Ranting about State MH System!!

Elysium · 11:43 PM

Hey everyone...

Wanted to say "Hi" and also just wanted to rant a bit....

So, I started my orientation for my new nursing job last week and the first six days was a general orientation to the hospital. Now, I am working for our State mental health hospital/Institution. Being a State run facility, you can imagine that the system (State MH system) is terribly broken and dysfunctional. That is actually a dire understatement.

Everybody (staff) all do an excellent job with the equipment and resources that we have available to us, and also do a really good job treating the patients with respect. I have not seen any real questionable behavior from staff as of yet that I would consider abusive or neglectful...but the State does not allocate enough funds to staff the wards of the hospital appropriately, nor are the buildings/structures safe for patients to be in. (The State is in the process of building a brand new hospital so they are working on this issue)

So, today I was having lunch with one of the Directors. He oversees many units. It's a lot of work!! We were talking about the history of the facility. For those of you who have ever seen the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with Jack Nicholson, this is the hospital that they filmed that movie in....and it was old back then!! The grounds are very intriguing. You walk the campus and there is this old asylum type feeling that lingers. There are tunnels that run underneath the hospital that are still used today to transport linen and equipment, and also to transport maximum security patients from on building to another. A very long time ago, the hospital housed so many patients that they would actually have to put patients down in the tunnels and have them live there. Again....this was a VERY long time ago and is no longer practiced.

Anyway...me and this director were walking around the campus today and talking about the different buildings there and he pointed out that one the buildings that housed MOST of the patients was so old that it didn't have any fire sprinkler system in it. He said that the tunnels ran right underneath the access road that goes up to this building and that he was down in the tunnels once before and noticed water leaking down from above. He started looking up at the cement ceiling and said he noticed that the steel that supports the tunnels was completely eroding. He then asked if I knew what he meant. I didn't really, but he continued to tell me that Ladder Fire Trucks weigh about 90 thousand pounds (he's also a Medic) and that the tunnels under the road would not hold even one fire truck without collapsing. He basically stated that there was no way to get any fire trucks or equipment to this building, that didn't have a sprinkler system, and that about 2/3rds of our patients reside in this building!! (Hence one reason for new hospital) These buildings are also full of asbestos and lead paint and a couple of the buildings have been condemned. There are certain areas of underground tunnels that have been condemned as well.

The good news here....currently the Hospital is being operated under the Department of Human Services....(total fail) but some of the patient advocates led some of the patients through a lawsuit with the State, for violation of their civil rights, and the Department of Justice has stepped in and given the Operating Officers some lists of things that need to be done, or else DOJ is going to come in and take over the hospital. This means that most of the current managers would get canned, but us Nurses most likely wouldn't be. So...we shall see. I almost hope they take it over. I think it would benefit our patients.

The other thing that drives me insane....

Furlough days!!! These are days when all State facilities must close throughout the year (during the week) in order to save the State money. This includes all State workers, including Nurses. How much sense does this make? They force Nurses to take days off, to save money (State won't have to pay them), but then they make other Nurses work OVERTIME, getting paid time and a half to cover the shifts of the nurses forced to take furlough days.

I love working with the patients and the staff...but the State Government is about as sharp as a cotton ball!!!

Elysium · Mar 05, 2010, 11:53 PM

I just wanted to add....that I hope I didn't offend anyone with my post.

In society, there is a definite stigma towards the patients/clients that are institutionalized. Even stigma among staff and patients/clients. Kind of an us versus them mentality. (I know you all are aware of this) I just want you all to know that I don't see myself as different from any of us on PC...and I don't see any of us as different as anyone else out in society. The way I look at it...there is no us and them...just us.

Pretty much every staff member I have gotten a chance to get to know has either been impacted by MI either themselves or they have a family member that has an MI. It's been comforting to see that the nursing staff has the mentality that, as staff, we are no more or less important than the people we care for. We are all people helping people...and there isn't anyone that I have met yet that hasn't held to that same ideal. Albeit, it's only been my first two weeks there so I haven't gotten to meet everyone yet.

I guess I just feel worried that you all will hate me now or feel like I've "gone to the dark side" and am now "one of them". I want you all to know that I am one of them...but we all are, because them is us. No one is any better or worse as far as worth as a person.

googley · Mar 06, 2010, 01:33 AM

That is a scary place to work. I'm surprised they are allowed to keep patients in a place that does not have any sprinklers. I'm glad that a case was brought to force improvements at the hospital. Do you know how long it is going to take to get the new facility built? Take care.

possum220 · Mar 06, 2010, 01:39 AM

Elysium............ you are one of us.

You will be a light in the darkness.

Mar 06, 2010, 10:20 AM

(((((((( Elysium ))))))))

pachyderm · Mar 10, 2010, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elysium

Pretty much every staff member I have gotten a chance to get to know has either been impacted by MI either themselves or they have a family member that has an MI. It's been comforting to see that the nursing staff has the mentality that, as staff, we are no more or less important than the people we care for. We are all people helping people...and there isn't anyone that I have met yet that hasn't held to that same ideal.

Would you say that applies to all the staff, as well as the nursing staff? Pretty impressive, if so.

Elysium · Mar 10, 2010, 09:25 PM

I would say that it applies to most of the med/nursing staff...and some of the folks that work behind the scenes as well.

There are a select few who don't get it, but that's why they don't do direct patient/client care.

The nice thing too is that they hire folks who have emotional/psychiatric disabilities and give them a chance to work and excel in their work. They hire a lot of folks from Voc Rehab to do plumbing and electrician work. Also to run the plant.

They also allow inmates from the State Pen to come in and volunteer on some of the units. We have one inmate on our floor who is awesome. He's in jail for 15 years for committing a crime, but he has a mental disorder and he is well behaved in prison and in the hospital. He does laundry for the patients, makes their beds for them, and they help do some housekeeping around the unit.

It's a great program.