Grossly Understaffed: As to the current staffing crisis at The Arizona State Hospital created by the horrifically substandard conditions that Hospital administrators have been condoning for no less than 10 years, to date.  

"They are severely understaffed, and relying upon temp services- which is EXPENSIVE!" (email to me, dated July 11, 2014)

As stated in my most recent article, published July 10, 2014, I did seek feedback about the information reflected below:

Crucial Update: Arizona State Hospital hiring all positions!
BAM! "The Arizona State Hospital is holding a job fair Wednesday. The hospital needs registered nurses, social wokers, psychiatrists and psychologists and will be interviewing until noon at the hospital near 24th and Van Buren streets."

I claim this as a direct hit in terms of the further establishing the need to reform the substandard conditions and associated medical practices at The Arizona State Hospital. I will need to research the matter a bit more closely, but I am willing to suggest that my work has directly contributed to this development. (July 10)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------My inquiry in this matter, sent yesterday via email:

--- PJ Reed <paoloreed@gmail.com> wrote: "Are you folks aware of this? And if so, S------ especially, what might you  be aware of as to why all positions at ASH are currently beingfilled/re-filled, as it were? Thanks.

And the response from one of my sources, received earlier today:

"They are severely understaffed, and relying upon temp services, which is EXPENSIVE. 

The fact that the sole long term public mental heath care facility cannot even maintain a reasonably stable of full time staff has arisen as a direct consequence of Cory Nelson's negative impacts on the operation of ASH in the years 2011-12. This man was hired as Chief Executive Officer at ASH in August, 2011, and shortly thereafter, he unilaterally tweaked the standards at ASH so radically that staff and patient safety spiraled downhill like a train without brakes, leading to countless episodes of violence, and the virtual exit of many of ASH's most qualified workers. One of the biggest alterations in this context has to do with Nelson's major downsizing of trained security staff, which he imparted under the guise of an operational approach entitled "Culture of Care". I attest to having witnessed the earliest phases of this process over the last 6 months of my time as an ASH patient, and the fact that numerous staff who I was on good terms with were increasingly expressing fear and anxiety about the changes that this Rat Bastard was putting into effect with little to no input from ASH staff, some of whom have been dedicating their lives to the operation of ASH for many, many years. In my own right, I also experienced heightened anxiety and duress following Nelson's arrival at ASH that arose when he and former Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven Dingle unlawfully retaliated against me by transferring me from the most peaceful treatment unit at ASH to the most violent, an action so imparted because of my willingness to openly report staff misconduct and clinical/administrative ineptitude, which I witnessed and experienced firsthand on a nearly daily basis for the entirety of my time as an ASH patient. It was that bad then, and today, it is clearly no better.

IN CLOSING: My concerns and work in general specific to the blog, etc., has always been centered on behalf of my former patient-peers at The Arizona State Hospital. But it goes farther, for I have also said from the get go that while The Arizona State Hospital is somewhat dominated by senior ranking nursing and psychiatric staff who have no regard whatsoever for the rights and care needs of their patients, there are also many good people working there who have been trying to serve their patient clients to the best of their given ability, in spite of the presence of the wrongdoing their supervisors, and so on. These good ASH staff carry on  as such because they are possessive of reasonable morality and associated heartfelt concern for their patient clients, and because they need their job(s). Indeed, these latter staff members know all to well about the fact that should they take a stand against the misconduct of other staff, including and especially with their supervisors in mind, they too will be retaliated against by ASH administrators; this is how it has always been, and it should be of no surprise to familiar with state managed bureaucracies across the board. At ASH, there is both a "What happens at ASH stays at ASH" mentality in effect, as well as a "Do not make waves!" mindset that has manifested due to the asinine management practices occurring there today, and the attendant fact that if you want to keep your job at ASH, then dare not challenge the status quo. In this context, my work is also oriented towards seeking improved employment practices at ASH, out of my heartfelt appreciation for those "good" ASH staff who played a central role in my own treatment as a patient there. And they know who they are: Pearls in the Desert. 

paoloreed@gmail.com