An Update. Of Retaliation, Intimidation, and Criminal Abuses of Authority: The Hearings Continue

     Monday mornings hearing specific to my concerns about the administrative and senior clinicians at The Arizona State Hospitals willingness to employ highly illegal methods of intimidation and coercion, including graphic forms of retaliation, as a matter of doing all they can to suppress any ASH patients'  voice when such a patient chooses to exercise there right to report staff misconduct and abuse, took close to three full hours. During that period of time, I did my best to submit a seemingly formidable body of clear evidence in support of my concerns, including but not limited to statutory evidence flowing from state and federal law, my own testimony, and various hard copy documents that I collected and kept intact as the issues underlying this case played out, late summer and early fall, 2011.   

       Specifically, on September 02, 2011, a very serious grievance document prepared on my behalf the then senior advocate of The Arizona Department of Health Services/Behavioral Health Services was submitted by that person to the administrative offices at ASH, and one business day later, I was informed that I was going to be transferred from the most peaceful residential treatment unit at ASH (a unit that my referring psychiatrist had specifically requested I be placed on in keeping with my known behavioral characteristic as nonviolent person affected by childhood trauma specific to psychological and emotional abuse) to one of the most violent units. 

     I knew at the time that my safety was being put into immediate jeopardy, and I made this clear at the time. I did not agree to the transfer at the time, but could not do much about it, and instead just did what I could to establish a record specific to the matter. Within days of being transferred to the new unit, I began experiencing a wide range of violence, including but not limited to physical assaults imparted on me by other patients who staff had effectively encouraged to from resentment towards me; and in one specific event, a staff nurse literally stated to the other patients as whole: "Do you see this guy?! He is out to make trouble for all of us! Do you see him, do you?!", and within seconds, a group of highly unstable patients assailed me with threats to my life and at least one actual assaultive strike to my upper body. With the unlawful implementation of this transfer began what I now identify as the most intensively damaging period of time that I experienced during my 13 full months at ASH, and it all came about due to the administrative staff at ASH's willingness to put any patients' established care needs aside in order to preserve the substandard conditions at ASH and avoid the due accountability that I know they have coming to them. Today I am markedly affected by the residual impacts the duress that I experienced after that point in time, and my ongoing psychological treatment has now come to include addressing the very real trauma that I experienced in this context. This is known as HARM in a legal context, very real harm and damage that come about in my case as an ASH patient, and which I contend comes about as a matter of standard malpractice at ASH in terms of any seriously mentally ill patient currently being treated there.             
     It will take upwards of 6-10 weeks before the final conclusive materials are released specific to Mondays hearing. Meanwhile, in early January, I will again be representing myself on behalf of the patient community at ASH in another hearing at the AZ Office of Administrative Hearings, again with the specific intent to create a record, in specific regard to the violence that I was exposed to following the unlawful transfer discussed above, and the related harm that I suffered due the failings of ASH's administrators and their willingness to put their own selfish interests (as criminals, in my well founded opinion) in front of those of the highly vulnerable and disabled patients in their care at ASH.     

       What a great time this is to get on board with this cause. A moderately deep increase in cash flow to the needs of Arizona's mental heath clients in the outpatient community came about in recent months, and the attorney generals' office is taking quite a bit of heat in relation to their own lawlessness right now. A great time, indeed, for anyone with a sense of conscience to do their part in fighting the abuse of patients at The Arizona State Hospital, and beyond. Please, get involved, take action, help make a difference today. 

paoloreed@gmail.com