Independent evaluators will visit Maryland’s main state-run mental hospital Tuesday and Wednesday to survey its processes, policies and procedures, according to an internal letter sent to employees.

A letter signed by Maryland Health Secretary Dr. Laura Herrera Scott on Oct. 4 said that a national mental health organization will be at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center this week to “ensure that we are doing our best to treat patients while maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for our employees.”

Maryland Department of Health spokesman David McAllister confirmed Monday that the letter was sent to hospital employees, who have seen a shift in leadership in 2024 following the departure of its former Clinical Director Dr. Scott Moran.

McAllister said the evaluation will review leadership practices, but declined to say whether it is related to the incident with Scott Moran.

“While this evaluator will be reviewing things related to concerns about hospital leadership, it is a holistic evaluation of the hospital and its practices,” he said.

Patrick Moran, the president of the Maryland chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFSCME, who bears no relation to the former clinical director, told The Baltimore Sun in an interview Monday that an evaluation is “well overdue.”

The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, who is conducting the evaluation, is a private nonprofit organization that represents the public mental health system in all U.S. states and territories, including Washington, D.C., to promote wellness and recovery for people with mental health conditions and help set agendas for government mental health authorities.

Evaluators will speak with staff, administration, patients and rights advisers. Discussions are to remain anonymous, and no one on staff or in the Maryland Department of Health administration will be notified that specific information is attributable to employees, the letter reads.

“It’s encouraging they’re talking to the front-line staff that actually do the work and deal with the clients on a day-to-day basis,” Patrick Moran, the union president, said. “There’s a long way to go in terms of building the employees’ trust and making sure that the resources are there to serve the clients and the patients that our members serve each and every day.”

By the end of the year, evaluators are to present findings, conclusions and recommendations to improve safety, security and efficiency at Clifton T. Perkins. Key findings will be shared with employees and leadership.

This is the second such evaluation of operations at Clifton T. Perkins. According to McAllister, the Department of Health hired third-party evaluators in 2012 to review on-site policies and procedures as well as to enhance safety and security at the facility.

Scott Moran, the hospital’s former clinical director, was placed on leave from the facility in February after a petition for a peace order alleging that he was harassing Maryland Department of Health employees over the internet was filed. He was barred from entering state-run psychiatric hospitals or Baltimore’s State Center Complex, where Maryland Department of Health offices are located.

According to a consent order from the Maryland State Board of Physicians, Scott Moran was also “diagnosed with a medical condition which impacted his ability to practice medicine safely.” His license to practice medicine in Maryland was suspended in September for one year.

Scott Moran, who was appointed under former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, served his last day with the Maryland Department of Health on May 10. Dwain Shaw is the hospitals acting CEO.

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