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Health & Fitness

Westwood Lodge Should Reach out to Neighbors

Westwood Lodge might think about talking with neighbors.

Is it taking too long, the studying of safety at Westwood Lodge?

No, but it is time to talk with the neighbors about what is happening.

Five reports were lodged a couple of years ago. There were 20 escapes in 2010.

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Things calmed down for a while. But they are cropping up again. Earlier this winter a man walked off the property at 45 Clapboardtree St. and police finally caught him under a home and talked him out of hiding.

In the effort to recover that patient, Westwood Police took another man, fitting the descriptoin of the escapee, into custody. That victim was charged with a few infractions because that arrest was resisted. But at least the escapee was brought back to Westwood Lodge, so everything was okay.

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Officials and local police said they were still ironing out their plan on how the idea of a fence would work.

Arbour Health System is the parent company; it is committed to providing easy access to a comprehensive range of behavioral health services for patients of all ages. It provides a variety of care, including clinical evaluation, inpatient crisis stabilization and treatment for patients with mental illness, dual diagnosis, and/or addictions.

These are vital services and cannot be ignored. Neighbors' concerns should be considered, too.

Westwood Police Chief William Chase, the Westwood Board of Selectmen and Westwood Fire Chief William Scoble met with the hospital, along with the representatives of the Department of Mental Health and Liability Consultants Inc., which was hired by Westwood Lodge to conduct safety evaluations at the building.

Everybody was working on this project.  

"We don't have a full plan on the fencing yet, and what's involved with that, and I don't know at this point exactly where the fence will be installed," Chase said at a recent meeting with the Westwood Board of Selectmen. "Nor do we have any way of telling how effective that will be."

Then another more serious escape occurred. A 16-year-male took an employee badge, escaped and fled to South Station in Boston before Massachusetts State Police, Westwood Police, with the help of a K-9 unit and a State Police Air Wing, caught him. Members of the State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section made the catch after 12 hours.

Not a simple pick-up, but a major chase.

These escapes will continue. People in Westwood Lodge have serious troubles. They need careful help.

All escapes will be difficult because the hospital treats special patients, and patients who walk away or run away have profound problems.

There is no automatic solution to this problem in Westwood Lodge. Nothing will work to prevent all the difficulties. Patients will escape whether there are fences or not.

A brick wall might be the best way stop most break-outs. Even that will not stop all escapes.

Perhaps some temporary measures can be tried in the meantime while a permanent solution is attempted.

Fences, dogs, police or whatever temporary things might work.

Westwood Lodge also should give its neighbors a view of the facility, some insight into what goes on there and introduction to some patients. These neighbors need to know who their next door residents are.

Informing neighbors about the Westwood Lodge may make everything move a bit more smoothly.

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