RACISM IN LANGUAGE PERSONIFIED. As to the fact that  the Director of Arizona's entire Department of Health Services, Will Humble, has exhibited undeniable mistruths about the standards of law that apply to The Arizona State Hospital, and in doing so, further displays his blatant ignorance in terms of commonly recognized codes of civility in a context of race and culture.

This article dedicated in part to my friend Mr. Lee, a current patient in The Arizona State Hospital.

"Humble said there was a 'Chinese wall' separating DHS investigators from DHS-supervised hospital staff..." (see below).

Preface: Will this crap ever end? What, dare I ask, is a "Chinese Wall"? And so far as Will Humble's general obligations to the public, including Chinese-American citizens who happen to live in Arizona, I think it would only be reasonable for a formal response in the context. For where is the justification in referring to Chinese culture in association with the endemic corruption specific to these matters, as they stand? This, just one more example of the questionable character of persons entrusted to oversee the affairs of Arizona's most seriously mentally ill and disabled citizens, no matter what their given cultural/racial attributes, or other like human features.

Arizona State Hospital says issues now fixed

By Mary Jo PitzlThe Republic | azcentral.comWed Nov 20, 2013 10:05 PM

The Arizona State Hospital faces a Friday deadline to rectify substandard care and procedures at the mental-health facility, including issues that have harmed several patients, or risk losing its federal funding.

Federal officials began investigating the mental-health hospital following a September patient death.

The investigation didn’t focus on the death, which the Maricopa County medical examiner determined was accidental. Rather, it centered on problems such as inadequate supervision of patients, six of whom harmed themselves. It also turned up problems with staffing shortfalls, a lack of documentation when patients return from receiving treatment outside the hospital and a failure to maintain separate budgets for the hospital’s three units.

Hospital officials said Wednesday they have corrected the problems and have documented their efforts in a report that is being sent today to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The hospital serves about 300 patients, including patients who have been involuntarily committed, patients whom a court has deemed guilty of a crime but insane, and patients who are sexually violent.

The investigation, as well as the state’s response, are not considered public documents until the complaint against the hospital is resolved, federal and state officials said. That won’t happen until at least early in the new year.

However, Cory Nelson, the hospital’s former chief executive and now deputy director of behavioral health for the state Department of Health Services, and DHS Director Will Humble on Wednesday discussed the investigation and their response to it.

Humble said the investigation, called a “survey,” was launched after ABC 15 sent a copy of a September news report about a patient’s death to the federal health agency.

An official with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid would not confirm that, saying it cannot disclose the individuals or groups who lodge complaints.

The patient died accidentally, due to complications from “recurrent foreign-body ingestion,” according to medical-examiner records. The young man apparently would eat harmful objects.

The investigation followed in the weeks after that death, and scrutinized operations at the hospital unit where patients are committed as a result of civil-court orders. The probe was conducted by DHS licensing officials who operate under a contract with the federal agency.

Humble said there is a “Chinese wall” separating DHS investigators from the DHS-supervised hospital staff.

The investigation identified problems in three areas: hospital governance, patient rights and nursing services.

“We had some individuals who harmed themselves,” Nelson said of the findings that most immediately affected patient well-being.

The investigation documented six instances where staff did not supervise patients closely enough to prevent patients from hurting themselves.

One patient disappeared under a blanket at bedtime and cut himself, Nelson said.

The investigation also turned up instances where staff-to-patient ratios fell below standards, and where staffing levels were not documented.

The hospital was faulted for not making clear distinctions among its three units, such as having a separate budget for each. Without that, it is impossible to trace where the federal Medicaid and Medicare dollars go.

Nelson said the hospital has not lost any federal payments, which account for less than a quarter of its funding, since the investigation began.

If the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid finds the hospital’s response “credible,” it will conduct an unannounced survey, or investigation, said Rufus Arther, manager of the federal agency’s branch that deals with certification and enforcement of facilities such as the state hospital.

"...substandard care and procedures..."

I have never said it more clearly: Substandard medical health care practices in Arizona's sole long term public mental heath facility and they are getting away with it. And along these lines, with respect for the significance of this matter as it stands:  "Survey" my ass. This issue has to do with a formal federal investigation that was implemented in direct relation to fact that all bodies of evidence  about the substandard conditions at ASH, arising in association to increasing media reports that have been aired by Phoenix news sources  over the last 12-18 months, if not longer (E.G.: J.J. Hensley's investigative report about the covered up May 2011 escape of Jesus Murietta, the related murder of April Mott was published on September 28, 2012. SEE: "Victims family questions why man was free," Arizona Republic.com). And Will Humble knows it. So then- what the hell is a "Chinese wall" anyway? All elements of the fact that there is a deep disconnect between the rights and needs of ASH patients, and the highly paid state employees obligated to meet these standards. And along those lines, with respect for the significance of this matter as it stands:  "Survey" my ass. This issue has to do with a formal federal investigation that was implemented in direct relation to the fact  that all bodies of evidence about the substandard conditions at ASH, arising in association to increasing media reports that have been aired by Phoenix news sources  over the last 12-18 months, if not longer (E.G.: J.J. Hensley's investigative report about the covered up May 2011 escape of Jesus Murietta, the related murder of April Mott was published on September 28, 2012. SEE: "Victims family questions why man was free," Arizona Republic.com). And Will Humble knows it. So then- what the hell is a "Chinese wall" anyway? All elements of the fact that there is a deep disconnect between the rights and needs of ASH patients, and the highly paid state employees obligated to meet these standards who have been exposed as engaging in outright malfeascant negligence in this context.  The fact is, AZ law dictates that The Arizona State Hospital is required to maintain a full time on-site ADHS/BHS authorized patient advocate, as well as at least one on-site formal ADHS investigator obligated to look into any possibility that ASH staff are not abiding by Hospital policy, in violation of state or federal  law, as such information may arise with respect for the patient advocate, etc. When I was an ASH patient, a reasonably competent Hospital investigator named Vicky Fox was terminated at a point in time when my reports about patient abuse at ASH were gaining a modicum of attention following which, ASH's supervisor, Cory Nelson appointed a member of senior of ASH security into that position, creating an irrefutable conflict of interest concern that I know for a fact has directly contributed to the escalation of such staff wrongdoing, as exemplified in myriad media reports over the last 18 months.ndards who have been exposed as engaging in outright malfeascant negligence in this context (and not to mention the fact that a previously convicted sexual child abuser, Roger Forney, was hired by such senior ranking ASH security staff). The fact is, AZ law clearly dictates the requirement that the The Arizona State Hospital maintain a full time on-site ADHS/BHS authorized patient advocate, as well as at least one on-site formal ADHS investigator obligated to look into any possibility that ASH staff are not abiding by Hospital policy, in violation of state or federal  law, as such information may arise with respect for the patient advocate, etc. These elements of law also flow from federally dictated policy, in the context of civil and human rights in all senses. When I was an ASH patient, a reasonably competent Hospital/ADHS investigator named Vicky Fox was terminated at a point in time when my reports about patient abuse at ASH were gaining a modicum of attention. Subsequent to his August, 2011 hiring as ASH's supervisor, Cory Nelson appointed a member of senior of ASH security into that position, creating an irrefutable conflict of interest concern that I know for a fact has directly contributed to the escalation of such staff wrongdoing, as exemplified in myriad media reports over the last 18 months. These details, and particularly the proven willingness of ADHS director Will Humble to distort the significance of these issues, exemplify the purpose and intent of this blog, as it has stood since its creation in April, 2012, less than 6 weeks after I was discharged from ASH.

IN CLOSING: Once again, I will express my encouragement to anyone sharing my concerns about The Arizona State Hospital to reach out and express or otherwise direct your thoughts, etc., to any one of the numerous investigative resources currently seeking to address the issue as it stands. This includes Arizona state senator Chad Campbell ([D-Phoenix], phone 602-926-3026; email chcampbell@azleg.), executive investigative journalist David Biscobing (ABC CH. 15 News Desk phone 602-685-6397; email  DBiscobing@abc15.com); and/or all associated state and federal agencies, such as the Office of the Director at ADHS (Will Humble phone 602-542-1052), the main office of ADHS/BHS (Kara Burke phone 602-364-4558), or the Inspector General's office in the United States Department of Justice (phone 202-514-0001). On behalf of myself, and with respect for each and every patient at ASH, I thank you most sincerely. 

paoloreed@gmail.com