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I was completely horrified after reading yesterday's front page article titled "Children's ward cold and infested". Mentally ill children being housed in an old army barracks - rooms are cold, infested with insects, toilets and sinks are clogged. C'mom - what it is this?? It's 2009 folks. Conditions such as these are straight out of a 1950's horror novel or Oliver Twist. How in the world can this happen? I am totally appalled and embarrassed. People profess to be good Christians - how can we let children live like this? Adults were moved from this facility, likely because they are able to protest, yet innocent children remain. I think we all need to write to our governor, congressmen/women, state representatives and anyone else who could possibly make a difference. Protest loudly folks.
It is highly disturbing. For those that haven't seen it, here's a link to the article.
Children's ward cold and infested - Mental Disorder: The Failure of Reform - News & Observer (http://www.newsobserver.com/2771/story/1416681.html - broken link)
Two statements within it confuse me. First, why are the conditions unacceptable for adults to live within but okay for children. One would think the opposite might be true? Secondly, this quote "
Rick Stogner, the building maintenance director at Central Regional, said in an interview that his office tries to warn staff members when the heat will be shut off for repairs. But he said that calls about uncomfortable temperatures are no different from anywhere else and come down to satisfying personal preferences.
The children's buildings do not have an unusual number of complaints about bugs, he said, and clogs come with old plumbing where a dozen people or more use the same toilets and showers."
Did someone really says this? If so, someone should ask him if he would live in those conditions and accept that answer as reason enought to keep living within those conditions.
Thanks for the link to the article! Apparently, there is a new designated area for children in the Dorothea Dix hospital in downtown Raleigh. The area currently sits empty!! Why? Because so many businesses have expressed interest in purchasing this building due to its prime location. NCSU is one. So, our children suffer whilst we decide how best to utilize the space!
Hi,
I am a travel nurse and have worked at Cherry, Dorthea Dix and John Umstead.
I can say so much about my experiences but it will suffice to say that everything that we have been reading for the last year or so is true !
Out of all the places I loved Dorthea Dix the best and found many of the staff caring and invested in their patients.
It would be a shame for the people of raleigh to lose this place for the sake of greed.
The mentally ill have no voice. The mental health system in NC is archaic at best. Like everywhere it is short staffed. The HCT's are not educated enough in regards to mental health issues. One day one of the patients looked at me and said "Blank, why do they hire thugs?". I was so sad and unable to frankly answer this question.
But primarily it is because it is a low paying job. They do not have education, training and inservices like they did years ago and remember we are not just dealing with mentally ill, but from my experiences these people were mentally ill, little education (sometimes only 8th grade), drug addictions, medical issues, homeless, dysfunctional families etc.
Frankly its a mess!
After beginning at Cherry hospital years ago I hit the prayer hot line over and over about the conditions and obviously "all things hidden came to the light" over the span of this past year.
I can really go on and on about all this. The problems are not just one dimension but muti dimensional. With layers of issues that need to be addressed. Nothing in life is black n white and neither is this issue.
I saw EXCELLENT staff at these hospitals and staff that were hired that SHOULD NEVER be working with human beings let alone vulnerable ones.
I wish i could say more.
I am back North now and honestly I miss NC and the patients and staff at these hospitals.
At least we can all rest well knowing that murderers and rapists at Central Prison live in relative luxury, with dependable climate control, better "plumbing ratios", cable television, etc...
Our priorities are completely out of whack. We insist on humane treatment for those who treat others inhumanely, however we let inhumane conditions exist for those who cannot even help themselves.
I'm reading The Soloist at the moment and this caught my eye yesterday...
Stigma, March says, keeps families from accepting a loved one's illness and seeking treatment for them, and it also marginalizes those who are afflicted. Why else, she asks me, would it be socially acceptable for them (the mentally ill) to sleep on filthy and dangerous streets? Would anyone tolerate an outdoor dumping ground for victims of cancer, ALS and Parkinson's?
I remember when i first started working at one of these hospitals which i will not name. We had so many admissions that they started putting people on these army barack type cots. I was aghast. And when I said something about it I was told " They didnt care where they slept, they were mentally ill and they dont care about things like comfort " etc.
Agggggggggggggggggggggggg....
I'm hoping things will improve now that the public is being made aware of this situation. Those holding office in NC government ought to be downright mortified, and rightfully so. You can bet your bottom dollar none of their family members are patients in that facility. This is truly archeic care of the mentally ill.
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