FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CR THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1996 (202) 616-2765 TDD (202) 514-1888 VIRGINIA AGREES TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS AT TWO INSTITUTIONS FOR THE MENTALLY DISABLED WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Commonwealth of Virginia agreed today to upgrade conditions at two state-run institutions for the mentally disabled which the Justice Department had deemed substandard. Today's agreements resolve two suits filed in March by the Department which charged that the facilities failed to maintain constitutional living standards for more than 800 residents. The two agreements, filed today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria under the 1980 Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), will improve conditions at the Northern Virginia Training Center (NVTC), a Fairfax facility for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and Eastern State Hospital (ESH), a Williamsburg facility for the elderly and persons who are mentally ill. "Because Virginia and the federal government worked together, the lives of hundreds of mentally disabled residents will be better protected," said Deval L. Patrick, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. The agreements resolve matters dating back to an initial Justice Department investigation of NVTC in 1990 and of ESH in 1993. Justice Department investigators and experts, over the past several years, have found that residents of the two facilities lacked adequate medical care, supervision and treatment, which led to dangerous and sometimes life-threatening situations. The Justice Department had kept the Commonwealth apprised of its findings but filed suit after more than a year of negotiations produced no agreement to improve conditions at the facilities. Today's settlement puts an end to any further litigation in the matter, barring non-compliance. "We are pleased that this chapter has come to a close," added Patrick. Under the agreements, the Commonwealth will: provide adequate psychiatric and psychological treatment and medical care for residents at both facilities; ensure that all living conditions are safe and that residents are protected from harm; ensure that each facility is adequately staffed to meet residents' needs; develop a quality management plan at both facilities that will allow officials to monitor the implementation of the remedial measures; and ensure that every resident is evaluated to determine whether placement in the facility is appropriate. Once the terms of the settlement have been properly implemented, the cases will be dismissed by the court. The agreement specifically outlines the procedures for Department monitoring of compliance and final termination of the action. The agreement also gives the Department the authority to seek immediate court relief if an emergency situation develops at one of the facilities. Congress passed CRIPA in 1980 to protect the rights of people housed in state and local government institutions, including psychiatric hospitals, facilities for the mentally retarded, jails, prisons, juvenile detention facilities and nursing homes. The Department has the authority to bring action against state and local governments with institutions exhibiting a pattern or practice of violating the constitutional and statutory rights of residents. # # # 96-347