Fuller Hospital — Local services in Attleboro

Objectively speaking, when I was sent to Fuller Hospital, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I was mislead by my medical providers and essentially trapped in an institution with severely mentally ill / really deranged individuals. There are too many things wrong with this hospital to list, so here are just a few things to know.

Upon arrival at Fuller, I was lead to believe the program would be 3 days, so, I signed a 'voluntary' 3 day hold. This ended up turning into a 7 day nightmare in which I was trapped with no direction, confused, extremely bored, no idea of what was required of me, repeatedly verbally assaulted by a 6' 4" 250lb monster, all while staff did nothing to ensure my physical safety despite my reporting hate speech / racist remarks. This was witnessed by several patients. I am disabled and was terrified - I made this clear, yet absolutely nothing was done to remedy the situation. They did not provide for a safe / comfortable environment for treatment. There is clearly a valid safety concern when every 'code 22' (hands-on safety team required).

I was never informed of my rights - they didn't tell me if I objected to the 3 days, they would have to provide me an attorney at their expense who would meet with me within 24 hours.

I was placed in a room with 3 beds, one 1/2 bathroom which you couldn't access without a member of staff unlocking the door. Absurd. My roommates were fantastic - they helped me get acclimated to the environment as staff clearly wasn't going to help.

Your day begins with breakfast at 8:30. First, you have to track down staff to let you into your bathroom. There are 2 showers for the entire unit, so, taking a sanitized shower (stall) before breakfast was difficult. The bathrooms were disgusting. Two people developed athletes foot, that I know of, one of which had to be admitted to another hospital for treatment. The bathrooms were never adequately cleaned. Scroll down a few reviews, there are pictures of the actual bathrooms. Pictures don't lie.

Breakfast was interesting. Expect to eat cheddar cheese omelettes 2/3x per week with a sausage patty, store bought corn mini corn muffins, and oatmeal. Drinks available in 4 (maybe 6) ounce styrofoam cups. The quality of food was a 2 /10, however, the cook was a very jovial staff member. He greeted everyone with a big smile, unlike the dinner cooks. Thank you sir for starting our day on a positive note.

You are only given about 20-25 minutes to get and eat your meal. More often than not, I ended up not having enough time to eat my meal.

Next I met with my nurse practitioner who was just a vile person. She literally laughed at me, then talked down to me, provided zero help, and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. After having two medications added to my treatment plan, I asked a follow-up question when I next saw her and she laughed and said 'I would never prescribe that for you', yet the medication list was reviewed by the medical director in her absence the day before, who made no mention of there being any issues. Further, she never actually changed anything so the nurses continued the same regiment... Several other patients share similar viewpoints. Even staff remarked that they have heard similar complaints in the past. When I got home I didn't know what to take.

Not knowing what to do, I ended up starting the monotonous routine of daily groups. At one group, there was so little unit involvement that there was just one other patient participating. Most groups referenced tons of paper handouts that were promptly thrown away, not recycled, by most participants. When I inquired as to why they don't recycle, no one could give me a clear answer. So much paper wasted. Most groups proved to be a waste of time. Groups aren't run by licensed therapists, rather, trained employees who print handouts off the internet and simply read aloud.

I did everything I was supposed to do, yet, the nurse practitioner held me for 2 extra days with zero...

To Fuller Hospital: Back story: I have been to the Fuller Partial Program about five separate times. Beginning in 2018, with my last stay being in 2023, I can say I have a lot of experience with both the program and the staff. I would highly recommend this program in a crisis. Preferably, I would start this review off with a thank you, and list out the positives of going to the partial program. I’m not sure if I can do that in good conscience. Let’s say, the following list is a list of “possible positives”, and are reasons to consider going to Fuller’s Partial Program: The camaraderie between you and the other members is incredible. It really reminds you that people do genuinely care about you. Remember this, but read below to be warned how you might be treated. Some of the lessons and papers are both topical and helpful. There were a few instances where the counselors would let you have input in the lessons for the day. Some of the staff is incredible. Of course I don’t know her last name, but Mikayla reminded me I was a person who was cared for. I have also had my fair share of positive experiences from Yael. Aside from these “potential positives”, I left feeling upset and mistreated by the “caregivers” there. I would like to preface my experience with this: every other time at the partial program, I adored it. Never was I told to not make friends, and never was I once told to abandon friends I’ve already made. Until the fall of 2023. Before I begin, I want to say that I understand that the hospital and its staff must protect themselves from liability, so on one hand, I understand the “advice” we were given. On the other hand, I began my stay at Fuller’s Partial Program in the fall of 2023, never once being told to not make friends or even share my experience to others in group. I left that program with Kevin Kruth’s “words of wisdom” echoing through my head: “Don’t make friends here, don’t get attached here, don’t share too much.” May I just say that really upset me, for many reasons. It really speaks to how highly the counselors think of themselves; just so they know, the counselors are not what “fixes” us. It’s the people we meet, the stories we hear, and the advice we share. Aside from that, I made a lifelong friend during one of my visits in partial therapy; she died in June of 2023, and was my entire reason for returning in the fall of 2023. Kruth’s “advice” means I should have never been friends with her, an experience I never want to forget. It’s disgustingly disrespectful on Kruth’s behalf. Aside from this experience, which barres me from ever going to Fuller Hospital again, I have seen so much disrespect to us as patients. One time, someone with horrible anxiety stated to Kruth, “I am very anxious, and might check my phone from time to time.” A statement which the counselor seemingly ignored, and instead took a moment to chastise the patient. Kruth said, “Why are you even here?” which is one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard said to a patient. During this same stay at this program, Kruth left me with a person who was injuring themselves, deeming me responsible enough to watch her for a “moment”, and downright refusing to help her like she needed. I’ve been to therapy a lot, and talked to those I trust about the situations I mentioned. Maybe I am behind, and should’ve reported sooner, but that does not make my experience any less important. My final opinion: Do not go to Fuller’s Partial Program, unless you are in crisis and Kevin Kruth is NOT there. I included his last name to ensure there was no confusion about who I am talking about; he also told us...

I feel like Fuller Hospital is not for everyone that needs HELP. For someone who struggles with hidden disabilities. Fuller Hospital was very very overwhelming. Loud noises, patients yelling, staff/patients closing doors loudly, some patients would not interact well. Staff would also be spraying Lysol and Fabreze in the hallways and patient rooms. With someone with allergies I found all the different smells to be overwhelming. How are patients supposed to sleep and take care of themselves in an environment like this. I asked for a weighted blanket and was told "no". I asked 3 times to be transferred to a different facility. I was told "we dont do that at Fuller Hospital". I do better when I can create a routine. I was in room 302B and the sink didn't work from 8/6 -8/20. Being able to wash my hands and brush my teeth is part of my routine. In order to do that i had to ask for extra water from the nuring station. Or knock on another patients doors to see if i could use there sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth. I felt that was an added stress that wasn't needed. When I would shower I would take quick showers due to the drain not flowing right. One time I took too long of a shower and water went in the hallway. Showers are part of my daily routine. Showers should be relaxing. I really wish Fuller Hospital would work on making repairs to the plumbing and units. Going to the dinning room was an extra stress. Always repeating my food allergies to make sure i could eat what they had available. Sometimes I didn't feel well after what I ate at Fuller hospital. I would try to advocate for allergy safe snacks on the unit. Sometimes safe snacks were available and other times they were not. For someone like me having my BASIC needs met daily made this more of a struggle for me. My over all experience I didn't feel safe at Fuller Hospital. Some staff are nice. I feel compassion and communication are so important. How can Fuller hospital help patients of ALL NEEDS?When the transition of being in a place like Fuller Hospital is a complete shock! I eneded up severely depressed because of all the extra stress at Fuller Hospital. Fuller Hospital does offer activities. Felt like my whole day was planned out for me before i woke up. Feel like patients should have more choices. Fuller Hospital is not for everyone...