News Jersey wastes money & screws the mentallly ill

[JDGraeme]

To point out an example of the waste and injustice in NJ.

[ann_lepore]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ann_lepore
News Jersey has a system whereby it funds "screeners" and "crisis centers" to evaluate people with mental health problems--depression, eating disorders, etc. They're supposed to help these people and save the state money.

But screeners have a vested interest in having people committed, either long-term or for a few weeks (which can be done without a hearing before a judge). The psychiatrist just rubber stamps the evaluation. The hospital gets paid from the insurance company, the patient, or government charity care.

It seems that things haven't changed since Aviram's wrote in his study of NJ (Aviram U. Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 21(2):195-211. Screening services in civil commitment of the mentally ill: an attempt to balance individual liberties with needs for treatment.)-- "Furthermore, findings indicated that screeners encouraged hospitalization readily even if other, less restrictive environments could have been pursued. Screening centers may become "gate openers" instead of playing their expected role as 'gate keepers.'"

Investigations by other committees in other parts of the country found the same thing, e.g., "U.S. Representative Patricia Schroeder of Colorado held hearings investigating the practices of psychiatric hospitals in the United States. Her committee's summary: "Our investigation has found that thousands of adolescents, children, and adults have been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment they didn't need; that hospitals hire bounty hunters to kidnap patients...that psychiatrists are being pressured by the hospitals to increase profit; that hospitals 'infiltrate' schools by paying kickbacks to school counselors who deliver students; that bonuses are paid to hospital employees, including psychiatrists, for keeping the hospital beds filled."
--Lawrence Stevens, esq.
http://www.antipsychiatry.org/unjustif.htm

Many cases have come to light in New Jersey recently: The waste and inefficiency of government rarely changes--There are too many interests supporting the status quo.

Originally Posted by Sawdustmaker

So what is your point?

The point is to illustrate one more waste of money in NJ that no one will even admit to. They claim to be helping people in need, but in fact they're charging the medical costs to those committed or charging it to charity care without even giving the person the opportunity to present his case to a judge. It can take up to 3 weeks to get a hearing before a judge, during which time the charges pile up. Persons charged with a crime get better treatment than that.

[qjbusmaster]

Originally Posted by ann_lepore

Quote:
Originally Posted by ann_lepore
News Jersey has a system whereby it funds "screeners" and "crisis centers" to evaluate people with mental health problems--depression, eating disorders, etc. They're supposed to help these people and save the state money.

But screeners have a vested interest in having people committed, either long-term or for a few weeks (which can be done without a hearing before a judge). The psychiatrist just rubber stamps the evaluation. The hospital gets paid from the insurance company, the patient, or government charity care.

It seems that things haven't changed since Aviram's wrote in his study of NJ (Aviram U. Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 21(2):195-211. Screening services in civil commitment of the mentally ill: an attempt to balance individual liberties with needs for treatment.)-- "Furthermore, findings indicated that screeners encouraged hospitalization readily even if other, less restrictive environments could have been pursued. Screening centers may become "gate openers" instead of playing their expected role as 'gate keepers.'"

Investigations by other committees in other parts of the country found the same thing, e.g., "U.S. Representative Patricia Schroeder of Colorado held hearings investigating the practices of psychiatric hospitals in the United States. Her committee's summary: "Our investigation has found that thousands of adolescents, children, and adults have been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment they didn't need; that hospitals hire bounty hunters to kidnap patients...that psychiatrists are being pressured by the hospitals to increase profit; that hospitals 'infiltrate' schools by paying kickbacks to school counselors who deliver students; that bonuses are paid to hospital employees, including psychiatrists, for keeping the hospital beds filled."
--Lawrence Stevens, esq.
http://www.antipsychiatry.org/unjustif.htm

Many cases have come to light in New Jersey recently: The waste and inefficiency of government rarely changes--There are too many interests supporting the status quo.





The point is to illustrate one more waste of money in NJ that no one will even admit to. They claim to be helping people in need, but in fact they're charging the medical costs to those committed or charging it to charity care without even giving the person the opportunity to present his case to a judge. It can take up to 3 weeks to get a hearing before a judge, during which time the charges pile up. Persons charged with a crime get better treatment than that.

you just bumped a 2010 thread