Solnit South Campus Rally Calls For Increased State Funding To Address Several Concerns

MIDDLETOWN, CT — Employees at the Department of Children and Families' Solnit South Campus, joined by former patients, state lawmakers and union leaders, called Tuesday for increased state funding to address what they described as unsafe working conditions, chronic staffing shortages and deteriorating facilities at the psychiatric treatment center.

Speaking at a rainy news conference, dozens of employees, many of whom said they have been injured while working at the facility, urged the state to make significant investments in the campus and its workforce. The event was also attended by former patients and leaders of SEIU 1199 New England.

The group said years of inadequate funding have contributed to staffing shortages, aging infrastructure and a lack of therapeutic programming for children receiving care at the facility. They also said employees are frequently required to work mandatory overtime, including double shifts nearly every time they report to work.

The coalition is seeking a $23 million investment in the Solnit South Campus' physical environment, including a one-time $20 million capital investment and an additional $3 million annually. They said the funding would improve the facility and create an environment that better supports children receiving treatment.

The group is also calling for at least $21 million to restore and expand staffing levels, rebuild therapeutic programming and establish three specialized public-sector programs.

Those proposed programs include one for children with complex neurobehavioral needs, another for children with co-occurring psychiatric and intellectual or developmental disabilities, and a transitional public-sector group home for children leaving Solnit.

Supporters said the transitional group home would prevent children from remaining at Solnit longer than necessary because of a lack of appropriate placements, while also freeing beds for other children in need of inpatient psychiatric care.

In a joint statement, Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, CEO and executive vice president for Health Affairs at UConn Health, and Susan I. Hamilton, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, said Solnit "plays a critical role in the community by caring for youth with acute needs," and that the organizations' priority is providing high-quality patient care while ensuring employee safety.

Agwunobi and Hamilton said UConn Health and DCF have taken several steps to address staffing, safety and operational concerns. Those measures include accelerating hiring through an automatic rehiring process for direct care vacancies, increasing the frequency of new employee onboarding, hiring temporary contract workers to fill staffing gaps and expanding overtime opportunities, including voluntary double-time pay for critical weekend shifts.

They also said the agencies have increased security by contracting guards and ensuring two are on duty at all times. According to the statement, UConn Health and DCF have formalized staff-to-patient ratios, approved the refilling of 56 positions since mid-April, authorized new registered nurse and clinical social worker positions, and created a float pool to help cover critical staffing needs.

Agwunobi and Hamilton said the agencies continue to meet regularly with SEIU 1199 union representatives to review staffing plans and operational changes. They also said a full-time independent monitor has been hired to oversee operations and compliance, and that state funding has been secured to renovate hospital dormitories, improve safety at nurses' stations, address ligature risks and complete other facility compliance projects.

"Collectively, these initiatives reflect a sustained, good-faith effort to address areas of shared concern, maintain open communication, and continue building a collaborative partnership focused on supporting staff and delivering safe, high-quality patient care," Agwunobi and Hamilton said in the joint statement.