On September 11, 2004,
the Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility in Tuscaloosa received the Gloria Huntly Award at
the national NAMI convention in Washington, D.C. The NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally
Ill) Award is given to a mental health hospital for exemplary practices in the management of
aggressive behavior without the use of seclusion and restraint. Facility Director, Jim Reddoch,
received the award in Washington and praised his staff for their efforts in bringing Taylor
Hardin into the national limelight. Reddoch said, “We are extremely pleased to be chosen for
this award. When one considers the competition (every state mental health facility in the
nation), it makes the award even more significant. It is notable for a forensic hospital to be
selected for the award because of the difficulties that are inherent with a forensic patient
population.” Reddoch went on to say, “periodically our staff members are trained in verbal
redirection and other prevention techniques that deescalate aggressive behaviors before they
get out of hand.” He ascribed training and the design of the facility as important elements in
their success. The facility was designed to provide inside and outside free space with patient
rooms opening into a common area.
Since its construction in 1981, no one has eloped from Taylor Hardin Secure Medical. Kathy
Sawyer, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, said,
“Taylor Hardin has been on the cutting edge of forensic mental health treatment since its
inception in 1981. In 1994, the staff was proactive in reducing the use of seclusion and
restraint. Five years later, Medicaid, Medicare, and JCAHO began to require these practices
across the nation.” |
