Of Undeserved Promotion Within Arizona Department of Health/Behavioral Health Services.

As mentioned in my last article (see "#2 Safety...", January 23, 2014), there is a common practice carried on within the ADHS/BHS construct, wherein individuals who have engaged in clinical and administrative wrongdoing at The Arizona State Hospital (and beyond in the public health care system) are virtually rewarded for such misconduct, rather than redirected or otherwise held accountable. To date, the following illustrates my contention in this context:

Cory Nelson: ...WAS HIRED IN AUGUST, 2011, TO TAKE OVER THE POSITION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT ASH, A POSITION WHICH HAD BEEN VACANT FOR MORE THAN 90 DAYS. IN LESS THAN 12 FULL MONTHS AS CEO AT ASH, NELSON IMPLEMENTED A RANGE OF MAJOR CHANGES TO THE ASH OPERATION WHICH ARE NOW KNOWN TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE CURRENT CRISIS FACING THE HOSPITAL, AS SPELLED OUT IN VARIOUS PHOENIX AREA MEDIA REPORTS. HE IMPLEMENTED SAID CHANGES UNILATERALLY, WITH LITTLE TO NO INPUT FROM ASH STAFF, AND AS A DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF HIS ACTIONS, THOUSANDS OF INCIDENTS OF SERIOUS VIOLENCE HAVE OCCURRED, TO THE DIRECT DETRIMENT OF ASH STAFF AND PATIENTS ALIKE, AT THE EXPENSE OF ARIZONA TAXPAYERS. FOR THIS, AFTER SERVING AS A STATE EMPLOYEE FOR LESS THAN ONE YEAR, NELSON WAS PROMOTED TO HIS CURRENT POSITION: DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE ENTIRE PUBLIC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM IN ARIZONA. (responsible party: ADHS DIRECTOR WILL HUMBLE.)

Donna Noriega: ...WAS FOUND GUILTY IN MARCH 2012 BY THE Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners Social Work Credentialing Committee OF ENGAGING IN LYING WHILE ACTING IN HER AUTHORITY AS THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT ASH, AS PER  ARIZONA REVISED STATUTE 32-3251 (12) Unprofessional Conduct (c)   Any oral or written misrepresentation of a fact by an applicant or licensee (i) to secure or attempt to secure the issuance or renewal of of a license.  I CAN ALSO ATTEST TO NUMEROUS EXHIBITIONS OF SIMILAR MISCONDUCT OF THIS WOMAN WHICH DID CONTRIBUTE TO SOME OF MY WORST EXPERIENCES AS AN ASH PATIENT, WHEREIN SHE BLATANTLY FAILED TO ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH HER MOST BASIC OBLIGATIONS AS AN ASH ADMINISTRATOR.  FOR THIS, NORIEGA WAS PROMOTED IN 2013 TO HER CURRENT POSITION: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE ARIZONA STATE HOSPITAL. (responsible party: ADHS/BHS DEPUTY DIRECTOR CORY NELSON.)

Dr. Steven Dingle: ... WAS CENTRALLY INVOLVED IN NUMEROUS  QUESTIONABLE ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS DURING HIS STINT AS CHEIF MEDICAL OFFICER AT ASH, INCLUDING THE WILLFUL COVERUP OF VERY VIOLENT PATIENT'S ESCAPE FROM ASH IN LATE MAY, 2011, WHICH DID DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE HORRIFIC MURDER OF AN INNOCENT YOUNG PHOENIX WOMAN NAMED APRIL MOTT (see: "Victim's Family Questions Why Man Was Free", by JJ Hensley, Arizona Republic newspaper, September 29, 2011. I CAN ALSO ATTEST TO DINGLE'S INVOLVEMENT IN A RANGE OF SIMILAR ACTIONS SPECIFIC TO MY EXPERIENCES AS AN ASH PATIENT, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH I OF COURSE DOCUMENTED WHEN THEY OCCURRED. IT IS CRITICAL TO NOTE THAT AS CMO AT ASH, THIS MAN WAS 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ASPECTS OF THE CLINICAL PRACTICES AT THERE, WITH RESPECT FOR EACH AND EVERY ASH PATIENT, WHICH DENOTES THE FACT THAT MY EXPERIENCES WERE FAR FROM UNUSUAL. FOR THIS, DINGLE HAS SINCE BEEN PROMOTED IN OCTOBER 2012 TO HIS CURRENT POSITION OF CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF THE ENTIRE ADHS/BHS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.  (responsible party(s): CORY NELSON, WILL HUMBLE).

Dr. Laxman Patel: ... WAS MY FIRST PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN AT ASH, WHO DID GRAPHICALLY MISCHARACTERIZE MY ESTABLISHED MEDICAL HISTORY AS IT APPLIES TO MY DIAGNOSIS, IMPARTING THE BLAME FOR VERY HARMUL INCESTUOUS SEXUAL ABUSE THAT I WAS SUBJECTED TO AS A YOUNG BOY UPON ME. HE ALSO REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRUTH ABOUT MY REFERRAL TO ASH AT THAT POINT IN TIME THAT I WAS UNLAWFULLY TRANSFERRED FROM THE MOST PEACEFUL UNIT AT ASH TO THE MOST VIOLENT, A CLEAR ACT OF RETALIATION THAT OCCURRED IN DEFIANCE OF MY REFERRING DOCTOR'S DIRECT INPUT IN THE CONTEXT. IMPORTANT TO REALIZE AS WELL THAT PATEL HAS MORE SENIORITY IN TERMS OF YEARS WORKED AT ASH THAN ANY OTHER CLINICIAN THERE, HAVING PRACTICED AT ASH SINCE THE 1970S. AS SUCH, HE HAS BEEN PRESENT DURING 4 DECADES OF DEFICIENT HEALTH CARE AT ASH, AND HAS YET TO PLAY A ROLE IN IMPROVING THE SUBSTANDARD CONDITIONS AT ASH OUTSIDE OF BEING SUBJECT TO OVERSIGHT AT THOSE TIMES IN HISTORY WHEN ASH HAS BEEN THE FOCUS OF FEDERAL INVESTIGATION [3-4 TIMES SINCE THE 1970S] ). HE HAS LONG REFUSED TO ACT ON BEHALF OF HIS CLIENTS, IN OTHER WORDS, SHORT OF THOSE TIMES WHEN HE WAS FORCED TO BY SAID OVERSIGHT. FOR THIS, PATEL WAS PROMOTED IN 2012 TO HIS CURRENT POSITION OF CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AT THE ARIZONA STATE HOSPITAL. (responsible party(s): Dr. Steven Dingle, Cory Nelson).

IN CLOSING: All aspects of the above data is confirmable. And these are only the details that I happen to be familiar with, via my arguably limited time as a client of ADHS/BHS. But the fact remains, these people were all promoted (as described above) during a period of time when grossly substandard health care practices and conditions at The Arizona State Hospital were very much in effect, and have continued to work  in their current positions as the escalating evidence about ASH has arisen in over the last 2 years, most markedly in a flurry of major Phoenix area media reports that have been emerging since 2012. Undeserved inner sanctum promotions of this sort, and associated forms of misadministration, are all too common in any bureaucratic setting. This is patently unacceptable, however, when it comes to public health care, and there is no justification whatsoever to allow these issues to remain unaddressed and resolved once and for all. Each one of these individuals needs to be held fully accountable as per their licensure, state employment contracts and the public trust, and fundamental codes of common decency in the context of persons affected by serious mental illness and disability. 

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