To the editor:

I am not a medical professional (although I spent years as an IT expert, working closely with the physicians and staff at some of the largest and most prestigious medical institutions in the world). Nor am I an abutter of the McLean property on Bypass Road, though I am a Lincoln resident and active in the town’s political processes and governance.

My personal perspective on the issue of the proposed McLean adolescent facility is informed by my growing up within a block or two of a large residential psychiatric hospital in Vermont—the Brattleboro Retreat, which is a near-twin of McLean’s main campus in Belmont. In addition to this, I’ve had a great deal of relevant experiences by virtue of a past marriage to someone suffering from what multiple mental health professionals later suggested was probably undiagnosed BPD [borderline personality disorder], and also by virtue of my present (second) career as a minister.

The Brattleboro Retreat had patients of all sorts, from the violently insane (the last time I walked through the campus, there was still an unused building with heavy bars on its windows) to young outpatients similar to those who will be at the proposed McLean facility, some of whom were my childhood friends. In my ten years as a boy in the area—attending nearby schools, running, playing and riding my bike in the neighborhoods adjacent to that institution, building “forts” and climbing trees in the large woodland adjoining that hospital, in my occasional encounters with patients as they took walks in the park or downtown streets, or having a part in the annual Christmas pageant our church performed at an auditorium within that hospital—I never felt threatened or afraid. That hospital was (and still is) a place of healing, compassion, caring and hope.

In my career as a minister, I’ve met many folks in need of, or benefitting from, the care available through places like McLean and The Brattleboro Retreat. I’ve counseled those dealing with the pain of loved ones who died of suicide, and officiated over their funerals; and I’ve known and ministered to numerous people with BPD, severe depression, PTSD, anxiety and numerous other mental health challenges. What I’ve learned from such experiences is that everyone with a mental illness of any sort is still a human being. They are all valuable, worthwhile people—just like you and me. And, in the case of this facility, they will be well supervised and cared for by competent professionals.

Specifically, and speaking from my own long (and sometimes painful) experience, those with BPD pose no threat to the peace and well-being of their neighbors. On that score, I would have no qualms about living in or owning a home adjoining the McLean property. The young people who will be there and those working with them need our friendship and support, not our judgment and condemnation. They are not violently insane—believe me! They are young folks learning how to cope in healthy ways with a world that they often find to be hostile and confusing. There is nothing to be afraid of. They will not break into neighboring homes or attack people in their back yards. I am certain that the facility and its activities will be nearly invisible to both its neighbors and those who pass by, as nearly all such facilities are.

Apparently because the process of vetting McLean’s application is not going as some wish it would, accusations have been made that impugn the character of some in leadership positions here in town. Knowing some of those people as I do, I am certain such accusations are baseless, and are certainly of no help in achieving an outcome that is acceptable to all.

We have all heard about the concerns regarding too much traffic being generated for the shared drive that leads to this facility, and concerns about the impact on neighbors and the facility’s conformance to zoning and sanitation laws (among other things). Having no expertise in such areas, I cannot speak to them directly, but I do know that the “powers that be” in Lincoln take those concerns and the law very seriously, and are determined to do their job in as fair and balanced a manner as possible. Those who represent the interests of this town and its residents in this matter cannot, should not and will not make decisions that undermine or violate those laws, and my review of the minutes from the Planning Board meeting of June 28 dedicated to this very issue confirms this.

Lincoln is a town that has long been known for being compassionate and very deliberate in “being there” for those in need of a chance for a better life. We are a town that has long done an excellent job of anticipating and accommodating change. We are a town that cares about people, the land and the environment.

All I’m saying is this: as we respond to McLean’s proposed facility, let’s act with the measured and thoughtful care and deliberation that we in Lincoln are known for. Let’s talk, discuss and find mutually beneficial common ground—not just with McLean Hospital’s representatives, but with each other. We need to take care so that all voices and concerns are heard, and that McLean is a good and responsible neighbor—as many here in town, and McLean’s representatives, seem to be trying to do. And in pursuing that goal, let us approach the questions that remain to be answered out of a spirit of openness to learning, and out of compassion and support, not out of fear and anger.

Sincerely,

Allen Vander Meulen
30 Beaver Pond Rd.

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Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.