The following excerpt has been reprinted with permission from NewCanaanite.com. Read the full story, here.
Silver Hill Hospital is instituting a series of security, admissions, notification and other changes following what officials at the psychiatric facility have called “concerning incidents with patients” that have affected neighbors.
The psychiatric facility is located in the Silvermine neighborhood, near the border of New Canaan and Wilton, at 208 Valley Rd. in New Canaan.
Addressing neighbors following a Feb. 28 incident where a patient at the hospital escaped custody, prompting those at nearby East School in New Canaan to shelter in place for a time during the school day, Silver Hill President and Medical Director Dr. Andrew Gerber said he’s committing “to be open and transparent about these incidents and to explain to you how we are changing policy and procedures.”
“We will be adding substantial security measures to prevent these incidents or anything like them from happening again,” Gerber said during an information session held Wednesday, Mar. 26, at the Congregational Church of New Canaan.
He continued: “Silver Hill is fortunate to be in a beautiful residential neighborhood. For 94 years, we have had the privilege of taking care of patients and families while respecting our neighborhood and supporting our community. We deeply regret jeopardizing your trust and that of our neighbors because of these incidents, and we’ll do whatever it takes to earn that back so we can continue in our mission and be good neighbors.”
After providing an overview of the hospital and speaking specifically about the patient who recently escaped custody — and, according to a CT Insider article, later was caught at JFK with a “hatchet, sledgehammer” and plans to shoot two people (more on that individual’s case below) — Gerber laid out a series of “significant changes in our policies and procedures.”
“These changes will prevent a patient with a similar history from being at the hospital, as well as minimize the risk that any inpatient would be able to get away from staff in this way,” he said.
Gerber reviewed additional incidents in recent years: a man who came to Silver Hill in May 2024 but decided not to stay and, after leaving alone in an Uber, left that vehicle about a half-mile away and entered a neighbor’s home; one month ago, when a patient rang a neighbor’s doorbell asking to use the phone; and a residential patient who went for a walk and wandered onto a neighbor’s property in Wilton.
“Taken as a whole, these incidents indicate that we have to do better,” Gerber said. “Our obligation as members of the New Canaan and Wilton residential areas is to help you, our neighbors, feel as safe as you would as if the hospital were not here at all. These incidents are a wake-up call that we are heeding by making important changes. My hope is to show you that this is not just talk, but real change that is already happening. It will continue with accountability and communication as we work to make the area safer. The changes I will now talk about came back from a security review that we did two weeks ago with the New Canaan Police Department and feedback that we have already received from many of you, they fall into five areas.”
To read the rest of the article, including changes promised by hospital officials and reactions from neighbors attending the meeting, visit NewCanaanite.com.
I’m happy to hear that the hospital is making some much needed changes! I was walking my dog in Wilton on 2/28, and was stopped by Silver Hill employees in cars asking if I had seen a guy wearing all black. At no point did they mention that they were looking for a violent escaped patient. No one in Wilton was even notified of this security breech! It was a gorgeous day with many neighbors out walking, riding bikes, and kids playing. This article doesn’t mention if the hospital is working with Wilton police as well. There needs to be a neighborhood alert system in both towns, and perhaps even Norwalk too when a patient escapes. There is zero transparency, and if I lived next door to this place I would be livid!