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| Author Paolo Jack "PJ" Reed Late winter, 2012. |
The staff of PJ Reed The Arizona State Hospital and Patient Abuse wish to extend our wish for a happy holiday season to the men and women hospitalized in Arizona's sole long term public mental health care facility, as well to patient' families, the members of the Hospital's Independent Oversight Committee, and anybody else of good faith and ethical character with direct association to the operation of ASH. Please rest assured, good people, in knowing that we will remain alert as a watch-dog resource in relation to the operation of the Arizona State Hospital (ASH; 2500 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008; [602] 244-1331).
As much as I, PJ Reed, may have hoped that current state employed mental health care authorities in AZ would become allies in relation to the rights and care needs of ASH patients, wherein we would have happily extended this same wish to them, it is apparent by now that this hope was unrealistic. Sad but true, it is what it is, consistent with the horrific realities historically associated with state mental hospitals. Yes, things are "so much better then they used to be", as so many Americans believe; but regardless of actual progress in the overall medical field(s), these such facilities do and have always lagged to some grossly disproportionate degree behind it all.
It need be noted, however, that there are more then a few well intentioned staff members at ASH. To them we do share this wish, and thank them yet again- Jewels in the desert all of of you!- for their willingness to remember just who the primary stakeholders at ASH are, in fact, the patients. Working in defiance, these good people, of the grossly corrupted mentalities of ASH administrators, supervisory staff, and psychiatric authorities.
And there it is today: From the recently exhibited mentality of current the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) current Director, Dr. Cara Christ, to the current CEO at ASH, Dr. Aaron Bowen, we are aware at this time that all patterns of abject and substandard care practices and conditions at ASH exposed circa 2012-2015 (and so on, as documented history proves) have yet to be meaningfully resolved. As a direct consequence of this reality, preventable death(s) and other such issues flowing from basic negligence, administrative ineptitude, and associated incompetence in the ADHS construct are potentially occurring on a day in, day out basis. This is irrefutably on point with the longer history of ASH, and far too many other such state managed mental health resources.
To an marked extent, this current scandal at ASH emerged following the effort of an ASH patient to openly express well founded concern about the criminal history of the Hospital's longtime chief medical officer, Dr. Steven Dingle. (Yes, criminal, and if only this man was not a doctor, in fact, he would have all but certainly faced prosecution in Arizona's criminal courts.)
Point in fact #1) The patient's effort in this matter was lawful and protected by the provisions of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, while Dingle's documented history as a sexual abuser of women is nothing less then depraved and patently against the law.
Point in fact #2) Just as disturbingly, upon voicing this concern, ASH's current chief executive officer, Dr. Aaron Bowen, willfully abridged the involved patient's right(s) in a context of this protection. Bowen did thus engage in violating standards of law on the basis of the patient exercising his lawful right as an American.
Point in fact #3) while just as badly, Bowen's action in this matter was subsequently defended not only by Christ herself in a public statement to local media, but in fact by an attorney, Greg Honig, employed by Christ, as well.
These just more bright line examples of the plain fact that it is ASH administrative staff and ADHS officials who so routinely violate codes of law and policy, and not necessarily any member of the ASH patient community.
It need be noted, however, that there are more then a few well intentioned staff members at ASH. To them we do share this wish, and thank them yet again- Jewels in the desert all of of you!- for their willingness to remember just who the primary stakeholders at ASH are, in fact, the patients. Working in defiance, these good people, of the grossly corrupted mentalities of ASH administrators, supervisory staff, and psychiatric authorities.
And there it is today: From the recently exhibited mentality of current the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) current Director, Dr. Cara Christ, to the current CEO at ASH, Dr. Aaron Bowen, we are aware at this time that all patterns of abject and substandard care practices and conditions at ASH exposed circa 2012-2015 (and so on, as documented history proves) have yet to be meaningfully resolved. As a direct consequence of this reality, preventable death(s) and other such issues flowing from basic negligence, administrative ineptitude, and associated incompetence in the ADHS construct are potentially occurring on a day in, day out basis. This is irrefutably on point with the longer history of ASH, and far too many other such state managed mental health resources.
To an marked extent, this current scandal at ASH emerged following the effort of an ASH patient to openly express well founded concern about the criminal history of the Hospital's longtime chief medical officer, Dr. Steven Dingle. (Yes, criminal, and if only this man was not a doctor, in fact, he would have all but certainly faced prosecution in Arizona's criminal courts.)
Point in fact #1) The patient's effort in this matter was lawful and protected by the provisions of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, while Dingle's documented history as a sexual abuser of women is nothing less then depraved and patently against the law.
Point in fact #2) Just as disturbingly, upon voicing this concern, ASH's current chief executive officer, Dr. Aaron Bowen, willfully abridged the involved patient's right(s) in a context of this protection. Bowen did thus engage in violating standards of law on the basis of the patient exercising his lawful right as an American.
Point in fact #3) while just as badly, Bowen's action in this matter was subsequently defended not only by Christ herself in a public statement to local media, but in fact by an attorney, Greg Honig, employed by Christ, as well.
These just more bright line examples of the plain fact that it is ASH administrative staff and ADHS officials who so routinely violate codes of law and policy, and not necessarily any member of the ASH patient community.
This recent body of events created a shit storm of sorts, which at first seemed to pose the most threat to the ASH Human Rights Committee (now known as the ASH Independent Oversight Committee; "IOC"), ultimately landed on the heads the very ones who started it all: ASH administrators, ADHS officials, who did attempt, as per the record and thankfully to little prevail, to thwart the function and objectives of ASH's IOC.
Classically asinine bumbling, clearly representative of bureaucratic incompetence and utterly shortsighted administrative misconduct; and directly comparable to the related fact that it was not until fall, 2012, that ADHS officials even established this crucially needed resource, following PJ Reed's tactful demand (to then ADHS Director Will Humble) that, as per Arizona's Administrative Code, this Committee be assembled and granted opportunity to serve the rights and care needs of the ASH patient community.
As a bright line result of this aforementioned shit storm, AZ Senator Nancy Barto immediately came to the defense of the Committee (Thank you, Senator Barto!); while Christ, Bowen and company are now being sued by more then one entity with sincere concern for the welfare of ASH patients. And, of course, the defense(s) of these people will be funded at taxpayer expense, in itself a clear breach of the public trust.
It is, all of it, no different then it was circa the period 2011-12, when I personally witnessed and experienced firsthand these same precise forms of unlawful misconduct. Abuses of patients, abuses of power, abuses of the public trust. Thoroughly condoned by all associated parties, all the way up the food chain, from the level of direct care staff, e.g. the physically abusive staff technician Elaine Traylor and the since incarcerated-child sexual predator security guard Roger Forney, and on up to both (then) ASH CEO Cory Nelson and (then) ADHS Director Will Humble. (Bowen and Christ's immediate predecessors!).
It was was that bad then, it is that bad today. This cannot, must not continue.
We are now- late 2018- working in collaboration with several nationally recognized mental health policy advocates, including but not limited to author D.J. Jaffe and noted psychiatrist Dr. E. Fuller Torrey. As such, upcoming material to be included in this publication will be provided full support from the Treatment Advocacy Center (200 N. Glebe Road #801, Arlington, VA 22203; [703] 294-6001]), as well as Mental Health Policy Org (50 East 129 Street, Suite PH7, New York, NY 10035; [email: office@mentalillnesspolicy.org). All of it, much appreciated and foretelling a new chapter in terms of our work. Such collaboration is key to legitimate reform in the realm of public health care across the board, be it with media, reputable mental health advocacy resources, and on the list goes.
Our work is and has always been 100% on behalf of the interests of the ASH patient community, and individuals mired in all/any such settings, as it always has been on our end of the conduit. State mis-managed mental health care facilities, specifically speaking, which have always been operated in defiance of contemporarily established medical standards. Mis-managed, as such, by highly entrusted "public servants", who for any number of reasons- from lack of ethos to downright ineptitude and everything in between- routinely fail to provide reasonable optimum medical services to the disabled client/consumer/Americans under their direct care.
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| Author PJ Reed September, 2018. |
History does not have to repeat itself, we have emphasized this time and time again. But if all we can expect out of such entrusted officials (in AZ and beyond) are patterns of inhumane and unlawful misconduct, it will be necessary for history to repeat itself yet again. It is profoundly contrary to the expectations of any reasonably intelligent and informed American citizen today, and yet, there it is.
All issues at stake are of human interest, in USA and elsewhere, and it is sinful for licensed medical professionals to willfully further the harms imposed on the seriously mentally ill, harms so often presented in the annals of American history. It is their's and nobody else's fault, bottom line, whatever befalls them. No excuse(s), I don't give a crap who you may happen to be in context.
IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
paoloreed@gmail.com
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I would really love input of any kind from anybody with any interest whatsoever in the issues that I am sharing in this blog. I mean it, anybody, for I will be the first one to admit that I may be inaccurately depicting certain aspects of the conditions
at ASH, and anonymous comments are fine. In any case, I am more than willing to value anybody's feelings about my writing, and I assure you that I will not intentionally exploit or otherwise abuse your right to express yourself as you deem fit. This topic is far, far too important for anything less. Thank you, whoever you are. Peace and Frogs.