Hospitals Should Heal Not Kill
- van: Mental Health Rights Yes.org
- ontvanger: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services
North Carolina's health system has become a danger to itself and others.
Last April, 27-year-old Andre Walker sought care from a Fayetteville hospital and never made it out alive. He was choked to death by hired security officers restraining him in the emergency room. http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2012/jan/19/wsmain01-hospital-facing-federal-deadline-ar-1829756/
Federal regulators investigated and already let the hospital off the hook. This failure and that of past disciplinary measures show this worn-out method of dealing with hospital deaths is just another symptom of the system's insanity - doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.
It's time for NC to adopt a safe and effective approach to health care like Finland's Open Dialogue program or Soteria House, recently revived in Alaska.
Don't let Andre Walker's death be in vain. Let his be the last death caused by this broken system.
Hospitals should heal, not kill. N.C. reform your system!
We, the undersigned, believe that the recent strangulation death of Andre Walker by security officers hired by a North Carolina hospital must never happen again.
We know that past neglect and abuse of North Carolina's mental patients has led to a number (at least 50 over the past two decades) of unnecessary deaths, and it is time for the state to do something different. It's time for N.C. to commit itself to something drastic.
Whats more disturbing is a state analysis of 323 hospital reported deaths involving restraint or seclusion in 2008-2009. Despite the number of deaths reported, the state investigated less than two thirds and concluded that NONE of these deaths were caused by restraint or seclusion!
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/mhddsas/statspublications/reports/reports-generalassembly/deaths/dhhs-death-report-10-09.pdf
Clearly the deaths being reported by facilities themselves as restraint/seclusion-related are not all being investigated. And the findings that none out of 323 were actually R/S related could not appear more suspicious.
Clearly the current methods of dealing with these tragedies and atrocities is not working. They are ineffective, outdated and don't deal with the root of the problem, which is the state's mental health system itself.
The system is based on coercion, labeling and mislabeling, drugging and force-drugging, restraint and intimidation - a punishment-based system that blames patients when they experience adverse reactions to the drugs forced or pushed upon them, often offering them none of the several more safe and effective options for treatment.
Furthermore, the system rarely screens for the many physical causes of mental symptoms, causes for which an easy cure is often available. Instead the system relies almost exclusively on the pharmaceutical model of mental health care - coercion and drugging. And if that doesn't work, even worse methods are used, including forced electro-shock therapy.
We believe there are better ways.
We suggest that regulatory systems, rather than withholding funds from hospitals as punishment, instead demand that new and innovative treatments and methods be employed to treat and work with patients with special needs.
We suggest that North Carolina, along with Medicaid and Medicare, meet with representatives from the more innovative, effective, and compassionate treatment models to learn how to implement ways to reform the state's health care system.
Some organizations to contact are:
The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care
Dr. Peter Breggin's Empathic Therapy Network
Soteria House of Alaska
Open Dialogue (in the U.S.) Mary Olsen
ISEPP: International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry
North Carolina's own: Cooper Riis Treatment Center
As you can see, there are many other options than the antiquated coercive and drug-oriented ones now being promoted as the "standard of care," which is obviously not providing a high standard of care at all. North Carolina's mental health crisis has been in the news for some time, and it's no secret that the system is broken.
Andre Walker's death shows that more than repair of this broken system is needed. It is time for the system to commit itself to complete reform.
For more on the reason why this system needs reform:
http://www.alternet.org/story/153634/7_reasons_america%27s_mental_health_industry_is_a_threat_to_our_sanity
We ask that you take these suggestions seriously and thank you for your consideration. Don't let Andre Walker die in vain.
petitie tekenenpetitie tekenenWe know that past neglect and abuse of North Carolina's mental patients has led to a number (at least 50 over the past two decades) of unnecessary deaths, and it is time for the state to do something different. It's time for N.C. to commit itself to something drastic.
Whats more disturbing is a state analysis of 323 hospital reported deaths involving restraint or seclusion in 2008-2009. Despite the number of deaths reported, the state investigated less than two thirds and concluded that NONE of these deaths were caused by restraint or seclusion!
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/mhddsas/statspublications/reports/reports-generalassembly/deaths/dhhs-death-report-10-09.pdf
Clearly the deaths being reported by facilities themselves as restraint/seclusion-related are not all being investigated. And the findings that none out of 323 were actually R/S related could not appear more suspicious.
Clearly the current methods of dealing with these tragedies and atrocities is not working. They are ineffective, outdated and don't deal with the root of the problem, which is the state's mental health system itself.
The system is based on coercion, labeling and mislabeling, drugging and force-drugging, restraint and intimidation - a punishment-based system that blames patients when they experience adverse reactions to the drugs forced or pushed upon them, often offering them none of the several more safe and effective options for treatment.
Furthermore, the system rarely screens for the many physical causes of mental symptoms, causes for which an easy cure is often available. Instead the system relies almost exclusively on the pharmaceutical model of mental health care - coercion and drugging. And if that doesn't work, even worse methods are used, including forced electro-shock therapy.
We believe there are better ways.
We suggest that regulatory systems, rather than withholding funds from hospitals as punishment, instead demand that new and innovative treatments and methods be employed to treat and work with patients with special needs.
We suggest that North Carolina, along with Medicaid and Medicare, meet with representatives from the more innovative, effective, and compassionate treatment models to learn how to implement ways to reform the state's health care system.
Some organizations to contact are:
The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care
Dr. Peter Breggin's Empathic Therapy Network
Soteria House of Alaska
Open Dialogue (in the U.S.) Mary Olsen
ISEPP: International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry
North Carolina's own: Cooper Riis Treatment Center
As you can see, there are many other options than the antiquated coercive and drug-oriented ones now being promoted as the "standard of care," which is obviously not providing a high standard of care at all. North Carolina's mental health crisis has been in the news for some time, and it's no secret that the system is broken.
Andre Walker's death shows that more than repair of this broken system is needed. It is time for the system to commit itself to complete reform.
For more on the reason why this system needs reform:
http://www.alternet.org/story/153634/7_reasons_america%27s_mental_health_industry_is_a_threat_to_our_sanity
We ask that you take these suggestions seriously and thank you for your consideration. Don't let Andre Walker die in vain.
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