Of Dr. Cara Christ II. And the increasingly  dubious question of whether she has what it takes in terms of doing the right thing.

MAY 10, 2016. AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE  STAFF OF PJ REED ARIZONA STATE HOSPITAL AND PATIENT ABUSE, TO AZ DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DIRECTOR DR. CARA CHRIST. SENT VIA EMAIL TO: 

Cara.Christ@azdhs.gov

Dr. Pervaiz Akhter
Primary attending psychiatrist
Arizona State Hospital
1997-2015

Introduction: As we have made clear in a range of previously published articles, the ongoing corruption and substandard care practices  at Arizona's sole long term public mental health facility only exist(s) due to abject shortfalls in the uppermost offices of the state's public health care agency, AZ Department of Health, and it's underling agency, AZ Behavioral Health Services. These shortfalls, which were exemplified circa 2011-15 by the disturbing  record of former ADHS Director, Will "Yea, team!" Humble, and the shocking complicity of individuals employed in the Department's Office of Grievances and Appeals, and by assistant AZ attorney general, Joel "the mortician-angel of darkness" Rudd as well (longtime ASH legal counsel, who operates out of an office on Hospital grounds), directly further the abject presence of substandard medical practices at ASH in all senses. Substandard practices equally exemplified by long time ASH Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Steven Dingle, who has for no less then 10 years literally condoned all elements of the now proven problems at the facility where he is obligated by law and policy to ensure optimum care on behalf of the ASH patient community, and any number of other care providers at ASH at this time. The manner in which these issues are allowed to continually occur has everything to do with what I characterize as a "trickle down effect", an effect the most harmful impacts upon of which land squarely on the heads of ASH patients across the board; grossly negligent administrative incompetence in ADHS/BHS' highest ranks of executive employment, and the directly associated abuse of ASH patients in the Hospital itself.

I did make every attempt to compel former ADHS Director Will Humble when he was in a position to meaningfully address the corruption at ASH once and for all. However, in gross violation of his duty specific to the citizens of Arizona as a whole, he blatantly censured or otherwise concealed the vast amount of information available to him in those years with respect for the issues at ASH (which as a state managed medical facility is obligated to provide optimum health care to its clientele  all of whom are as matter of plain fact AZ citizens in their own right), this circa his role in the debacle, 2011-2015, prior to the hiring of Dr. Cara Christ.

This particular man's misbehavior applies to his having snubbed my attempts to bring his attention to the issues at stake,  as well as the investigative efforts and findings of Phoenix area ABC Ch15 when they too sought his consultation in the context.  And today, I and other persons seeking to see that the substandard conditions at ASH are curtailed once and for all can only hope and pray that Dr. Cara Christ is of the requisite character needed to bring this ongoing inhumane scandal to an end, again, once and for all.

I also contend that my own, as well and Ch15's work in the context, is and has always been offered in good faith. While the lack of response of Humble occurred via nothing more of less then bad faith and unlawful misconduct, to the direct detriment of ASH patients.

That said, the following is an amended copy of a May 10, 2016, email correspondence  directed by me to the current Director of ADHS, Dr. Cara Christ. An attempt to encourage her, in good faith, to do the right thing.

Hello, Dr. Christ. (Cara.Christ@azdhs.gov)

With all due respect, I am today compelled to ask you to wake up and smell the coffee once and for all.

ABC Ch15's most recent report of contraband is yet again a critical confirmation of my efforts on behalf of the ASH patient community. Confirmation, as well, of each and every element of the data I have presented in my blog. Which I have put forth- in part- as means for you and your associates to do the right thing, again, on behalf of the ASH patient community.

In spring, 2012. while hospitalized on the civil side of ASH, I personally submitted a formal grievance to ADHS Office of Human Rights about the omnipresence of illicit substances, which I knew were creating a wide range of safety issues and other like harm to patients and staff alike. A former ADHS OHR representative, John Gallagher, came to speak with me about the issue shortly thereafter. He then filed a letter to ASH administrators, a "shot across the bow', as he called it.

The response of ASH administrators at that time was limited to closing the patient bathrooms on the common area, known on the civil side as "the mall." These closures were dictated in part by ASH security staff, as well. No attention whatsoever to the bare bones fact that ASH staff, including and perhaps most importantly, ASH security staff, are all but 100% behind the smuggling of such substances onto hospital grounds. Which are then distributed to a select few ASH patients, who in turn, sell said substances at greatly exorbitant prices. I know this for a fact, for I witnessed it, and did in fact speak to several of the patents directly involved in the matter.

The only clear development when those bathrooms were closed amounted to patients urinating and defecating on hospital grounds. The presence of illicitly distributed substances was not effected at all. I attest to this. 

I also reported this, and basically all of my related concerns, to my assigned primary caregivers, including Dr. Laxman Patel (his precise response to me was "What do you except? This is the state hospital...."); Dr. Pervaiz Akhter (who stated "Who do you think you are? Trying to accuse staff of such wrongdoing..."); and Dr. Lynn Lydon (who stated, "I am not a big fan of rules....").

And in time, whenever he had the courage to take a moment to meet with me in person, I also shared my concerns with ASH CMO Dr. Steven Dingle (you know, the "doctor" directly censured in the mid 1990s by the AZ Board of Medical Examiners for disturbingly depraved sexual abuse of women working under his authority before he even arrived at ASH), but  Dingle too refused to take any action in the context. All such records are in my possession today.

Which is to say as emphatically as I am able to, given the circumstances: 

I am not making this stuff up- I couldn't even if a had to. 

I do not feel any need to mention the related fact that Cory Nelson and Donna Noriega had full awareness of the matter, as do ASH staff across the board even today. I take for granted, as such, that Dr. Bowen, does as well. And long time ASH legal representative Joel Rudd, who as you know operates out of an on-grounds office. Etc.

This issue of staff smuggled contraband is not limited to one unit in the criminal (forensics) area of ASH. Tobacco and other substances are distributed as described throughout the facility as a whole, including on the civil side. Likewise, the presence of these substances are not coming into ASH from visitors (family, etc.). Take into account that if 35 or so reports of this issue have emerged in recent months, how many other like instances were not reported or otherwise discovered.

You need to take a good hard look at ASH security. They are 100% obligated to search each and every person entering hospital grounds. Thoroughly search, as such, staff and visitors alike. I learned while an ASH patient that security staff were entirely involved in allowing for these substances onto hospital grounds. It is that simple, and I freely attest to the fact, as it stands.

Please. Do the right thing. Break the longstanding presence of abject denial and outright negligence when it comes to meaningfully addressing these matters as they stand. Now.

Thanks. Author, PJ Reed The Arizona State Hospital and Patient Abuse. 

(paoloreed@gmail.com)

-------------------------------

Circa the years 2011-2015, I personally directed numerous correspondence to a host of various persons employed in the state of Arizona's Department of Health Services. As stated, I always did so in good faith, and merely as a matter of seeing that ASH's seriously mentally ill and disabled (under state and federal law) patient community are provided with the same level of health care that any American expects. And, as stated, when I engaged in this line of direct action on behalf of ASH patients in years past, I literally ran into brick walls- censorship,  rejection, and outright dereliction of duty-  at each and every level of agency supervised public resource(s), including but far from limited to former ADHS head Will "Yea, team!" Humble.

In more recent months, I have taken the time and effort to compel the  current administrators at ASH and in ADHS to prove their willingness to alter the longstanding refusal of such officials to address the issues at ASH once and for all. Sadly, I am sincere in stating today that I regret the fact that these persons, Dr. Cara Christ and Dr. Aaron Bowen  most specifically, are now engaged in the same types of clearly bad faith misbehavior that I have by now become so familiar with when it comes to the operation of ASH. Abject refusal to grant the public information about the operation of ASH, in blatant defiance of law and policy. Transparency is the core issue at stake in this sense, and these individuals are required as per their employment contracts with the state of Arizona to ensure that any form of concealment in this context is not allowed to occur. But consistent with the history of the overall operation of ASH in mind, it is readily apparent that these individuals are no more willing to meet their obligations then their Rat Bastard predecessors.

It sickens me, and nothing less. To the core. That said...

This has to end. Now.

I encourage anyone of like concern to contact Dr. Cara Christ as I have done. Via her email address at the Arizona Department of Health:

Cara.Christ@azdhs.gov

IN CLOSING: Herein, more fodder for the BLOG, and the book. Where once I had hoped to identify  Dr. Cara Christ as a crucial turning point in this story, as it stands, I am today forced to identify her, very possibly in the preface to my manuscript, as well as in the closing chapter(s), as just one more aspect of the problems, as they still stand. Problems that are occurring in graphic violation of the public trust. The citizens of Arizona, and the greater public in general, deserve far better.

paoloreed@gmail.com