(The Center Square) — A more than three-decade-old court order keeping watch over Maine’s mental health system has been lifted, but state leaders and advocates say more needs to be done to help those struggling with mental illness.
The 1990 court-ordered consent decree stemmed from a class-action lawsuit filed against the state on behalf of residents of the former Augusta Mental Health Institute, a state-run psychiatric hospital, where 10 patients died from extreme heat. On Monday, Maine Superior Court Justice Bruce C. Mallonee granted a request from the state Department of Health and Human Services to dismiss the order.
Gov. Janet Mills praised the lifting of the consent decree and touted progress made by the state over the years to improve the mental health system, including more than $260 million in new investments. However, she said Maine still has “more work” to do to improve access and quality of care.
“I think of their families and loved ones, and I think of the many people across Maine who continue to need mental health services,” Mills, a Democrat, said in a statement. “We remain committed to continuing to strengthen our mental health system in the years to come.”
The dismissal came after former Maine Supreme Court Chief Justice Daniel Wathen, appointed as a “master” of the consent decree, declared that Maine has achieved “substantial compliance” with the court-ordered mandate to improve access to mental health services and increase the quality of behavioral health care.
“This milestone underscores DHHS’s dedication to accountability, elevated standards, and expanded access, guided by improved data,” Wathen wrote to the court. “The significant progress achieved since 1990, particularly in recent years, reflects the strength of collaboration among advocates, the Consumer Council, and the administration, creating a strong foundation for sustaining progress and driving future advancements.”
The advocacy group Disability Rights Maine, one of the groups that filed the original lawsuit, said the state must address “systemic gaps to meet the mental health needs of its citizens, including shifting the power from the State of Maine and the service providers, to the people who receive the services.”
“Otherwise, we will never realize equitable and effective mental health service delivery with long term quality outcomes,” the group said in a statement.
