OF: www.crazycorycorner.weebly.com Ego, Cory Nelson Style (CEO, AZ State Hospital)

(2016 NOTE: This article first published in its original form April 16, 2012, just under two months of my departure from ASH. Ominous in character, to say the least, once the full evidence of how corrupt the administrators at ASH were aired on major media, circa spring 2015.) 

Pervaiz Akhter

ASH psychiatrist 1999-2014

Current CEO Transitions Center, PLLC

Tempe, AZ

Mr. Cory "crazycorycorner" Nelson took over the helm at ASH in August 2011, following a period of 4-5 months of no duly hired supervisor, a period of time during which Jesus Murietta escaped and God only knows what else went on, and a woman named Ann Froio (described in Arizona Department of Health Services information as a "fix-it specialist") played the role of interim chief executive.

Most patients were well advised of the fact that a new boss of the house was coming in well before Mr. Nelson arrived, and I had submitted a letter of inquiry addressed directly to Mr. Nelson through the administrative office at ASH by July 15, 2011. My intent was to openly share with him the fact that I was very, very frustrated by the state of affairs specific to most of the issues that I have thus far tried to describe in this blog, and that I was on the verge of contacting federal authorities in order to bring some nature of rigorous and meaningful oversight into the situation. My intent was good faith, and the language of the letter was very civil (and, of course, I do have a copy of that letter), but I was still ignorantly willing to believe that the highest ranking representatives ASH admin. had souls, in effect.

Sadly, I didn't hear from Mr. Nelson until almost 8 weeks had passed, by which time I had been physically assaulted by a staff member on  July 07, 2011; as well as subjected to the unlawful and retaliatory transfer by Mr. Nelson and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Steven Dingle, of my care and treatment to the most violent unit on the civil (as in civilly committed vs. criminally committed) side of the ASH complex in early September, 2011. 

By the time I did get to meet Mr. Nelson, he was clearly in a defensive posture, and I am certain that his understanding of my character as a patient and person had already been distorted by ASH Chief Operating Officer, Donna Noriega, Dr. Dingle, and so on. But I had already been visited at least once by members of the local press by then, too, and I had lost all faith in the situation, anyway. However, I did make clear to  Nelson the first time we first met in mid-September, 2011, that I was not desiring of an adversarial relationship and that I believed it would be most effective for us to work together. Sadly, again, he was not interested in that, and chose to patronize me instead, asking me to give some idea him of "what the heck" I was referring to (his exact words, sort of an oh, shucks or  golly me sort of thing that he must have gotten accustomed to South Dakota), this despite the fact that there was over 6-7 months of documented communication (and conflict) between staff and me, including administration, on record. So I told him "You're too late," and left him with my basic plea: "Just do the right thing, please."

In the end, Cory Nelson affirmed his role as a supervisor more interested in preserving the image of the Arizona State Hospital than anything else, and referred to my dedication to addressing the sub standard practices at ASH as "prerogatives."  I'd like to believe that he was complimenting my efforts in a roundabout way at the time, but his actions in subsequent months proved that to be far from the case. It was all is to be expected, really. Cory Nelson is not a medical professional, and likely has a superficial familiarity with health care ethics and professional medical practice, at best. As such, in his mind, he is not obligated by his position to put the patients at ASH first, and I have documentation that proves this. 

Dr. Pervaiz Ahkter, my second primary attending doctor at ASH, asked me if I felt that I was on "some kind of a mission" when I shared with him my deepest concerns about wrongdoing at ASH (this was about a month after he asked me if I was a felon), which made me question at the time whether he knew anything about life itself. It is one thing for a business man like Cory Nelson to be relatively out of touch with health care ethics, but compassion for others is central to the Hippocratic Oath, and it was very unsettling to have medical professionals like Dr. Ahkter, and Dr. Laxman Patel, challenge me whenever I brought up the topic of staff misconduct. Again, I presume that my values are different from men like them, perhaps because of the differences in our cultural background. There must be some reason for why people like them conduct themselves so maliciously. In my way of seeing things, questioning the simple willingness of one human being to look out for the well being of others is evidence of disconnectedness with the basic principles of health care.  

My thoughts today in relation to the Arizona State Hospital and the very reason(s) for why and how I had arrived in that accursed facility are mixed, at best. I cannot in all honesty say that I received much in the way of treatment during my 13 months at ASH. The conditions at the Hospital more or less aggravated my depression and led me to question the very existence of a facility like ASH, because I realized before long that abuse and staff misconduct are rampant, and if a person can't find safe haven in a publicly managed hospital, where can thy find it? I made all this clear to my care providers, too, time and time gain,but in the end it was a waste of my time. They absolutely refused  to acknowledge the fundamental merit of my concerns, leading me to understand how gravely at risk all of the patients at ASH are. 

Meeting the many patients that I did at ASH and learning of their predicament, not as mentally ill persons, but rather as persons committed to treatment in a criminally operated hospital, did something to open my mind and heart to new possibilities. For, in seeking death, legitimately, sincerely, lethally, I was seeking my identity, somehow, somewhere; something akin, perhaps, to silent and permanent empathy for other tortured loners like I, at the time; which is something I still do today in seeking to open doors, as a survivor of nothing that I ever felt to be torment, my own mental illness being derived of my most personal sense of identity in the first place, and the effects of moderate  chemical imbalance in my brain. And while I am still drawn, at times, to notions of the goneness and deadness of death, and the related ultimateness (?), I am also aware today of the presence of death in the form of such persons as the wrongdoers at the Arizona State Hospital. Strange, I know. But I am nothing if not cognizant to my own journey in life, and this is what I see today. I have perhaps waited for an identity like this one, for I am a survivor of inhumane torment imposed on me by people who have absolutely no legitimate power or authority to so carry on... Somebody has to be where I am today.

At some point in my time at ASH, I became a spy. I was not hidden to the enemy, per se', but I did increasingly engage in documenting the criminal conduct of staff as time passed, and I came into contact with people on the outside who brought me materials by which I was able to meaningfully conduct investigations into the things I was most concerned about. At the same time, I was able to establish relationships with the minority of staff members who were willing to assist me, because they cared, and they did what they could to improve my observations of wrongdoing; not much, but enough to get a ball rolling, and I am not wanting to put anybodies job in jeopardy, so they are at present watching from the proverbial sidelines, hoping that things work out.

And I have no idea whether Cory Nelson knows what he is doing, or not. I am not really sure what his job is, in fact. I can only hope that he has the insight to identify and acknowledge the best of the staff there, for they are good people and deserve the privilege of their positions and the patients need them; and that he has the integrity to recognize the worst, for they are not morally eligible or conscientiously capable, in fact, of caring for others.

My attention is still often drawn to the fear that I heard in patients' voices when they described the abuse they had experienced...

 "I am terrified of staff." 

I heard this from one of the nicest and least violent men I knew at ASH about 2 months after I had arrived, and as we got to know one another over the next 10 months, I learned that his words were not derived of delusion or fantastical personality disruption. He was an ill man who has been at ASH for close to 9 years, and he has to live his life in fear of the one's assigned to care for him, because some high proportion of the staff at ASH can and do willingly and somewhat openly abuse patients as a matter of standard, day to day practice. He knows that he cannot live on the outside, this man, and that ASH is the best that life today has to offer him, and he somewhat begrudgingly accepts his plight with a grain of salt. He warned me, too, when I first began engaging in my efforts to advocate for myself; he advised me in no uncertain terms that the technicians and nurses and doctors and administration would retaliate, and that in his opinion, such efforts are a waste of time. And in time I did learn the hard way that he was 100% correct, of course. 

It's that bad.

During the entirety of my time at ASH, I witnessed and was subjected to innumerable incidents of abuse and related cruelty, and the relationship that I had with the above patient- and his actual statements-  was far from unique. For I literally heard this from both patients as well as a limited number of ASH staff- the good people, who indeed a minority) at countless points in time as I continued my efforts to bring staff misconduct to light. 

For the record: Mentally ill persons are not inherently dishonest, unintelligent, or lacking in character. I know this today. I have spent thousands of hours in the close company of seriously mentally ill adults, and I have to come to understand that they share with me an inherent understanding of what cruelty and abuse looks like and feels like.  Through my friendships with patients at ASH, I learned that the disenfranchised and abused are bound by their own experiences to less immoral than their abusers. It is a simple dynamic of contemporary human survival, and I am also aware that this basic phenomena appears where ever one group of people harbors all the power over another. I have studied and discussed in the halls of higher education. The abused person understands the mind of the abuser better than the abuser understands himself. Because of this, many of the patients cling to the only sources of good available at ASH, and it is between themselves that this is found.

The very real evil at a place like the Arizona State Hospital is seemingly omnipresent by virtue of the corrupted minds and character shortcomings of the staff, particularly administrative staff, who willingly wield their authority in a twisted and deviant way. It is that simple, really. Pure and simple cruelty, and I have never had a thing to gain in making that assertion. I don't want the attention, I don't want windfall deliveries of cash, I don't want enemies. But the Arizona State Hospital in the condition that it is in today is a dangerous place for mentally persons to be treated. The administrative officials are dangerous the doctors are dangerous, and because of these basic facts, the lower level staff -almost as a matter of necessity- are dangerous. I know these things as well as I know my own big left toe, I attest to my own traumatic experiences at ASH, and I know that any sincerely directed efforts by agencies or organizations not affiliated with the state of Arizona to investigate the wrongdoing at ASH will benefit the patients. Bottom line.

Any direct characterizations of my concerns that Cory Nelson or any other like person chooses to make will be designed to reduce and distort the significance of these concerns. For men like Mr. Nelson, such things are a matter of professional (business) ethics (as any educated person knows), and by virtue of my willingness to openly criticize the wrongdoing at the Arizona State Hospital, I am in conflict with the true objectives of a man like Cory Nelson. He made that very clear to me when I was still hospitalized at ASH, and I have no reason to believe that the situation has changed.

        
paoloereed@gmail.com 

ONE MORE UPDATE III, RE: LAXMAN PATEL, M.D. This man was my first attending psychiatric doctor at The Arizona State Hospital.

Pervaiz Akhter
ASH psychiatrist 1999-2014
Current CEO Transitions Center, PLLC
Tempe, AZ 

NOTE: Word of advice. Should any of the current officials at ASH and/or ADHS-BHS actually choose to discuss my claims in this piece, or any other like published article included to date in this blog, please don't think for an instant that the denials of persons most centrally identified in my work are truthful. As though that shouldn't be obvious. I have never had any motives outside of sharing factually based data that I documented while hospitalized at ASH, and beyond as may apply, this on behalf of the ASH patient community as a whole, and out of nothing less then ethically based sense of duty on my part, as a citizen of the nation. I have no reason whatsoever to make stuff up in this context, which I would hope by now you all have realized, now that persons such as Donna Noriega and Cory Nelson (and on that list goes) have been exposed for just who they are, miscreants 100% consistent with my claims specific to unjust behavior as they stand. 

Again, please just do the right thing. That's all we are asking.  

As I have reported in no less then three previous articles, Dr. Laxman Patel, a longtime employee of the Arizona Department of Health Services, who has worked as both a Chief Medical Officer as well as a primary attending psychiatrist at The Arizona State Hospital (where he still works today), habitually misstated or otherwise challenged my character when I was his patient at ASH, circa my first ten weeks at there. His behavioral characteristics in this context (as displayed by communicative behavior) is fully representative of the now proven substandard care practices and conditions at ASH; and I am very concerned about the fact that he, and each and every other psychiatrist at ASH, have yet to be held accountable for their role(s) in furthering the issues most at stake. As in, the grossly abusive treatment imparted on ASH patients by a virtual majority (and as always, no offense to the Good People working at ASH- I know you are there, and my work has always been in part on your behalf, too) of ASH charge nurses and staff technicians. With this mind, I will share some the most specific examples of Patel's rejection of meeting his obligations with respect for these issues, and his associated negligence, as follows:

1) "What do you expect? This is the state hospital." 

This he stated in response to my first reports about staff misconduct, circa late February, 2011, on a 1:1 basis. Implying that "the state hospital" is expected to be operated in non-compliance with established medical practice, care, and reasonably safe conditions. I immediately took notice, too (10 days into my 13 months at ASH), of what I could only describe at the time as a clearly questionable representation of how any hospital is to be managed.

2) "Do you really believe that you can change the system?" 

This with respect for my telling him that I intended to bring these issues to light, again, circa February-March, 2011, on a 1:1 basis. It took a few days for this statement to sink in, at which point I began to suspect that the simple fact that Patel comes from India, where democratic values are not the norm, is what underlies this doctor's inability to grasp the idea that a citizen of USA most definitely has the right and means to play a role in "the system"; a suspicion that rang true once again when I had to deal with Dr. Pervaiz Akhter (see photo above), who hales from Pakistan, and whose behavioral characteristics in this sense were even worse then Patel's.

3) "Stop nitpicking! You write down everything I say, and then argue about it later!" 

This in my third Inpatient Treatment and Discharge Planning meeting, late March, 2011, in front of no less then 6 other persons attending the meeting on that day. A flagrantly over exaggerated claim in itself ("everything I say..."), based on the plain fact that I was willing to take note of issues that I recognized as unjust, and deserving of attention. Had this longtime ASH physician appeared to me as willing to meet his obligations when I initially turned to him with staff misconduct in mind, I would not have been compelled to document his subsequent behavior, as in, to write such exhibitions of his ridiculously questionable  behavior down.  It was at this point in time that Patel formally demanded that I seek the care of another ASH psychiatrist, which he later denied having said (stated as noted above in front of no less then six other ASH staff), this after he realized that he was not allowed to demand that, in fact (that's what he later told me, at least). Nincompoop personified, as I saw it then, unable to handle pressure- as exhibited by his lack of temper ("Stop nitpicking!")-  that he had taken for granted would never arise while working in Arizona's sole long term public mental health care facility.

4) "Mr. P-----  reports that his sister let him fondle her when he was six years old." 

This, as documented in his formal report (as written, and which I do have a copy of) specific to our very first 1:1 meeting, wherein I shared with him the fact that I was criminally, sexually abused as a child. As I have made clear in earlier articles, Patel's grossly inaccurate interpretation of my history in this context represents abject incompetence, for to him characterize me as a perpetrator versus a victim (I was freaking six years old!) defies the process of treatment that I was obviously in need of. And with respect for sexual abuse of any kind, I again attribute Patel's origin as not just an Indian man, but one of disproportionate privilege (as per India's deeply unjust caste system), as a root cause of his greatly questionable practices as a licensed physician.

I have said this before, too:

I could not make this shit up if I had to.

The ADHS Patient Manual instructs each ASH patient-consumer to go to his/her primary attending psychiatrist anytime concerns about the flow of care etc. arise in any said patient's experience(s). Which is to say, the ASH psychiatrists have more responsibility then any other staff when it comes to ensuring that the patient-consumer there are provided with optimum care. In my very real experience, however, I learned the hard way that none of the psychiatrists at ASH are able and willing in terms of their given attitude(s) to meet this most fundamental area of responsibility. This obviously includes Dr. Steven Dingle (the current Chief Medical Officer at ASH, as he was when I was an ASH patient-consumer, Jan. 2011 through Feb. 2012), for it is 100% Dingle's responsibility to ensure that all ASH physicians comply with established medical practice. I could not be more serious about any one thing I have ever experienced, at any point of my life as it stands today. And yet, to date, we have only seen one ASH nurse supervisor fired (this with respect for actual medical practitioners at ASH), while the persons that nurse worked under (ASH doctors) are still today practicing medicine as though nothing at all ever happened. I find this barebones fact utterly consistent with the patterns of abject negligence that I identified as an ASH patient.

It was and is still that bad. 

I course have a range of other like evidence about not only Laxman Patel's obvious lack of ethos, but also that of each and every other abusive/incompetent staff member I directly interacted with during my thirteen long months at ASH, including the three other primary attending psychiatrists I had to deal with during that time Pervaiz Akhter, Lynn Lydon, Sylvia Dy. For indeed, as Patel himself put somewhat accurately put it (shortly before panicking and demanding that I seek another doctor), I did within weeks of admission to ASH dedicate myself to documenting any element of unwarranted staff misconduct that I witnessed or personally experienced in my own right. And once I did commit myself as such, it was literally only a matter of sitting back  and waiting on a daily basis for yet one more example of staff misconduct to occur. And on a daily basis, I did witness and/or experience gravely harmful treatment imparted byASH staff in every level of employ. This is precisely why I refer to the occurrence of patient abuse at ASH as rampant. Ergo, I again call on the current administrators at ASH- most namely today's acting CEO, Dr. Aaron Bowen, and his supervisor, the Director of ADHS, Dr. Cara Christ to meet their own given responsibilities, as they stand. Until all/any persons directly involved with what some are calling the ugliest public mental health facility scandal in the new millennium are taken to account, there is no chance that ASH will be brought up to speed with established medical standards across the board. This is a plain fact, and I refuse to relent in my reporting of these matters until I am convinced that state officials required to comply with law and policy as applicable to the public trust do their jobs. Bottom line. 

Get with it, people. While you still can.

IN CLOSING: I am compelled to make clear (yet again) that I do not have any general prejudice against persons of other nations or cultures; 
for I in my own right am comprised of multi-cultural heritage. In looking at the origins of these identified ASH doctors,  I was merely able to come up with some degree of understanding specific to their freaky nature(s). But this is in no way saying that all Pakistanis, or all Indians, or all Filipinos (Dr. Roxas-Ramos, Dr. Dy) are as out of whack with civilized/humane behavior as these Rat Bastards. Just as not all Americans share the some lack of ethics that Cory Nelson or Donna Noriega posses. It is only... always... a select few... Society's miscreants who exist in all corners of our world today.

They gotta' go.

paoloreed@gmail.com  

mONE MORE UPDATE I, RE: LAXMAN PATEL, M.D. This man was my first attending psychiatric doctor at The Arizona State Hospital. LAXMAN PATEL, and has since been promoted to the very powerful position of Chief Medical Officer at the Arizona State Hospital. 

Pervaiz Akhter
ASH psychiatrist 1999-2014
Current CEO Transitions Center, PLLC
Tempe, AZ 

Business as usual… At ASH, at least.

(This article was originally published in mid-October, 2013, one of two such articles published in the period of time specific to my first primary attending ASH physician  Dr. Laxman Patel. And to my knowledge (because on point with the rejection of previous ASH administrators to meet their obligations, the current CEO of ASH- Dr. Aaron Bowen- has yet to take much if any meaningful  action in his own right when it comes to the issues relating to ASH at this time), like all of the other available data in this blog, published on-line in over 400 articles since April, 2012, the facts detailed in this article have yet to be considered by persons 100% responsible for ensuring that Arizona's sole long term mental facility in operated in compliance with established codes of medical practice. These "persons" know exactly who they are, too, and are fully aware of their obligations; which basically makes me sick, because knowing as I do that they still refuse to do the right thing, equally grants me the knowledge ASH's patient community is still greatly  at risk of physical, psychological, and emotional abuse. It's that simple, it's that bad.)  

(FEBRUARY 2016 UPDATE: Following my initial 1:1 interaction with Dr. Laxman Patel, who was my first acting primary attending psychiatrist at ASH, wherein I shared some of my most personal history, including the fact that I was criminally, sexually abused by an older sibling (a highly traumatic life event that has most definitely lent to my deepest struggles specific to my psychological diagnosis), this so called competent physician mischaracterized the incident in his formally produced medical report about my personal history in the context, as follows: "Mr. P------ (me, the patient) reports that his sister LET HIM FONDLE HER WHEN HE WAS SIX (6) YEARS OLD.... " [see One More Update RE: Laxman Patel, MD II, published October 25, 2013]. Likewise, as described below, Dr. Patel further went so far as to exhibit his obviously overblown ego, this when I shared the fact that a friend of mine in Tucson, also named Patel and also originally from India, had been tragically murdered in 2009. More recently, as in just a few weeks ago, I listened to a very compelling news report about the current  social conditions in the nation of India, and in an interview with an Indian man who has dedicated himself for the last 45 years to advocating on behalf of India's grossly mistreated and impoverished citizens, the vast majority of whom have no access to reasonably decent medical care. Hearing this man describe his willingness to dedicate his life to helping others there in his place of origin- India- immediately reminded me of Laxman Patel's disturbingly exorbitant egoism, which I contend illustrates yet more undeniable example of the grossly discriminative nature of ASH's psychiatric staff, all of whom- in my experience [they passed me on from one psyche doc to the next- 4 total in 13 months- due to the simple fact that I was willing to demand that my given primary psychiatrists meet their obligations in the context of rampant patient abuse at ASH, in response to which each one of these attending "doctors"- Laxman Patel first, then Pervaiz Akhter, followed by Lynn Lydon, and in closing Sylvia Dy- became overwhelmed by my ongoing, good faith efforts to bring these issues to light)- directly contribute to the well known stigma that has negatively impacted persons affected by serious mental illness, across the board, for time immemorial]. With this in mind, I ask that Dr. Aaron Bowen take these elements of medical misbehavior seriously, which he can confirm by reviewing patient records, and other like sources of information that can serve to bring about meaningful reform at ASH, which the entire ASH patient community is greatly deserving at this time.)    
------------------------------------------

"YES, SOME INDIANS MOVE HERE TO DO WORK LIKE THAT. IN MY CASE, HOWEVER, I CAME HERE TO HELP PEOPLE." (Dr. Laxman Patel, longtime ASH psychiatrist, February, 2011)


"Mr. ------ (the patient) reports that his sister allowed him to fondle her when he was 6 years old…"

Not long after I was initially hospitalized in Tucson, Arizona, for direct treatment specific to my diagnosis of major depressive disorder, the following obituary came up in local area newspapers, which I tend to read no matter where I am, in essence. The subject of this obit is a man who I just so happened to have come to know, over the summer of 2009, when I lived just around the corner of small grocery that he and his very friendly family operated. It is a strange world sometimes, but whenever I meet someone as good hearted as Mahesh "Mike" Patel, I take note. Needless to say, thus, my deep sadness in hearing about his tragic death most definitely affected my state of mind, at a time when I was just about 8 weeks into twenty one full months of extended (residential) treatment in the Arizona public behavioral health care system.

Mahesh "Mike" Patel 9/16/1955 - 7/5/2010 was tragically taken from us by a vicious and senseless act of violence on July, 5, 2010, though we know his soul has been freed into heaven. He was born on September 16, 1955 in Ahmedabad, India, where he grew up, married and raised his family. He worked at the Ahmedabad Electric City Co. for 15 years. He was an outgoing and respected member of his community. Proof of his devotion to family took the form of 15 immediate and extended family members living in one household under one roof. In 1998 he left India to join his brothers in Tucson to run Catalina Market. Mike's friendly and very personal style of doing business included greeting customers by name, assuring their unique needs were met, and caring enough to listen to their issues and stories. His infectious sense of humor and joyful laughter made it a pleasure to be in his store and turned loyal customers into friends. The generous and trusting character of Mike and the Patel family helped create a bond of community in the neighborhood-a rare achievement. For those who have known and loved him, we mourn the loss of a genuinely good and decent human being.

 See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tucson/obituary.

I used to go into Mike Patel's little store almost every day, to buy a newspaper, maybe some beer. It was an awkward period of time in my life, 2009, for I was immersed in the worst impacts of my escalating struggle(s) with chronic depression, including but not limited to acute suicidal ideation (and attempts). But anytime I ventured into the corner shop operated by Mike and his family, I was treated very, very well, as though I was, in a sense, part of that family. But this was not unique to my visits to Mike's store, not at all, for this how he and his kin respectfully treated each and every other customer, as well. I will never forget this, Angels at the Corners of Inner City Streets, those of us-  people- who have truth and virtue underlying our very existence.

Along those lines… I arrived at The Arizona State Hospital in early January, 2011, approximately 6 months after Mike Patel died. Upon admission to ASH, I was immediately assigned as one of Laxman Patel's patients. Within 48 hours of my admission to ASH, I had my first formal discussion with this man, at which time I informed him that a friend of mine, who happened to have the surname of "Patel", had been shot to death during a violent robbery, while attending to the operation of his little corner grocery store.

LAXMAN PATEL'S EXACT RESPONSE TO THIS INFORMATION IS AS FOLLOWS: "YES, SOME INDIANS MOVE HERE TO DO WORK LIKE THAT. IN MY CASE, HOWEVER, I CAME HERE TO HELP PEOPLE."

This conversation occurred during what is referred to as The Arizona State Hospital Psychiatric Admission Assessment). Which just happens to be when the current (2013) chief medical officer at ASH, (same guy- Dr. Laxman Patel), also graphically misreported what may be the most critically significant aspect of my deepest personal history, specific to highly damaging events that are known- as a matter of fact and as stated in the clearest aspects of my medical records at the time of this "assessment"- to be central to my struggles with mental illness and my associated treatment needs. As reported less than a week ago:

"The patient reports that his sister allowed him to fondle her when he was 6 year old."

"Came here to help people", indeed. It may not seem significant, this specific report about Laxman Patel's conduct. But I ask that you, oh reader, consider the fact that I found this man's comments about the death of my friend, Mahesh "Mike" Patel, utterly insulting, evident of very clear arrogance and self-centerdedness, and just about as disrespectful to the character of my friend as I might have imagined possible at the time. Despite this, I chose to trust Laxman Patel, against my better judgement, and largely because as a matter of my state of mind then, for I was still in the throes of depression and suicidal ideation, not yet capable- as it were- of comprehending (or caring about) how depraved the misconduct of ASH's highest ranking clinical staff is, in fact. 

This story, as recorded in my official ASH records, as well as in my own voluminous note-taking as this period of my life unfolded before me (while at ASH), brightly illustrates the most basic evidence in support of my allegation that at ASH, highly paid/authorized medical staff grossly distort the needs of each and every ASH patient as a matter of standard practice. "Standard" in the sense that this man, Laxman Patel, has become 100% accustomed to blatantly ignoring any established medical-mental health care practices, simply on the basis that they can get away with it. This is beyond simple ineptitude, is in fact, culpable negligence and outright willful abuse of authority. As per the letter of law.

These people- men like "Dr." Laxman Patel, "Dr." Perviaz Akhter, and women such as Dr. Ruby Ramos-Roxas, "Dr." Lynn Lydon, etc.- have effectively lost touch (presuming they ever had it) with the well established standards that apply to mental health care, including in terms specific to federally mandated human rights that arise on behalf of anybody affected by serious mental illness and related disability, as per The Americans With Disabilities Act, and other like edict. I attest to this, and all other aspects of this reports, for not only did I experience these issues, I also had full copies of applicable law and policy while it was occurring during my hospitalization at ASH. More specifically, outside advocacy representatives who took the time to visit me at ASH, did in fact bring me full copies of the Arizona Administrative Code (Title 9, Chapter Twenty One), the Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Hospital Information Portability and Protection Act. Day after day, week into week, I would be subjected to grossly unlawful conduct, imparted on me by ASH staff at all levels of employ, and no matter the fact that I would always cite such law and policy, such staff would- as a matter of standard practice, look me in the eye, and say in no uncertain terms:

"THIS IS HOW IT IS. AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT." 

In tandem with these denials of my fundamental rights, there was always a presence of barely veiled threats, as in to say under their breath, "And if you continue to challenge us, we will show you what happens to patients like you…" Indeed, as time passed, I was graphically and undeniably subject to clear retaliation, including administrative actions by persons such as former ASH Chief Medical Officer "Dr." Stephen Dingle (who preceded Laxman Patel in that same position [!] and has since been promoted within AZ's larger behavioral health framework) , and former ASH Supervisor, Cory Nelson (who has also since been promoted within the state behavioral health system) For more information, please see this blog: "Of The Impact. The Hearings Continue" (12/27/12).   

IN CLOSING: All such staff misconduct, as illustrated in the bulk of my reporting to date, are a matter of standard practice at The Arizona State Hospital. Graphically substandard medical-mental health care that defies applicable law and policy, and they are getting away with it. In terms of the misconduct of some of the lowest ranking staff technicians (Saeed, Elaine, Rick Tong, etc.)  to the absolute majority of highest ranking clinical and administrative staff at ASH, I saw this shit arise, and I knew it for what it was. Immediately, in fact- as soon as I arrived at ASH, and personal property- my own prescribed medication that arrived with me at ASH- went missing, the shit began to fly. Within hours of this arrival and the theft of highly valuable prescribed street drugs from my property (an unopened bottle of 100 10 mg Ambien, IN FACT), I met fr the first time with "Dr. Laxman Patel, at which point the details of this specific report came to be part of my recorded experiences at ASH. 

It is that bad.

(UPDATE 2016: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize Patel's gravely inaccurate mischaracterization of my childhood experience in this context, wherein I was the victim of highly traumatic form of sexual abuse, as "documented" in this quack's formal medical report. And do not think for a moment that in communicating this information to him in our first 1:1 patient-doctor consultation, I somehow misled him. The fact is, I had gone through describing this criminal act to at least 2 other psychiatrists who I had been treated by prior to being admitted to Arizona's sole one term mental health care facility, at which point I began to garner just how harmful that incident was, via those physicians legitimate communications at that time. And then I arrived at ASH, where one of the facility's clearly ignorant psychiatrists willfully opted to state such a distinctly ignorant misrepresentation of a crucial element  underlying my struggles with major depressive disorder and associated post-traumatic stress disorder, a factor to my psychological condition that most definitely contributes my lifelong struggles with mental illness. Way to go, "doctor.")

Just go away, why don't you?     

paoloreed@gmail.com

vProse: Syndicate- so so. Literary agent- Ding!

         BOX TURTLE (PJ Reed 2011)

American trance:
they shuffle in, sometimes wearing house slippers
freeze there, bowls of coins, hands perpetually pulling
on levers from heaven.

You hear stories about children
left to die in their parents cars,
or occasionally one even keels over right there
in front of one of the machines. Dead.
(emily van horn is dead)
(bela lugosi was already dead)
(little coz will never die)

Economic development
came to indian country in the same way
I came to the arizona state hospital:
empty promises and malingered streams
of information fueled by inefficiency,
greed, and humor. Levi saw it true:
It's always, all of it 
a big laugh in the end.

"Two Peggies in the hand
is better than one Aleesha in the bush"
is the only funny joke I ever heard Josh tell,
although I had to chuckle when Thaden said:
"A goddamn egyptian weasel. You go through life
being taught that there are no weasels in the middle east
and then you meet that Saeed fucker." 

So I said that to him one day:
    "Hot damn, look at that! An egyptian weasel!
     I didn't know there was such a thing
     as an egyptian weasel,
     and then you appear, Saeed.
     What's up with that?" 

Phoenix is pretty warm in the summer months.
I suppose you may have heard that. Out there on the patient mall
I used to watch Donny P swagger up to the fountain
like a battered John Wayne after a brawl, he'd dip his whole head
into that fountain, with its bird shit and mold,
then straighten up, blink 
throw back that massive head of hair. 
Beautiful men in awkward settings.

It was like a frozen planet
darting from shadow to shadow,
eyes peeled for water holes. I would sit out there
"I am the only one out here"
and watch desert birds dance
"I was the only one out there today"
Lard ass security really hated it,
it was warm, pretty warm.

Enriquez and Williams
saw it.
The one,
he was uncomfortable from the beginning,
he told me this very clearly, and he went home
to Georgia. He was alert to his surroundings, a nice man. 
Enriquez
kept me glad,
it was the Espanola connect
and his love for revisionist historians:
"Speak to the truth, bro, speak to the truth!"
and the joke: "Joe Arpaio looks good in circles,
right there in the center of the circles. Ha!"

"Tom Horne is as crazy as a bat!"
I heard that in Texas, of all places;
his reputation is apparently....

"I will never look at doctors in the same way;"
she told me and my girls stories
about children sleeping in holes
underneath the houses where security slept
between shifts. "They wanted them close, 
the kids." She somewhat lost touch with God
because of what she learned about men
there in those places. Hospitals, and homes.

American trance:
they have their desks
their windows and lights
they are sterile there.
      They poison the minds of the given angels:
      I am revolted and I am electric-
      they are so, so wrong. 

"I dance the dance, the dance, the dance...."
                                    (robert miraval)

credits:
    -the peggy(s) (by permission of the hoboken, nj, and wayne, nj transit authority, 
      respectively)
    -aleesha (property of seafood mart: "whale on the beach!")
    -sheriff joe (satan, the b-sides)
    -williams (caspar the friendly ghost)
    -enriquez (chris montano, juanita tally, larry jaramillo)


          (PJ Reed 2011)

Of Dr. Steven Dingle, Chief Medical Officer, and the grossly substandard conditions at the Arizona State Hospital circa 2011-2012.

AND OF: Dr. Laxman Patel, Dr. Ruby Roxas-Ramos, Dr. Pervaiz Akhter, Dr. Lynn Lydon, Dr. Sylvia Dy; social workers Megan Mitscher and Robert Washington; ADHS Director Will "Yea, team!!!" Humble, former ASH CEO Donna "You are soooo busted!" Noriega, former ASH CEO/Deputy Director of BHS Cory "The is the type of shit that gets people in my position fired" Nelson; assistant AZ attorney general Joel "Angel of darkness-The mortician" Rudd and his paralegal secretary Cindy "Lard ass" Froelich; Kara Burke, Teresa Bedoni, and Margery Ault of the ADHS Office of Grievances and Appeals; the war horse charge nurse Peggy and her associate in arms Peggy Jorgenson, and the uber-abusive technician Elaine Traylor; and a host of other involved parties directly  associated with the long standing substandard conditions in Arizona's sole long term public mental facility.

Pervaiz Akhter
ASH psychiatrist 1999-2014
Current CEO Transitions Center, PLLC
Tempe, AZ 

(2016 NOTE: The following was originally published May, 02, 2012, less then ninety (90) full days after I was discharged from one the most horrendously mismanaged state mental hospitals in the nation, the Arizona State Hospital (Phoenix). This information in itself slightly highlights the full data that I documented during the entirety of my thirteen (13) long months as an ASH patient, and reflects the simple fact that ASH staff at all levels of employ engaged in undeniably substandard conduct, ranging from grossly negligent indifference exhibited by ASH physicians and administrators, to outright physical and psychological abuse imparted on myself and my patient-peers by ASH nurses and technicians. As this record shows, these issues arose in my experience on a near daily level. At the time that I published this record- May 2, 2012- it was my intent to initiate some nature of attention, any sort of attention more succinctly speaking, to what some today are characterizing as the ugliest public mental health facility scandal in the new millennium. I had initially felt that I would only be producing this blog, The Arizona State Hospital and Patient Abuse, again, merely to draw immediate support to those I left behind once I did in fact discharge from ASH; my former patient-peers, that is, many of whom I know for a fact to be highly at-risk of harm due to the simple fact that Hospital administrators and their "higher ups" in the AZ Department of Health were continually engaged in creating and/or condoning the brutally unjust conditions at ASH. (In this vain, since my departing ASH in in feb. 2012, there have been no less then three (3) avoidable deaths of ASH patients, which- in addition to the murder of April Mott in Sept. 2011 by escaped ASH patient Jesus Murietta- tragically illustrate the impacts of persons who have historically refused to do the right thing with respect for medical standards and the related sup-par conditions at ASH). I had, by early summer, 2012, come to realize that these issues were further being ignored by officials in the Arizona administrative courts, which did compel me to seriously consider the idea of a book, given the disturbingly clear fact that ASH was being mismanaged not just due to the ineptitude of its given administrators, but as importantly due to implications suggestive of the fact that all aspects of the related state agency(s) system were equally at fault. I shortly thereafter consulted with and acquired an editor, who did agree to follow my work for the immediate time being, with the specific possibility that should the issues that I was publishing in the blog result in some nature of broader fruition- as in consequential results- which as we all know today, has indeed come about. It was at that point, too, summer into fall 2012, that my editor advised me to retain the bulk of my well detailed data, with the very real idea of publishing the full breadth of such data in the final text (which is in development today). Thus, I ceased updating the on-line record in the fashion that I did in this following article. But since it was already out there, I chaose to keep the article active. Of note to me today, Feb. 20, 2016. that the article itself has garnered a bit a fresh attention in recent weeks, which has in fact compelled to be offer this update.)

------------------------------------------
Summary Of Past Articles. (May 02, 2012)

A recap of my running report about my experiences 

at The Arizona State Hospital as thus far presented.

Keep in mind, these are only the most loudly documented aspects of my negative experiences as an ASH patient, representing around 65% of my documentation emanating from that period of time; but generally speaking, and as reflected in the following accounts, virtually each and every day was peppered with wide varieties of staff misconduct and related abuse at all levels. imparted upon ASH patients by some marked proportion of ASH staff at all levels of employ. with full complicity of officials in Arizona's Dept. Of Health/Office of Grievances and Appeals. and representatives of the Arizona Office of the Attorney General.

I attest to all elements of the following. Bottom line.

January 11, 2011:
       Following transport by ambulance from University of Arizona Medical Center South Campus in Tucson (UAMC), I arrive at the Arizona State Hospital in Phoenix (ASH) in late morning, where a full and unopened bottle of 60 count ten mg Ambien (a powerful and lethally dangerous medication that can sell on the street for $10 per ten mg tablet) is promptly stolen by either ASH' security staff, nursing staff, or one of the behavioral health technicians on the Palo Verde East unit at ASH. 


January 14, 2011:
       On the third day of my time as an ASH patient,  Palo Verde East charge nurse named Peggy (the really mean one with the white hair who never gets out of her seat behind the counter of the nurse's station) informs me that I am not allowed to eat dinner on the unit and very rudely teases me when I inform her that I was threatened by one of the more volatile patients out on the patient mall earlier in the afternoon. I file my first ASH grievance out of concern for this nurse's grossly inhumane attitude. .  


Febrary 01-06, 2011:
     I undergo a lengthy psychological assessment administered by a residential level (non-licensed) praticioner (Holmes). 


April 01, 2011:
       ASH enters a period of no dutifully hired chief executive officer-supervisor that lasts for 4 full months, putting the majority of the ASH activities into the control of ASH' chief operating officer, Donna Noriega, and chief medical officer, Dr. Steven Dingle. 

April 08, 2011:
       I put seven letters in the mail to non-profits and other like resources in the hope/intent of finding someone willing to help Audrey P. with an electric wheelchair.

April 12, 2011
       I meet with my primary attending physician, Dr. Laxman Patel, and seek counsel on his feelings about my escalating desire/need to address staff misconduct and directly related patient abuse at ASH, and  Dr. Patel responds by asking me "What? Do you think you can change the system?", and further tells me that "ASH is not the right hospital for you."     


April 18, 2011:
       I draft and mail my second letter of disdain to the Arizona Department of Health Services over the ongoing and very volatile issue of illicit substance sales and use in the patient bathrooms and other places because I am very concerned about my own safety and the basic threat posed to other, non-substance abusing patients at ASH.  

April 20, 2011:
       The results of the lengthy psychogical assessment that I underwent in early Febraury, 2011, are released, revealing a diagnosis including but not limited to: major depressive disorder and asssociated traits inc. suicidal ideation, mild to moderate schizoidism (not to be confused with schizophrenia), chronic alcohoism, personality disorder not otherwise specified. This diagnosis, again determined by a non-licensed representative of  ASH's "medical staff", contains several distinct inconsistencies with my given psychiatric diagnosis to date, which had in fact been established in my immediate history by a licensed psychiatrist in another hospital.

April 24, 2011:
      My primary attending physician Dr. Laxman Patel informs me that he is going to recommend me for discharge from ASH because he has issues with my stated philosophies about suicide, depression, and other other related things.  

April 25, 2011:
       A three man yelling fest and  fist fight over illicit substances sales erupts directly in front of the patient mall bathrooms. which are open to all patients as well as the public, as may apply. 

April 26, 2011:
       Audrey P. informs that me that her primary attending physician, Dr. Ramos-Roxas, is angry with her because I mailed seven letters out in the hope/intent of finding someone willing to help Audrey P. with an electric wheelchair.


April 26, 2011:
       I meet for the first time with an advocate, John Gallagher, from the state office of human rights about the dangers posed at ASH by the sales and use of illicit substances.

April 30, 2011
       At the monthly meeting of my inpatient treatment and discharge planning team, I again bring up staff misconduct and patient abuse, and Dr. Patel takes issue my willingness to report staff misconduct and directly related patient abuse at ASH by:
   1) calling me a "nitpicker...";
   2) characterizing my habit of taking notes with the statement: "You write down everything I (Patel) say and then argue about it later";
   3) and further suggesting that I "request a different doctor", to which I immediately agree;
   4) and when I inquire as to what I need to do to make it happen, Dr. Patel states "We will handle that."



April 30, 2011:
       A member of  Audrey P.'s treatment team, who I learned over time was trustworthy and in absolute agreement with me about the substandard care practices at ASH, further informs of the following, with respect for Audrey's right to be provided with optimum medical technology specific to her given medical needs:
     1) Yes, Dr. Ramos-Roxas had indeed expressed anger over the simple fact that another ASH patient (me) had taken steps to determine whether anybody in the greater community (outside of the Hospital) would be willing to assist Audrey in acquiring an powered wheelchair;
    2) and that- in fact- several of the entities I had contacted in this context did respond and offer to provide Audrey with such technology;
    3) but that in graphite spite of this fact (as in resentment), Dr. Ramos-Roxas had summarily  disposed of those responses "into the nearest trash can."

May 02, 2011:
       I undergo a 1:1 consultation with ASH Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Steven Dingle, who establishes that I will do well to continue with my treatment at ASH for at least a few more months (n contradiction to Patel's medical opinion on the issue,  and assures me that I will meet my new doctor immediately concerning my clinical status at ASH

May 03-21, 2011:
       I experience a three week gap in direct care from a primary care physician, although Dr. Patel appears at times and implies that I cannot, in fact, change physicians (despite having made the suggestion himself), which I disagree with, given the fact that he made it clear to me on April 30 that I should be treated by "another doctor;"

May 03-21, 2011 On two subsequent occasions, Dr. Patel approaches me and asks me to sign a document regarding my legal status at ASH that I am not informed enough about to feel comfortable with signing, but it is also a document that has no legal bearing or merit until very late May, and in both cases that I am also unwilling to sign predated legal documents of any kind.

May 17, 2011:
       Jesus Rincon Murietta, who is a fellow patient and casual friend of mine from Tucson, escapes ASH by swiping an employee identification/electronic pass card and exiting the property through at least three highly secure doors/gates.

May 19, 2011:
       ASH' Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Steven Dingle, briefly meets with me on the patient mall, agrees with my concerns about Dr. Patel's overt attempts to get me to sign a predated legal document, and assures me that I am not under Dr. Patel's care anymore.

May 24, 2011: 
       I contact JJ Hensley at The Arizona Republic newspaper by phone and report Jesus Rincon Murietta's escape because A) I am concerned about Jesus' safety, B) the greater publics' safety, and because by all appearances C) ASH administration has opted to cover up news of the escape.  May 25, 2011:    RE: ADHS/DBHS OGA Docket #H090611S0009 (at this time, pending assignment and scheduling for OAH judicial review):
     Following my lawful refusal, at 9:40 a.m., to sign a legal document relating to my inpatient status at ASH that I was not even comfortable discussing until I had staffed it with my court appointed attorney, I am:
    1) threatened with immediate discharge into homelessness by a paralegal secretary from ASH' legal office (Froelich);
    2) interrupted as I am attempting to phone my attorney in regards to the matter by an ASH psychiatrist who I have never even met, Dr. Lynn Lydon, who advises me without explanation that I am required to subject myself to a psychiatric assessment to be conducted by her at that time, which I refuse to take part in, and subsequently;
   3) pulled out of a therapy session by security, who escort me against my wishes and without explanation to Palo Verde East unit, where I am;
   4) advised without any explanation by two nurses and a social worker that my status has been altered from "full grounds privileges" to that of highly restrictive "suicide watch", after which I am;
   5) unlawfully served legal notice that my new (at that time) primary attending physician, Dr. Pervaiz Akhter, and ASH' Chief Medical officer. Dr. Steven Dingle), in complicity with the Office of the AZ Attorney General's Joel Rudd), has without explanation initiated a petition for court ordered involuntary treatment, this despite the fact that I am already subject to the authority of a one year court order for treatment that has been in effect for six months;
   6) refused privacy by nursing staff when a state employed human rights advocate named John Gallagher comes to meet with me as per a prior scheduling in relation to an unrelated, ongoing confidential issue.

May 26, 2011:
        I consult with my court appointed attorney on the above matter, and when I advise ASH staff of this, my primary attending physician, Dr. Pervaiz Ahkter, comes to me in person for the first time in relation to this ongoing spectacle and advises me that the "suicide watch" has been removed and my status as a "full grounds privileges" patient restored, and that ASH' legal petition for court order has been withdrawn, too. When I ask him why I was placed on "suicide watch", he responds by telling me that a summary review of my compiled (six months) ASH records had compelled him to presume that I was deserving of "suicide watch" status, this despite my having maintained event-free status as a "full grounds privileges" patient for the entirety of my six months of treatment at ASH until that date. When I ask him about the legal petition, he declines comment.       

June 01, 2011:
       JJ Hensely of the AZ Republic newspaper informs me that ASH administrators have categorically denied the occurrence of any escapes in recent history (despite the bare bones fact that Jesus Murietta had escaped ASH on May 17), and that he will not be able to run a story without further verification of the event.  

Thursday, July 07, 2011: RE: ADHS/DBHS OGA Docket #B090811S0036; OAH Case #2011-BHS-0263-DHS (judicial review and case to be heard May 17, 2012);
       At 8:20 a.m., a behavioral health technician (Traylor) verbally and physically assaults and injures me as I am standing in front of the medication window on the Palo Verde East unit, following which:
   1) my immediate cries for assistance from other Palo verde East staff are ignored;
   2) my request to contact Phoenix police in order to lawfully report the attack is refused;
   3) my continued statements to the effect of express desire to file a police report are continually rejected, until late in the afternoon, when;
   4) I am advised by my primary attending physician, Dr. Ahkter),, that he has reviewed video footage of the assault, and that in his opinion, no assault has occurred, at which time;
   5) a nurse  named Dan Dwyer advises me that I "can make that phone call to the police" if I am "still interested," to which I respond "Hell yes, I am," leading to;
   6) I am finally granted access- at 3:45 p.m.- to placing my call to Phoenix police more than seven full hours after the attack, after which:
   7)  I am escorted by three very intimidating security guards, who advise me that filing a police report "is not a very good idea", to meet with four Phoenix police officers, who;
   8) immediately reject the merit of my basic claim and advise me that review of the video footage shows nothing even remotely akin to assault of any kind; the police officers then refuse to file a formal report of assault on my behalf, and in parting ways, further engage in ridiculing my lucidity and questioning my honesty.

Friday, July 08, 2011:
       At 8:00 p.m. I meet with an Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Investigations representative, Vicky Fox), in regards to the July 07 attack on me, who then proceeds to:
   1) present me with a formal ADHS "critical incident" document, after which;
   2) she has a security guard take 4-5 digital photos of the very visible bruising on my right side upper rib cage, and then;
   4) takes time to review some non-free streaming video footage with me that clearly shows the technician (Traylor) approach me with both hands held up and waving around in front of her face and body as she verbally assaults me exactly as I reported it, but the video footage skips at precisely that moment when Elaine Traylor strikes me.

Saturday, July 09, 2011:
       Four security guards pull me out of a therapy session and escort me against my wishes in order to meet with a "visitor" who they refuse to identify in a main ASH lobby building conference room, following which:      
   1) a Phoenix police officer advises me that the ASH technician who attacked me (Traylor) has filed a report of assault against me, and then asks me;
   2) "Are you willing to answer some questions?", to which I respond;
   3) "No. I have already spoken to Phoenix police about this, and a department of health services investigator is already conducing an investigation in regards to this matter", following which;
   4) a Pale Verde East unit charge nurse named Mary Ann,  refuses to perform any level of physical examination of my sore ribs which are by now so stiff that my breathing is effected, on the basis that she "won't risk it" because she knows what I am "up to," and that in her opinion I am "litigious," at which point;
   5) two senior ASH nursing staff representatives (Bonnie, Jackie) appear in obvious order to support of the action of (Mary Ann)  flatly ignoring my basic request that somebody please take a look at my ribs;
   6) I go to bed that night without having been granted any examination of my sore and potentially broken ribs that day.

Sunday, July 10, 2011
        One of the four security guards that escorted me to meet with the policeman the previous day (Vita) approaches me and asks:
    1) "Are you all packed up?", to which I respond;
   2) "What are you talking about?", compelling  him to advise me that;
   3) "The hospital's attorney is pressing charges against you, and they are coming to take you to county lockup first thing in the morning!"

Monday, July 11, 2011:
     Panicked over the idea that I might be aarrested and taken to jail today, I contact the hospital ombudsman-patient advocate, Sonya Serda, at first light in order to gain some idea of whether or not the hospital's attorney is going to have me arrested, and;
   1) the hospital ombudsman (Serda) and chief operating officer Donna Noreiga advise me that they have no knowledge of me being arrested, but that such things are outside the scope of ASH administrations concerns, leaving me in a state of high anxiety that doesn't subside for weeks, and;
   2) she (Noriega) promises me that she will personally look into identifying the security guard who had advised me of the plan to have me arrested and then address the matter of him unlawfully advising me on matters far outside the scope of ASH securitys' authority, following which;


Monday, July 11, 2011:  My primary attending physician (Ahkter) informs me (for the first time) that ASH' office of risk management has ruled that I must be transferred from the most peaceful unit (Palo Verde East) to another unit (desert Sage east), but he can offer me no clinical reasoning whatsoever as to the decision;
   4) I file a grievance with the ASH ombudsman (Serda) because I am not satisfied with the decision to transfer me under  these conditions;
   5) I also call my contact in the state human rights office (Gallagher), and he assures me that he will e-mail administration in my defense, because he is aware of my good faith involvement in addressing illicit substances trafficking at ASH and of related threats of violence that has been imparted from me by patients on the more violent units because they perceive me as a "snitch."

July 31, 2011:  
       The best and possibly only ethical state employed human rights advocate (Gallagher) in Arizona resigns his position in order to begin a doctorate program at Arizona State University.

August 01, 2011:
        Following four months of no duly hired cheif executive officer at ASH Cory "crazycorycorner.weebly.com" Nelson assumes supervision of the entire ASH operation under authority of the deputy director of the AZ Department Behavioral Health Services (Dr. Laura Nelson).


Thursday, September 01, 2011:
       An ASH security staff member informs me that Jesus Rincon Murietta has brutally murdered a young Phoenix woman named April Mott and is currently being held in jail for the crime, following which:
   1) I call The AZ Republic newspaper and speak with an editor, and remind him of my prior communications with JJ Hensley in relation to Jesus' late May escape, to which the editor responds "Great tip!";
   2) I am then put back in touch with JJ Hensley, who is shocked to learn that the same man advises me that he intends to initiate another investigation into the matter. Hensley also states "I feel as though her blood is on my hands..."

Friday, September 02, 2011
       A formal grievance document prepared on my behalf by a human rights advocate (Gallagher) in regards to the sequence of events on and around May 25-28, 2011 (as described above) is submitted to ASH administration.

Sat. September 03, 2011-September 20, 2011:
       I draft and put detailed letters into the outgoing ASH patient mail about the Jesus Murietta escape and April Mott's brutal murder, as well as other seriously incriminating data concerning ASH' improprieties as a public health facility to the offices of: 
    1) Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords, 
    2) Senator John McCain,
    3) Congressman Raul Grijalva,
    4) The Joint Commission, 
    5) US Department of Health & Human Services,
    6) US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division,
    7) Arizona Disability Law Center,
    8) Irene Mesina (editor) of the Tucson Weekly newspaper.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011: One business day following the submission of the aforementioned grievance document,  RE: ADHS/DBHS Docket #H120511S0012 (at this time, pending assignment and scheduling for OAH judicial review):
       In a the company of a Palo Verde unit nurse (Dwyer) and my assigned social worker (Mitscher), my primary attending physician (Ahkter) delivers a letter to me that was drafted and signed by ASH chief executive officer (Nelson) and ASH chief medical officer (Dingle), advising me of an unexplained transfer from the most peaceful unit at ASH to the most violent one, and;
   1) informs me that he had nothing to do with it;
   2) cannot offer any explanation at all for the proposed transfer, following which;
   3) I file a grievance with the ASH ombudsperson (Serna) concerning my disagreement with the proposed transfer, and later;     
   4) I speak in person with Dana Flannery of the Arizona Department of Health Office of Human Rights about the proposed transfer, as well as about Jesus Rincon Murietta and April Mott's brutal murder, and she says "Oh, my god!"
   
Wednesday, September 07, 2011:
       I meet in person for the first time with AZ Republic newspaper reporter JJ Hensley in order to discuss the Jesus Rincon Murietta-April Mott murder, as well as details relating to the recent patterns of retaliation that I was being to subjected to at that time.        

Thursday, September 08, 2011:
       Following 48 hours of distraction from the matter, I give in to the pressure to accept being transferred to a new unit, despite my strong feelings about the impropriety of the action and the possibility that I will be at great risk of harm from patients who perceive me as a "snitch", I am transferred from the most peaceful unit at ASH, Palo Verde east, to the most violent one, Desert Sage East, and;
   1) I meet my new roommates on Desert Sage East, one of whom is Joe Saucedo Gallegos, who is a very active illicit substances dealer and loan shark of sorts, and;
   2) I later learn that Joe Saucedo Gallegos is also a patient of my previous primary attending physician, Dr. Pervaiz Akhter, who- in complicity with Chief Medical officer, Dr. Steven Dingle, and ASH CEO Cory "crazycorycorner.weebly.com" Nelson- transferred me from the most peaceful unit at ASH to Desert Sage East as matter of retaliating against me because I had filed filed complaints against him.

September 28, 2011:
       The AZ Republic newspaper publishes a front page story written by  JJ Hensley that takes up 3.5 full pages of copy about the Jesus Rincon Murietta's escape from ASH, ASH' subsequent attempts to cover the news of the escape up, and April Mott's brutal murder, etc., in this article: 
    Phoenix victim's family questions why man was free: Mental hospital halted search; escapee now a murder suspect. by JJ Hensley  Sept. 28, 2011 The Arizona Republic.

       Later the same day, the law firm of Goldberg & Osborne publishes a news brief relating to the Jesus Rincon Murietta-April Mott murder. as follows:

   Murdered Woman’s Family Considers Possible Legal Action Against State

   September 28, 2011

Friday, October 02, 2011:
       At 7:30 p.m., clearly unstable new-hire charge nurse (Tracy) incites patient anger towards me after I inform her that I am not interested in any of the cake that she is offering patients on Desert Sage East, at which time:
   1) I am physically assaulted by a regularly violent patient named Melissa A., and;
   2) very graphically threatened with physical harm by several other patients, including a man named James M., following which the charge nurse (Tracy) calls in a critical incident security response on me, after which;
   3) security responds and has to break up a couple of fights between numerous other patients that have erupted in relation to the whole charade and which I have nothing to do with, and;
   4) as things cool down, one of the friendlier security guards asks me "Why in the hell did that charge nurse call us in on you?", leading me to;
   5) request to speak with the on-call physician in order to make clear that I am at risk, and learn that the  on-call physician is none other than my first primary attending doctor (Patel), and that he is unwilling to came and talk to me or otherwise attend to these matters at this time (although he does instruct Desert Sage East staff to fully restrict me to STI status if I so desire).

October 03, 2011-November 01, 2011:
       As the new patient on Desert Sage east unit, I am repeatedly threatened with physical harm by other patients, including Joe Saucedo Gallegos on at least three occasions or otherwise frightened for my life and  general well being, leading me to file a handful of strongly worded grievance reports concerning my safety to the office manager at the Arizona Department of Health Services Office of Grievances and Appeals, Kara Burke, and anybody else I could think of.

October 04, 2011:
       I directly witness and report two staff members (Jeff, Izzy) after they face slam an animated but entirely non-violent patient named Andrew B. into a metal door while dragging him by his arms out of the Desert Sage East day room.

November 08, 2011:
        While mildly debating the validity of a new ASH staff dress code at the counter of the nurse's station on Desert Sage East Unit with a staff technician named Izzy, I am viciously assaulted from behind with a metal and plastic chair by a regularly violent patient (Melissa A.) who has already physically assaulted me on the Desert Sage East unit on several documented occasions, after which;
   1) I ask for Desert Sage East nursing to look at my injured left eye and cheek;
   2) I request staff to grant me access to the police so that I can file a report;
   3) I meet with my newest primary attending physician (Dy) because I want her input on the idea of filing a police report against a fellow mentally ill patient, and then;
   4) learn that the regularly violent patient (Melissa A.) went on to attack another patient, who has already filed a report with police, leading me to;
   5) hold off for the time being on the idea of filing my own report against the regularly violent patient (Melissa A.) in order to see what develops, because she is taken into custody by the cops at the end of the day.



November 24, 2011:
       The patient who attacked and struck me in the head and face with the chair (Melissa A.) is released from jail following her November 08, 2011 arrest (see above) and returned to Desert Sage East unit, where she immediately engages in threatening me and other patients with lethal harm. leading me to again contact the Arizona Department of Health Services Office of Grievances and Appeals (Kara Burke). 

November 20, 2011
      My third primary attending ASH psychiatrist, Dr. Lynn Lydon, informs me in 1:1 consultation that she is not a "big fan" of rules.

November 26, 2011:
       I file a police report against the patient who attacked and struck me in the head and face me with the chair (Melissa A., police report # 201102056258)
   1) The patient who attacked and struck me in the head and and face is taken into custody by police and taken to jail.

December 02, 2011:
       I receive a letter from ASH Chief Operating Officer (Noriega) that insultingly mischaracterizes my having been struck in the face and head with a chair as though it something that might happen in a checkout line at the local grocery.

December 05, 2011:

     My fourth primary attending ASH physician,  (Dr. Sylvia Dy), in the company of a nurse (Snow) and my assigned social worker (Washington) advise me that ASH chief medical officer (Dingle) is willing to remove me from the civil side of the hospital and transfer me to ASH "CRU" unit (where criminally charged mentally ill patients are housed and security is very high), allegedly because he is my concerned about safety. This, the full extent of his willingness to do something about the substandard conditions and associated dangers caused by administrative indifference in the context.

December 06, 2011

       I inquire as to whether I will still be able to engage in participating in the  daily therapy activities offered on the civil side of ASH if I agree to be transferred to CRU, and my request for this information is flatly denied.

December 07, 2011:
       I experience an unscheduled from the deputy chief medical officer at ASH (Breslow), who I have never heard of, and he asks me what I think the "problem is" at ASH, to which I respond "I suppose you get what you pay for" and in closing, he tells me to call him anytime, and later on; 
   1)  at dinner, a patient named Joe Saucedo Gallegos physically contacts and threatens my life, but the on-hand Desert Sage East nurse (Pam) ignores and later denies the incident, despite it being witnessed by a technician (Shay).

December 15-31, 2011
       I receive two identical form letters from the Arizona department of Health Services Office of Grievances and Appeals advising me that my appeals of both ADHS/DBHS grieveance document grievance document  #H090611S0009  (see May 25, 2011) and ADHS/DBHS OGA Docket #B090811S0036 (see July 08, 2011) have been rejected for OAH judicial review.  

January 15, 2012:
       I draft and mail a formal letter of dissent over the rejection of my two appeals (above) to the Arizona Department of Health Services Director, Will Humble.

January 17, 2012:
       I draft and mail two letters specific to my dissent over the rejection of my two appeals (see above) to Arizona Department of Health Services Office of Appeals and Grievances.

January 22, 2012
       I am again threatened with physical harm by two other male patients (James M., Joe Saucedo Gallegos) at dinner, and two on hand staff members, including a charge nurse (Pam) refuse to intervene, following which;
   1) one of the male patients who threatened me at dinner (James M.) follows me from dinner to a secluded area on the patient mall and verbally and physically assaults me;
   2) I report the attack to a security guard (Blanca) who shortly thereafter confirms via video my accounting of the event;
   3) I verify this again later in the evening with the charge nurse on Desert Sage East (Robert), and yet;
   4) the following morning, I am denied access to my normal daily therapeutic activities and fully restricted to the Desert Sage East unit by the charge nurse because she "still isn't sure what happened last night... but you attacked James, didn't you?," after which;
   5) I file a formal report with the police (complaint #2129002910)

January 25, 2012:
       I receive two identical form letters from the Arizona Department of Health Services reversing their earlier decision to deny OAH judicial review of ADHS/DBHS  grieveance document grievance document #H090611S0009 and ADHS/DBHS grievance document #B090811S0036/OAH Case #2011-BHS-0263-DHS  and advising me that I will later be informed of the scheduling of eash OAH hearing. 

January 10, 2011:
       In an impromptu and unlawfully convened ITDP conference attended by my primary attending physician, (Sylvia Dy), my assigned social worker (Robert Washington), and a social services administrator (Heffern), I am;
   1) denied the opportunity to invite a patient advocate/personal representative of my choosing to attend on my behalf;
   2) advised that I will be discharged from ASH into potential homelessness  in 10 days (for the second time), regardless of whether or not my various aftercare logistics are in order.

February 12, 2012:
       I submit a lawful written request for my own medical records (not including psycho-therapy notes) to my assigned social worker (Washington)  specific to my treatment history at ASH, but my lawful request is flatly denied with no explanation by ASH administrators.

February 20, 2012
       I discharge from the Arizona State Hospital and relocate to Flagstaff, AZ, where I enter a short term dual diagnosis (alcoholism, mental health) treatment facility.

Man sentenced to two life terms in prison for beating young boys to death with a baseball bat

March 08, 2012:
       The following news story about the man that Dr. Perviaz Ahkter, Dr. Steven Dingle, and ASH Chief Executive Officer, Cory "crazycorycorner.weebly.com" Nelson  put me into the same room with hits the papers:

By James Nye

      A man was told he will spend the rest of his life in jail for brutally beating two young boys to death with a baseball bat. By James Nye, Arizona Republic, March 7, 2012.

      "Joe Sauceda Gallegos, 39, was sentenced yesterday at Maricopa County Superior Court after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder - and avoiding the death penalty."

Senseless: Thirty-nine-year old Joe Sauceda Gallegos was sentenced to two life terms for the murder of two young boys with a baseball bat in Phoenix in 2008.








In Closing, May 04, 2012:
       That man's beady eyed stare still haunts me at times, but the fact remains, Joe Suacedo Gallegos is a very, very mentally ill man, and even he was denied the level of mental health care that he needed while he was at ASH. I have no idea how things might look today in terms of the state of serious mental illness in Arizona were the criminal activities at ASH not so brazenly allowed to go on inthe way that they do, but it is starkly clear to me that the problems at ASH are with the staff, and not with the patients. The conditions at ASH are a graphic example of the deeply systemic shortcomings in the state behavioral/mental health care system, in general. I attest to this with all of my heart. 

       Today is the two year anniversary of my initial May 04, 2010, admission to the psyche ward at University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson (formerly Kino-UPH Hospital), following which I did, in time, wind up at The Arizona State Hospital on February 20, 2011.

       Yep. I still wish the Rat Bastard that stole my medications on my first day at ASH had gotten his or her due. What a freaking mess that place is, one example of professional ineptitude after another, all at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve. The things I witnessed and experienced first hand at the Arizona State Hospital are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the extent of abuse and wrongdoing that occurs there on a daily basis. It is even today, close to three months after my discharge from ASH, difficult for me to wrap my mind around how atrociously depraved the clinicians, administrators, and related state representatives in the department of heath are. 

The abuse of mentally ill persons at the Arizona State Hospital is inhumane, it is criminal, and it needs to stop now.
-------------------------------------------

(Update 2016: As stated at the outset of this 2012 article, I was easily able to document a wide range of very disturbing features to how poorly ASH has been run in recent years, and the associated complicity of ASH staff at all levels of employ in furthering the issue as a matter of standard practice. Which, of course, I later learned the hard way was also being condoned by officials in ADHS, the AZ Office of the Attorney General, and so on. Abject corruption that most definitely lands most squarely on the heads and shoulders of ASH's highly vulnerable patient-consumers.  So let's get to it, Dr. Aaron Bowen and Dr. Cara Christ. The clock doesn't tick, it reverberates, spurning my willingness to continue holding all/any currently inept responses to the ongoing problems in Arizona's sole long term public mental health facility. Do rthe right thing while you can, in other words, lest you become named characters in my upcoming book.)

paoloreed@gmail.com

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