The Brattleboro Retreat discovered a Covid-19 outbreak last week, which the Retreat’s president and CEO, Louis Josephson, confirmed Thursday in an email to VTDigger.
It is the Retreat’s first Covid outbreak.
Josephson said three adolescent patients have tested positive, and “are doing well.” He said he did not know and would not disclose patients’ vaccination status.
Fourteen Retreat staff members had tested positive as of Thursday evening, according to Andrea DeLaBruere, executive director of Vermont’s Agency of Human Services.
“We believe that unvaccinated staff infected other staff and patients,” Josephson wrote in his email.
This all comes just days before a vaccine mandate for Retreat staff is set to take effect on Monday.
Josephson said there is “overwhelming response from staff at all levels” in favor of a vaccine mandate. He said the staff vaccination rate was a “moving target” as Monday’s deadline approached. Some staff members have submitted requests for exemptions, which are under review.
The outbreak has upset statewide plans to increase psychiatric bed capacity. The Retreat is the state’s largest psychiatric hospital, and the only facility with pediatric inpatient services.
DeLaBruere said the Retreat currently has a 68-bed capacity, and has paused admissions as they work to contain the outbreak.
“This actually has systemwide impacts, meaning facilities can’t move their patients out into these beds,” DeLaBruere said.
The Retreat had planned to expand to 75 beds the week that the infections were discovered, and is still planning to increase capacity as soon as possible, Josephson said.
Ongoing workforce shortages continue to complicate any plans to increase mental health services across the state. Layoffs and budget cuts, burnout and resignations have made it more difficult to retain full-time providers.
Mike Smith, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, previously has said that the state would hire contractors, commonly known as travelers, to fill staffing gaps at the state psychiatric facility.
In the event the vaccine mandate prompted a significant number of resignations, the Retreat would have to scale down the number of patients to maintain safety, Josephson said. However, he expects a vaccine mandate actually would reassure new job applicants.
— Liora Engel-Smith contributed reporting.
