AUGUSTA — The court master who oversees a consent decree governing how the state treats people with mental illness says he plans an inspection of the state-run Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta.

Court Master Daniel Wathen, former chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, laid out plans for the visit in his latest progress report on how the state is complying with requirements of that decree.

Wathen said in the report made public Monday that operations at the 92-bed hospital “can only be characterized as troubling.”

Wathen’s concerns include a lack of certification and therefore loss of federal funding; a high staff turnover rate; and forensic patients being housed with civil patients.

Wathen tells the Kennebec Journal the inspection won’t be adversarial, but a way to find common ground.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.