The treatment program at Searcy Hospital before and after Wyatt

Long before the Wyatt litigation began, staff at Searcy Hospital were aware of and concerned about changes that needed to be made in order to improve the quality of care at the institution; adequate funding was not available to make the changes. However, the staff did initiate some change. They moved into the same buildings with patients to increase contact and used a team approach to treatment. They organized discharge planning teams and tried to interest families in caring for patients at home. During an 11-month period before the Wyatt litigation began, the patient census decreased by about 21%. It was the Wyatt litigation that provided the legal impetus for the implementation of changes that resulted in enhanced treatment programs, a decrease in patient population, and an increase in staff.