligibility code (Indicates if a facility is eligible to participate in the Medicare and/or Medicaid programs): ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE

Participation date (The date a facility is first approved to provide Medicare and/or Medicaid services): Jul 1966

Department of Institutions & Agencies (Human Services) - Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital

Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital was opened in 1931 and was closed in 1998. Its patient records are maintained by Trenton Psychiatric Hospital (see link at bottom of page).

Researchers should note that patient registers and records disclosing the delivery of mental health care are subject to statutory privacy restrictions. Access to the collections listed on this page is administered accordingly.

Karcher: Hospital plan
needs a second look
Marlboro council
remains in negotiations with state officials for
Route 520 property
By larry ramer
Staff Writer

Marlboro Township Coun-cil President Ellen Karcher is suggesting that the council reconsider its development plans for the 411-acre Route 520 site that formerly housed the Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital.

"I think it’s time to take a step back and re-evaluate what’s happening on the property and all of the development plans there," Karcher said in an interview with the News Transcript last week.

At a public meeting on Aug. 7, Karcher added that many elements of the plan were "in flux" and said the council should "look at different alternatives and re-examine the whole situation."

For five years — since the state closed the hospital in 1998 — Marlboro officials have expressed an interest in buying the campus-like property from the state. The council has supported a redevelopment plan that would include the construction of a hotel-conference center, a golf course, a limited number of homes on the tract and some municipal use.

Now, Karcher, who is also a Democratic candidate for state Senate in the 12th District, which includes Marlboro, has begun to express reservations about the town’s redevelopment plans.

Karcher explained that she has only been on the council for two years and noted that there was a consensus about how to deal with the property when she became a councilwoman. As she learned more about the property and different aspects of the plan, and as several regulatory changes took hold, she began to develop doubts about the township’s plan, she said.

"The more I heard about the [redevelopment] plan, the more I moved further and further from this idea," she told attendees at an Aug. 7 meeting of the Citizens for Informed Land Use, a Holmdel-based pro-environmental group that has fought to preserve more areas as open space.

The organization held a meeting in Holmdel to discuss the plans for the site of the former psychiatric hospital on Aug. 7 and invited Karcher to present her views on the matter.

Karcher voiced many reservations about the council’s plans. Environmental concerns and her feeling that perhaps more of the site should be preserved as open space were among the factors that helped to convince Karcher that the council should re-examine its plans.

"My goal on council right now is trying to change the mindset [of people saying], ‘The thing that would make me proud is to drive past a sign saying "Hotel-conference center brought to you by the Marlboro Township Council." ’ Instead, long-term, I would personally be more proud to see a sign saying ‘Open space, clean drinking water, fresh air brought to you by the Marlboro Township Council,’ " Karcher said.

"This site is environmentally sensitive. Any development, including a golf course and hundreds of cars, would have a [negative] impact on the environment," she said.

During the public meeting in Holmdel, Karcher added, "I’ve learned there is no such thing as a clean ratable in this case."

The site of the former psychiatric hospital contains a stream called Big Brook, which is a tributary of the Swimming River Reservoir. The reservoir provides drinking water for some 500,000 people in the area, Karcher said.

According to Karcher, Big Brook has been designated as a Category 1 watershed by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This new designation also concerned Karcher, since she said it would effectively prohibit Marlboro from developing two-thirds of the site.

At present, the town is officially slated to pay the state approximately $20 million for the 411-acre property. Negotiations on the terms of the sale of the property to Marlboro are continuing.

That $20 million price, Karcher said, was established before the new DEP regulations came into effect.

"I couldn’t understand why there wasn’t more communication on this issue between the (state) Treasury and the DEP, which would allow us to negotiate the price down by two-thirds. The two departments are finally starting to communicate," Karcher said.

Another concern for Karcher is the state of the buildings on the hospital site. She said the buildings have been damaged by a combination of neglect and abuse. The state has stopped heating the buildings in the winter, leading to expanding pipes and collapsing walls. The Navy has used the facility to conduct drills, which included blowing up rooms in buildings. The state allowed horror movies to be filmed on the site, which resulted in further damage. Finally, asbestos has been found in some of the buildings, Karcher said.

"Marlboro has been moving along with the idea of saying we want these buildings to be saved, but we never did an evaluation of how damaged these buildings are," the council president said.

And then there is the matter of whether facilities that were used to house and treat mentally ill individuals can be effectively turned into a hotel and conference center.

"The buildings are very institutional inside ... they were adapted for a psychiatric hospital, not a five-star hotel," Karcher explained.

The council president also believes residents are opposed to further development in the town.

"If anything adds more traffic and congestion to the town, including people coming to work there, the people are not in favor of it," Karcher said. "They (the residents) don’t want more schoolchildren."

On the other hand, Karcher added that some Marlboro residents believe that a "great ratable" could potentially be placed on the site.

"We’re trying our best to satisfy different considerations," Karcher explained.

Adrianne Spota, a Marlboro resident and environmental activist who attended the Aug. 7 meeting, said protection of the ground water reserves on the site is a very important issue.

"As a member of the human race, I’m very concerned about us all having drinking water in the future. That’s a primary concern on this property," Spota said.

She added that since decisions made about the hospital site would affect other towns, the state should assume ultimate responsibility for the land, either by retaining ownership of the land or by deed restricting the property.

"It’s a huge piece of property ... in Monmouth County an [open] property this size is still very rare. It’s also a vital property environmentally, possibly agriculturally, and obviously to the watershed," said Spota, who also stated that no major decisions should be made about the property until a Phase II environmental study of the site is completed. Such a study is already under way.

Another perspective was added by Marlboro resident and environmental activist Nancy Post.

"I’m always an advocate for the non-human creatures. I’ve seen all the wildlife on the site and I think that morally as a race, it hurts us as well when we kill the life around us," she said.

Post added that Marlboro officials had failed to take into account Marlboro’s growth over the last several years when they considered the impact of the traffic generated by the proposed redevelopment of the site of the former psychiatric hospital.

Marlboro’s council will have a new makeup in January, with the terms of Democrat Paul Kovalski Jr. and Republican Mary Singer coming to an end on Dec. 31. Karcher will remain on the council with Democrats Barry Denkensohn and James Mione. They will be joined by two newcomers who will be elected to four-year terms in the November election.

In 1987 the writer, a state senator, went undercover to expose a litany of abuses at Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital. Though his efforts led to sweeping reforms, much work remains to be done.

Editor's note: This year New Jersey Monthly celebrates its 25th anniversary. To mark the occasion, each month we recall a pivotal event in the life of the state over the past quarter-century.

From time to time I wonder: what would happen today if I were to reenter a state psychiatric facility under the guise of a would-be orderly with a long, violent criminal rap sheet? Would I again be hired? Would I again bear witness to inhumane care and treatment of mental patients? Would I still be appalled by the living and working conditions at a state-run hospital or residential facility? Fourteen years removed from my undercover investigation at Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital, chronicled in New Jersey Monthly in June 1987, I would hope that the answer to these questions would be an unequivocal no.

I take solace in knowing that the Marlboro experience instigated structural changes in how New Jersey approaches care for the mentally ill. A state investigation following my visit turned up widespread waste, fraud, and corruption at Marlboro, and ultimately set the stage for the closure of the facility in 1998. A Senate task force in 1996 exposed the depth of problems not only at Marlboro but at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital and other psychiatric facilities, then recommended a series of systemwide reforms, many of which were signed into law a year later.

Patient care and facility conditions have changed for the better. They had to. But I'm not convinced they have changed enough to satisfy the patients, their families, the caring staff, or the entire community of people concerned about the quality of care for New Jersey's mentally ill population. I strongly believe we can do more. We can start by revisiting some of the reforms recommended by the Senate task force but not yet enacted by the Legislature.

The legislative reforms enacted four years ago brought overdue improvements and some long-sought stability to New Jersey's mental health system. The package of bills authorized unannounced inspections and undercover surveillance. Under these laws, employees must now report all cases of patient abuse and worker misconduct. We also require employees to undergo criminal-background checks every two years. In addition, the reforms mandated training for Department of Human Services police officers in dealing with patient abuse and violent patients.

The big piece of unfinished business, though, is legislation that would improve the quality of patient care by raising the level of compensation and training for those employees who work closest to the patientÑthe direct-care and support staffs at psychiatric facilities. I'd like to see the Legislature approve the minimum salary and training bill this year. The bill would establish a base salary of between $25,000 and $27,500 for this staff and provide on-site and in-service training for all direct-care and support staff who interact with patients. Sensitivity training, abuse-prevention training, and an extensive orientation program would all be part of a new staff emphasis on quality care. And to bolster this effort to raise standards, the state would require staff members to complete at least one year of college.

The Department of Human Services is working to guide the future direction of the state's mental health system. A principal challenge is reducing the patient population at Greystone. To do this, the state must take aggressive steps to develop a network of community-based services for patients discharged from Greystone. So far such a plan has been slow to materialize.

It's been said that we conquer by continuing. Continued vigilance in making changes, from both inside and outside of our mental health facilities, is the key to conquering the complexities of delivering humane and healing care for the mentally ill.

Richard J. Codey (D-27th District) of West Orange is the minority leader in the New Jersey state Senate, where he has served for twenty years. He sits on the Senate Health Committee.

To contact Abandoned But Not Forgotten please e-mail us at abnfco@gmail.com with any questions or submissions you may want to contribute to the site.