On This Day In Alabama History: Bryce Hospital Staff Filed Wyatt V. Stickney
By Graydon Rust
Alabama 200
October 23, 1970
Recently-fired staff of Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa filed Wyatt v. Stickney at the United States District Court in Montgomery. The suit alleged that insufficient staff at the hospital prevented patients, including fifteen-year-old Ricky Wyatt, from receiving adequate treatment. The suit led to a thirty-three year legal battle that placed the Department of Mental Health under court rule until 2003 and cost the state more than $15 million in litigation fees. The lawsuit created the “Wyatt Standards,” a national model for minimum-care standards for people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. The standards call for a humane environment, qualified and sufficient staff, individualized treatment plans, and minimum restriction of patient freedom.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama. For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
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