Montgomery – The historic 33 year mental health
lawsuit originally styled Wyatt vs. Stickney ended Friday,
December 5, 2003, at a fairness hearing held by U.S.
District Judge Myron Thompson. During the course of the
two-hour, hearing Judge Thompson heard presentations
supporting the joint motion of compliance from counsel for
the defendant and counsel for the plaintiffs. The judge also
listened to objections from several mental health consumers
and self advocates.
After a short recess, the Judge issued his ruling from the
bench that the DMH/MR was in compliance with the settlement
agreement, and he terminated the case. When handing down his
ruling, Judge Thompson said that the positive impact of the
case would endure. “The principles of humane treatment
embodied in the Wyatt settlement are not only a part of the
fabric of the law in this state but in the nation,” Thompson
said. “No one judge can terminate Wyatt. I can enter an
order terminating the litigation. But I can’t enter an order
terminating Wyatt. That is beyond my power.”
Governor Bob Riley was present and affirmed his
administration’s continued support of DMH/MR Wyatt
initiatives. Mental Health Commissioner Kathy Sawyer
committed to sustain and improve the reforms spawned by
Wyatt. Commissioner Sawyer said, “Wyatt has brought about
many positive reforms in the public mental health system.
Over 95% of Alabama citizens with mental illness and mental
retardation are now served in community settings rather than
in state institutions. Because of Wyatt, people with mental
disabilities now have the right to personally prescribed
health care plans and the dignity and freedom to experience
recovery through community based services.” Governor Riley
said, “We do not look at the end of the case as a
diminishment of our responsibilities, but as more
responsibility we have to shoulder ourselves.” The Governor
told the Judge the state was committed to adequately funding
mental health services in spite of the impending General
Fund budget shortfall projected in FY 05.
The landmark Wyatt vs. Stickney lawsuit was filed in 1970 on
behalf of a committed resident, Ricky Wyatt, at Bryce
Hospital. Dr. Stonewall Stickney was State Mental Health
Commissioner at the time. The plaintiffs in the class action
lawsuit argued that the conditions in Alabama’s mental
health facilities were inhumane, and the patients lacked
appropriate individualized care. By 1972 Judge Frank M.
Johnson, Jr. handed down rulings that established minimum
standards for providing treatment and habilitation in state
mental health and mental retardation facilities. Over the
past 33 years, implementation of these standards literally
transformed the landscape of the mental health system in
Alabama and in the nation.
See attached historical summary of Wyatt vs. Stickney.
Historical Summary of Wyatt vs. Stickney
• The original class action lawsuit, styled as Wyatt vs.
Stickney, against the Department of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation was filed in federal court on October 23, 1970
on behalf of Ricky Wyatt, a resident at Bryce Hospital in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The suit alleged that a recent layoff
of staff at the facility denied treatment to court-committed
patients in violation of their civil rights.
• On March 12, 1971 the U. S. District Court for the Middle
District of Alabama, with Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr.
presiding, ruled that publicly committed patients have a
constitutional right to receive individual treatment and to
deprive any citizen of their liberty would violate the
fundamentals of “due process.”
• On April 13, 1972 Judge Johnson issued his historic orders
that established minimal constitutional standards for
treatment of persons with mental illness and persons with
mental retardation.
• The state appealed Judge Johnson’s ruling, but the U. S.
Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Judge Johnson’s decision.
• In June, 1977 the plaintiffs in the Wyatt case succeeded
in obtaining a federal court office to monitor compliance
with Wyatt standards.
• On January 15, 1980 the U. S. District Court for the
Middle District of Alabama entered an order placing the
Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation in
receivership.
• In 1986, the DMH/MR entered into a consent decree with the
plaintiffs requiring all state facilities to achieve JCAHO
accreditation and Title XIX certification. The decree also
required that there be substantial progress in outplacing
persons from state facilities, along with the development of
a system of internal advocacy and quality assurance of care.
• In 1995, a 45-day trial was held in U. S. District Court
and Judge Myron Thompson released several mental health
facilities from supervision under the Wyatt case and found
the department in compliance with about a third of the MI
and MR standards.
• On October 1, 2000 the department entered into a
three-year settlement agreement. Commissioner Kathy Sawyer
established twelve work groups to develop compliance plans
in areas such as census reduction, community expansion,
quality improvement, internal advocacy, community education,
and the outplacement of special populations.
• On December 5, 2003 U. S. District Court Judge Myron
Thompson held a fairness hearing to consider a joint motion
of compliance with the Wyatt settlement agreement. After
hearing testimonies from Governor Bob Riley, Commissioner
Kathy Sawyer, Defense and Plaintiffs counsel and objections
from consumers and self-advocates, Judge Thompson ruled from
the bench and terminated the lawsuit.
• Wyatt vs. Stickney has spanned 33 years and encompassed
the terms of 7 U.S. Presidents, 9 Alabama Governors, and 14
Mental Health Commissioners. It is the longest running
mental health lawsuit in the nation and has set standards of
care, which have improved the lives of countless persons
with mental illness and mental retardation. Litigation costs
to the state over the 33-year span of the case are estimated
at over 15 million dollars. In 1970, there were over 8,000
residents in mental illness facilities, over 2,200 residents
in mental retardation facilities, and fewer than 15,000
persons from both populations receiving community-based
services. Currently, over 110,000 individuals with either
mental illness or mental retardation are served in
community-based care and fewer than 1,500 are in state
institutions.
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