Annette Diaz’s recovery started at Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, but many of the services she relied upon will soon end under the governor’s proposal to close the $1.6 billion budget gap created by the lack of a labor agreement.
Diaz, who attended the rally Wednesday with the state employees, said she does not know where she would be without the help she received there.
“There are a lot of different ways to heal, it’s not just about stop using drugs or go to church and pray and everything will be OK,” said Diaz. “They really touched on a lot of things and helped me become an effective agent of change.”
Intensive rehabilitation services, 80 of detoxification beds and 115 employees will be eliminated at Connecticut Valley Hospital if Gov. Dannel Malloy and the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition can‘t reach an agreement.
Employees at the hospital worry about the patients.
Sarah Woolard-Raczka, a certified addiction counselor who received a layoff notice last week, said the hospital fills the gaps left by the private sector. She said many of the patients they treated were rejected by private institutions because they do not have insurance.
Woolard-Raczka noted at times there is a six week wait for the program and the beds that will be eliminated, and by removing these beds and services she believes DMHAS is failing to fulfill their responsibilities as the state’s lead in substance abuse prevention and treatment.
“If this help is not available, addicted individuals will be utilizing whatever means possible to continue their use,” said Woolard-Raczka. “In the short term it might look like money saved, but in the process lives will be lost.”
Union leadership agreed on Monday to change their bylaws, providing an avenue for another vote on the concessions package, but these types of cuts are always a possibility.
Bill Meyersen, a state organizer for SEIU District 1199, which represents the laid off workers, said they are part of the effort to reach an agreement with the governor that saves jobs.
“Regardless of what happens with that agreement, for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to even consider closing down these units, this program, is a disgrace, an outrage and irresponsible,” said Meyerson.
“As a member told me the other day, the department should consider taking out addiction services if they even consider this,” Meyerson said.
Deborah Chernoff, a spokeswoman for SEIU 1199, said a small number of layoff notices will go into effect starting next week, with many more going into effect the last week in July and the first week in August.
Department of Mental Health and Addition Services made an announcement to providers that admission for intensive rehab services ended on July 20, and admissions for the detox program will end on August 15, with both programs officially ending on Sept. 1.
Jim Siemianowski, a spokesman for DMHAS, said these dates exist so programs for all admitted patients will end before the reduction in labor on the Sept. 1. Traditionally the stay for the intensive rehab program is 40 days, and the detox program can run up to two weeks.
The 30-bed female rehabilitation program will remain open under the current plan, and programs at Blue Hills in Hartford will not be affected either, according to the announcement.
For some who attended the rally, saving jobs was not their only focus.
“Beyond the issue of saving jobs, and we all want to save jobs, we have a moral responsibility to take care of the folks in our society who can’t take care of themselves because of their addiction needs,” said Rep. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown.
Ken Kroll, a 25-year employee of DMHAS, said he feels the programs need to be saved because they really are outstanding and successful.
Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!
But the programs faced staffing problems before the layoffs were made. Kroll said the problem of understaffing and mandatory overtime is still prevalent, and often employees work multiple shifts with unfamiliar patients.
While not all the layoffs effect the divisions that are plagued with mandatory overtime, Chernoff said this still will remain a problem as fewer employees are available for shifts in the remaining operations of the hospital.
Click here to read Tuesday’s story about the respite center closures.
More Health Care News & Analysis

6 Common Barriers Men Face When Seeking Mental Health Support
The outward effects of mental illness can often be dismissed as a sign of weakness or personal failure. For men, this type of social stereotyping can be especially hard to escape — being told to “man up” is a common refrain that can be reductive and stigmatizing.
Keep readingMedical Examining Board Fines Doctor $10,000
The state Medical Examining Board on Tuesday fined an Oxford doctor $10,000 for fraudulently using another doctor’s name and Drug Enforcement Agency registration number to prescribe controlled substances to a family member.
Keep reading
Clinical Trials With Immunotherapy Drugs Are Source Of Hope And Challenges In Treating Aggressive Breast Cancer
Joshalyn Mills of Branford and Nancy Witz of Kensington had the best possible results after being treated in clinical trials with immunotherapy drugs for aggressive breast cancer: Their tumors were eliminated. But while there are dramatic successes with immunotherapy drugs, there are also many failures, and researchers are trying to find out why in hopes…
Keep reading
Coalition of Health Insurers Questions Viability of Connecticut Partnership Plan
Members of Connecticut’s Health Care Future, a coalition of health insurers, hospitals, and businesses, are questioning whether Connecticut lawmakers have done enough this year to protect teachers and municipal employees from increases in health insurance premiums. “Despite repeated bailouts from taxpayers, the Connecticut Partnership Plan continues to be a fiscal Titanic that demonstrates why government-controlled health…
Keep reading
AG’s Tackle Mental Health Parity
Attorneys General in Connecticut and Rhode Island threw their support Monday behind a coalition of mental health advocacy groups asking a federal appeals court to revisit a recent ruling giving insurance companies more flexibility to deny mental health claims.
Keep reading
Budget Green Lights Psychedelic Therapies
Buried in the budget Gov. Ned Lamont signed this week is a provision that would create a pilot program to allow Connecticut to be the first-in-the-nation to study the impact of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and MDMA on patients with depression and PTSD. The budget now creates a pilot program within the Department of Mental…
Keep readingMore Labor News

Lamont Inks New Employment Law Backed By Unions
In a victory for state labor unions, Gov. Ned Lamont ignored a lobbying effort by business organizations and signed a bill Tuesday prohibiting employers from holding “captive audience” meetings to potentially discourage workers from unionizing.
Keep reading
States With The Largest Unionized Workforces
Where does Connecticut stand in the list of states with the most unionized employees?
Keep reading
Business Leaders Make Push To Veto Captive Audience Bill
Connecticut business leaders are leaning on Gov. Ned Lamont to veto a bill that would restrict what employers can say in the workplace. The bill, which has been a priority of labor unions for years, is being described by business owners as an unconstitutional attempt to restrict workplace communications and an infringement on employer free…
Keep reading
ANALYSIS | It’s A Wrap: The Winners and Losers of the 2022 Session
It was a short legislative session, but the House and the Senate were able to move a lot of business this year, including the passage of a $24-billion budget with around $600 million in tax cuts.
Keep reading
‘Captive Audience’ Bill Headed To Governor’s Desk
Legislation prohibiting Connecticut employers from holding “captive audience” meetings to discourage workers from organizing received final approval in the House late Friday despite Republican arguments it was preempted by federal law. The bill passed in a 88 to 56 vote, generally along party lines. Eight Democrats joined all but one Republican in voting against it.…
Keep reading
Health Care Workers Call for New Hires
After a record number of health care workers are expected to retire this year, health care staff called on Gov. Ned Lamont to commit to filling 1,000 vacant positions by August 1 of this year. A record 1,137 state workers who notified the state that they will retire this year comes at a moment of…
Keep reading