Sometimes, mental health treatment means having to go into a modern psychiatric hospital. Unlike psychiatric hospitals of old, modern facilities are meant to help stabilize an individual and provide a safe and protected environment for a person to heal with around-the-clock care.
But modern psychiatric hospitals …
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Between hospitals trying to make a profit and insurance companies trying to hold down their costs, it’s a miracle that anyone who is hopsitlized today gets adequate psychiatric treatment.
Wendy Aron, author of Hide & Seek: How I Laughed at Depression, Conquered My Fears adn Found Happiness
http://www.wendyaron.com
PSI is also having problems in Illinois where I am. They own Riveredge hospital, and the situation there became so severe that child & family services had to pull children and adolescents from the facility due to allegations of patient-on-patient abuses that staff alledgely knew was occurring. DCFS also cut their contacts with staff as a result.
Wendy, in response to your comment: the problem we are facing in the metro-Chicago area is a lack of in-patient psychiatric facilities for patients in need. There are some quality hospitals out there, but they are getting more sparce as the state cuts funding for mental health and substance abuse services. Many hospitals are reducing their beds because of the lack of funding and increased number of uninsured patients. It’s not just an issue with the insurance companies or those doctors who over-extend inpt treatments.
The root of the problem is buried in the story: the absence of professional nursing care.
It’s the elephant in the room that no one EVER addresses. I blogged about professional nursing, health policy and patient advocacy, but to be honest, it’s been fruitless as no one cares in any sense.
I am a natural advocate for survivors of trauma. I have spoken at one state hospital and they received me with open arms. I would like to speak at all state and mental hospitals and schools. However, it appears that some hospital facilities do not wish to hear survivor’s share their stories. I look over their web sites and I don’t see their training that would include survivor’s story. I would say that our stories are much more personal and informative than coming from doctors who are over-medicating. I would like to see more involvment counselling and less medication. This may step on the toes of Psychiatrist, however, when over medication results, patients tend to suffer from severe constipation and add neglect to this, causing some patients to die. This really needs to be changed in the system.
This isa link to a site that published my then 11 year old son’s horror story about his 17 month stay in Psy Inc. owned Havenwyck Hospital in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
I have been trying to report the abuse at that place for almost three years and nobody will listen to me. It’s really quite apalling.
http://www.operationawareness.com/about_1_child.html
I run a website that advocates patient rights against this corporation and other psychiatric abuses. Please check out our website to find out more information on PSI and the hospitals that they run. I am always looking for volunteers or contributors as well.
What is the name of your site? I’d like to check it out. Thanks.
Subject: Sexual abuse of children who are state wards- Psychiatric Solutions owned facilty Havenwyck Hospital- Auburn Hills, Michigan
Because nobody will investigate the very real sexual abuse occurring at Havenwyck Hospital in Auburn Hills, Michigan I have been forced to air the situation on our local messageboard. This link will take you to the site. Thank you for you attention to this serious matter.
http://www.upnorthlife.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=4236
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PSY is definately a profit oriented company cutting corners on training and staffing. They also staff with the least qualified persons they can in order to keep wages low. I know of one of their CEO’s who had an MBA from an online university that is not even accredited. He got it in less than 1 year. The company knew it and told him to keep it quiet.
I worked for this company. They are under staffed as a policy. They staff with only the cheapest, least qualified people. They regularly have floor staff with no training of any kind running patient groups. The psychiatrists almost never see their patents and just make up chart notes. They hold patients hostage who have good insurance and have a no admit list for people they know don’t have insurance or toss them out when it expires regardless of how sick they are. They have zero psychologists in the hospital, I never could figure out how they got away with this. Anyone who brought any concern to management suddenly disappeared. The employee at their chino facility who was arrested for molesting the child patients was named employee of the year the week before despite the fact that numerous people had voiced concerns about this guy. The hospital refused to cooperate with the police investigation of this guy. The girl who he is accused of abusing could describe the inside of his house. The hospital is paying for his legal defense so they won’t have to pay damages to the family of the child whose life he destroyed. This place is a real class act.
Please feel free to check out my blogs and links. I am a Natural Advocate who came from three generations of incest. We are making a difference in the way people who are victimized are treated. I see the changes starting and it is so excited. I look forward to sharing my story all over the U.S. If you want to hear a story of murder, domestic violence, abuse of every nature, please feel free to contact me. I guarantee you that I can help get your organization funding through sharing my story. My story captivates the audience every time.
Thank you,
Susie Hortman
amen to the comments posted by disgusted April 1st,2009. I was also an employee of a PSI faciliy and one of those who mysteriously disappeared. I continue to have contact with individuals still employed and the staffing doesnt change unless for the worse. They get rid of the good and keep the incompetent. To say they have a registered nurse for every 4 patients is a gross understatement. There is often one RN on units of 15 to 20 patients. The remainder of licensed nursing staff consist of Licensed Vocational/Practical nurses or as in CA. Licensed Psychiatric Technitions who cant legally practice as licensed clinical or nuring personnel in other states. This money hungry corporation who will do whatever it takes to make a dime for their share holder including things as psychyological harassment to their employees. Thier corporate personnel have educational backgrounds in finance and not healthcare. Bottom line is the top line or the top dollar at whatever cost including negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of their patients and nursing staff.
I am currently waiting to see my fate at the hands of PSI. I was asked to live Tuesday morning and turn in my badge and keys. I am a MHT who had 22 pt and one patient eloped while i was busy tending to the others while the only RN was in the med room. Myself and the RN where the only staff available to see to the safety of these patients. I had worked my 3 days off to ensure that the patients were safe and on my schedule day to work i get feed to the wolf. This is a typical senario at my job the harder you work the more likely you’ll get turned on.
I was attacked by a male sex offender while running an art therapy group/Fox Run Hospital, St. Clairsville, OH. (Jan, 2007). They will not pay me a penny in compensation to date!! However, they gave me approximately $40 to travel to Columbus, OH, when the juvenile was convicted of felony abduction against me.
After having a near-perfect evaluation after my first three months of employments, shenanigans followed after my assault!!!
How about a class action law suit?
I work at SSBTS (GA). We recently had a high profile patient. I was amazed that Nancy Grace refered to us as a health care facility (we should be the trailer park of treatment facilities). We finally got our roof shingled after two years, the carpet is stained very bad, during a remodled we found several common areas with black mold. We are a mental health facility but we get many patient who should not be there because they are not medically stable for our facility–medicare should investigate. Managementy tried to pull oxygen from our facility and we don’t have AED(s) anymore. We are significantly understaffed this is the norm. Staff is bullied and terrorized by acting CEO Mike Hamm. Who said at a staff meeting recently, “I don’t care if you mom dies, you will work your schedule!” We are being serious mismanaged. We are holding patients 45 or more days in a 14 day program. I strongly suggest that anyone needing any psychiatric help, please research the facility and if its own by PSI please consider using a public facility where they will provide quality care, at SSBTS they care more about you money than your treatment. Their motto is if we help them we lose repeat business.
I too work at SSBTS in Georgia and every day most of us come to work, we are all wondering if this might be the day that we get the pink slip.! Our new CEO, Mike Hamm operates by using “hitler tactics” ! He says his number one priority is our patients! but that is a huge joke! If he cared so much, he would make sure that our facility was stafffed well, and would ensure that each of our patients had access to a therapist during their stay! it is almost like a “mill”….get them in, get their money..but with no real care while they are there. We do not have enough therapist and the wonderful ones that we do have are streched thin with no time to give ~~~ at least not untill that famous paper work is done!!! our kids on the Youth Services unit dont need to be spending their days in and out of groups that the MHT’s are facilitating..! They desperatly NEED a therapist…EVERY DAY !!! but then, if we wait long enough, we’ll be seeng them in a few years as adults. maybe that is what mike hamm is secretly hoping for….repeat patients!! certain therapist are actually encouraged to be careful not to write positive comments on the kids progress…this might mean they are doing well..and that means they get discharged! and out the door goes alot of $$$ ! yes we have a real winner with this CEO !
please dont bring your children here!
Someone please pay attention to the above letters and try to help the poor patients at SSBTS. Its all true and worse..I work there too !
Yes, must agree with all above posts….but what to do??
This is a $$$ hungry co. with their only interest in the bottom line…PROFIT !!
Understaffing seems to be the main problem and nothing will be done about it, even with all the lawsuits pending at present….Guess they have great insurance………
Good Luck to all …..I say, Get out while you can…
I too was an infamous disappearing employee. I worked at Sierra Vista, a PSI hospital in Sacramento. When I first learned of SV it was because a nurse I knew who was working per diem for them told me of an actual fistfight between two nurses employed by SV in the middle of the nursing station to boot! I later went to work there because they had a new CEO that I had heard about. She was excellent and put many hours of time and effort and things improved drastically. However, corporate saw fit to fire her because she actually cared about the patients and staff and made sure that staffing was appropriate and patients got the care they deserved. Since that time,SV has had an interim CEO, a COO and several Directors that have changed. At this time, SV has no DON, the “new and permanent” CEO was fired last Monday, the COO has resigned, the Director of UR has left, the Director of HR has left and the Director of Social Services has submitted his resignation. Several of the former employees have tried to sound the alarm, but no one cares. The media, JACHO and CMS have all turned a deaf ear. I, personally am waiting for the explosion that is going to happen when someone dies there and everyone starts asking WHY? I am technically still an employee as I was only “laid off” over a year ago, but you can bet I will never be associated with PSI again for any reason.
Anything to mention about another organization, Universal Health Services (UHS)?
Just curious.
can it possibly get any worse? our new ceo, mike hamm seems quite content to run our facility based on intimidation and fear tactics! he really does not care about the patients or he wouldnt be so freaked out when any of the staff try to tell him how they feel….especially if they feel a unit is unsafe due to undertaffing! if yu say that, you will get written up. forget that we are there to take care of our pts and make sure they are safe at all times! do not under any curcumstances agree to work on te 300 hall. this is where our psyche pts are kept away fromt eh rest of the unit for safety and for 12 hours you will be left there with no one at all to come check on you or the pt…no break….no nothing!!! this facility is a joke!!!
now a pt. death on the unit…….oh, my…..
investigations in progress…….
Could it possibly be that there were not enough staff to adequatly watch all of the pts????
please, someone help out at this facility !!!!
I worked for a short time at SSBTS and was appalled by the nurse patient ratios. 1 RN to 25-28 patients was not uncommon. Doing your best is not good enough as you are fired for any mistakes and believe me they happen with this staffing. Passing meds to 25-28 patients is a nightmare there. this place needs to be shut down.
all said about st. simons by the sea is the truth.they have a record of elopements and now a death. they have only half a roof and still stained carpet. patients kicked out of cafeteria so big wigs could have a meeting,,patients ate pizza..mike ham is a joke,,always looking for a reason 2 fire good peateateople so he can hire new ones..maybe those at corporate need 2 check the back door where expensive original art is going into car trunks and taken home with them..no raise 4 staff..lets sell the art ,refrigerators and furniture and give the money 2 corporate as that is where it belongs..how about an apprasial on that art that was stolen..
Well here I am again. I now find out that there is a patient with a Positive PPD test, finally sent out for CXR , not stat of course that costs more. Patient refuses to wear a mask or stay in his room, he roams the halls coughing on everyone. The wonderful , caring, CEO Mike Hamm ignores all the CDC guidlines for TB safety. Staffing is so bad now they are bringing in agency nurses to staff when the regular staff has either been fired or is afraid to come in to work for fear of death. Someone needs to check the turnover rate at this place that says it all. I no longer work there but am in touch with those that do . Many that are there have to stay for insurance for their families. SSI is in a small area with few places for RN’s to find work unless its in another poorly run facility. Please someone help and investigate this place before more die or catch TB !!!! There is no leadership or management on units to help the staff. It is very sad for those good , caring nurses who try..
Reference St Simons by the Sea Hospital, Psychiatric Solutions Inc. is calling all of the shots. The administrator,Mike Ham,is simply a “good soldier” as he caries out the exact wishes and commands of the corporate leadership. The corporation has simply made a decision to do whatever is necessary to protect its profit margin and to try to keep its stock up. That is a decision that will never be changed. Unfortunately, such a position puts patients and staff at risk. Therefore administration in all PSI hospitals cannot do anything about many of the complaints, especially if fixing the complaints involves spending corporate money. The Joint Commission has not and likely will not do anything about valid complaints which says a lot about Joint Commission. State licensing boards and other agencies such as CMS (Medicare)may be willing to hear legitimate complaints. The legitimate complaints are many and worrisome. Those of you who continue to work within the PSI system need to support the valid concerns of fellow workers and peers. You need to ask reviewing agencies such as those from the state and the feds to meet with you privately as PSI’s tendency is to have a supervisor/manager present so that you are fearful or intimidated and therefore less likely to tell the complete story. Unfortunately, clinical staff cannot count on its senior clinical leaders for direction as most of them are also doing their best to “survive”. The organization is led by greedy psychopaths—-so what can you expect? As long as you are employed, keep your focus on patient care. You know what kind of environment you are within, but the patients have no clue. In the words of the PSI CEO, “Just do what is right” UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!
The situation at S.S.B.T.S is not going to be resolved until people say enough is enough and do what’s right. Many of us are simply waiting for our turn to be fired so we can file suit against the corporation and cash in. We can notify the regulatory boards about Medicare fraud, the sentinel events that don’t get reported, and the complete lack of integrity that is missing from the hospital. We can also let our fellow clinical staff working at other locations not to refer patients to our hospital because it is a clear and ever present danger, “first do no harm”. We can let our senators know about the Medicare fraud, OSHA about the unsafe, intimidating, and hostile work environment. We can band together to file suit against the discrimination going on. The bedroom politics going on with administration is going to stop soon, that’s a promise. We can all send the links to this web-site to our friends and family and ask them to forward to everyone on the email list. We can ask Nancy Grace of the media to do a follow up on Quinn Grey story, by doing an indept story on the place where she hid out for 45 days. We can bring this location down and pocket a large sum of money for our time and efforts. We do not need to feel like we are chained to deck chairs on the Titanic we can unite, change this situation and profit from it. We are in the end times and the anti-Christ works for PSI and as Christians we have to purge our lives of these demonic forces.
Someone forgot to mention the stolen televisions that were bought for patients last administration. Does anyone see that management has gone from bad to worse. I say bump Mike Ham and the horse he rode in on. His wife needs to find out about his extra-curricular activities with some of the female staff who recently got promotions and raises. Mike Ham is the biggest joke ever created. He will single handily sink S.S.B.T.S and the CEO Joey Jacobs is either blind, stupid or both for not seeing this. Stockholders need to dump their stock and not support such a corrupt establishment. Physicians need to be more selective where they refer patients, and people in general need to educate themselves on choices for mental health needs. State and federal laws are being broken, staff is being treated like dirt, cursed out by Mike Ham, and patients are being taken for a expensive ride. We have patients being sexually assaulted by other patients and some staff and Mike Ham’s solution is to buy pizza for the unit. He is just plain TRASH and needs to be properly disposed of.
i wish all ssbts staff the best . i hope all are sa fe until corporate makes a move to correct the wrongs going on in your hospital..i pray for patient safety as well..the moral affects patient care because all staff is so afraid for their jobs.. oops another good staff member fired today because mike did not like her.. told her she preformed 100 percent but she was terminated if she could not transfer to nights as a tech..she is a single mom that has a son with disabilities….what next.
Well, just another “typical” day at ST Simons by the Sea Hospital. The recently appointed Director of Nursing was replaced suddenly today by the administrator’s Director of Nursing when he (administrator)was in Missouri. Also, the Director of Food Services quit today—understandably after what she went through under the “reign” of the last SSBTS administrator. Let’s not be so naive to believe that the source of the problem is Mike Ham. Mike is but a mere reflection of the core of PSI. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and rest assured, corporate is proud of him. Remember, the bottom line is the bottom line. Everything is focused on increasing revenue and profit. Patient care is just a “front” for this ruthless organization. Fortunately, many employees are concerned about patient care.
The devil came to georgia looking for some live’s to ruin, Mike Hamm has got to go we will be calling meetings to discuss legal action and pending lawsuits stay tuned for details.
How can Senators Jeff Chapman and Jack Kingston sit back and do nothing, knowing that S.S.B.T.S (formerly Focus& Charter) will do nothing knowing that We are committing medicad, medicare fraud. we the tax payers are sick of our elected officials of doing not what we have elected them to do. we are the Constituents, and that’s what they have been elected to do. They are suppose to enforce the laws. If the constituents have not seen in one month that they have not done their job then maybe someone else can do it more efficiently.
Please notify these people/organizations concerning problems:
Georgia Elected officials
Gov. Sonny Perdue (R)
Sen. Saxby Chamblis (R)
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R)
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-1)
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-2)
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-3)
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-4)
Rep. John Lewis (D-5)
Rep. Thomas Price (R-6)
Rep. John Linder (R-7)
Rep. Jim Marshall (D-8)
Rep. Nathan Deal (R-9)
Rep. Paul Broun (R-10)
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-11)
Rep. John Barrow (D-12)
Rep. David Scott (D-13)
EEOC
OSHA
Joint Commission
well, again understaffed..another patient eloped..does anyone see a trend.. heads will roll . it really does not matter that they had poor staffing.. staff will pay the price..
The staff has been through much. There is likely more to come. The administrator has surrounded himself with those he believes adore him. Such adoration is short lived and likely will be part of his downfall. He cannot tolerate the truth and therefore will continue to surround himself with those who flatter him. He cannot lead with such limited and shallow input. Sadly, the hospital will likely have to endure more of such before it “bottoms out”. His tenure will likely be much briefer than he knows. Don’t count on corporate to make needed changes because corporate mentality is much like local mentality.
Stupid guys abuse subordinates. In some businesses, it’s part of the culture. You take abuse when you start out, and then abuse your subordinates when it’s your turn in power, as a way of asserting dominance. “But they can sabotage you,” says one female Wall Street analyst, and it doesn’t have to be obvious. “If people working for you start speaking up, it can mean a lot of money.” Mike’s Jim Jones’ tactics are getting old, how much longer will we let this unqualified, used car salesman with loose dentures bully us. He is overriding the physicians and endangers staff and patients alike. We need to go public and let the chips fall where they may. He will soon find out that we are not all uneducated rednecks, but respectable, LAW-ABIDING, Christians who have had enough. Hedgehogs and Rhino grow up Mike, this is not Mrs. Sally’s playroom, we are adults doing adult work trying to help PAYING customers. The patients will get wise to the fact that you are stealing from them, holding them hostage and not providing any type of education or care. Mike you promote recidivism, until the insurance is used up and then you kick the patients to the curb suicidal or not. God doesn’t like ugly.
HedgeHogs and Rhino grow up Mike, this is not Mrs. Sally’s playroom, we are adults doing adult work trying to help PAYING customers. The patients will get wise to the fact that you are stealing from them, holding them hostage and not providing any type of education or care. Mike you promote recidivism, until the insurance is used up and then you kick the patients to the curb suicidal or not. God doesn’t like ugly.
I too work at SSBTS and I do not agree with what is being said above. Maybe these people should take ownership of their jobs and quick the gossip. Mike is making change, you don’t like change, you poor poor babies. Mike has finally brought accountability to the hospital. Like it or not it was needed. Work ethic there has been terrible for years everyone who was let go, needed to be long before Mike got there. Pt. care and the few incidents that have happened, guess what? It can happen at any facility. We are helping sick people who have been abusing themselves mentally and physically. When you work with all the conditions we work with, the risk rise. I have been there through all the incidents listed above and so much of all that was done right is left out, and you know it. Quit crying about what a lazy employee you are, step away from your gossiping on the computer and go do your job. On the “females” who got promotions, how do you know they got a raise? You don’t and you know it! The people who stepped up to help Mike better the facility have proven themselves time and again with other CEO’s, male and female CEO’s. Get your facts straight, you look like and idiot. I see miracles happen everyday at SSBTS. I speak with the families when they come in and when they leave. I hear their concerns and there fears. I also hear their praise. I see the letters that former pts. send telling us how we have changed their lives for the better. Maybe if you were not so caught up in gossip and lazy behavior at work, you would be able to see the brighter things, and actually be a part of it. I have been with SSBTS for years, and the only thing that upsets me there, is the lazy MHT’s and a few nurses, who forget that their jobs are to actually work. Mike is finding you , thank GOD. Patient care is at the top of Mikes list he does care. The problem is he is relying on his staff which unfortunately includes the lazy, cry babies on here, to do their jobs. And they are not doing it to the best of their ability and they know it. Do your job, do it the best you can, and you can be the change you hope to see.
Lovessbts, this has to be one of his girls, who really has no clue on: the under-staffing, patient with TB who are admitted on unit against doctors advice infecting staff and other patients, the fact that our own doctors have called Joint Commission, that the policy and procedure manuals have been pulled from all units, Policy are made-up daily and vary pertaining to staff involved. If you look at the patients medical assessments you would see that many are too sick to be placed in such imminent danger; really, don’t your remember that management tried to pull oxygen from the hospital, and now after a death (17 days) AED are now back on unit, and how many sentinel events have gone unreported (I have a list of many). Don’t kid yourself, you may have to brown-nose to keep your jobs but the rest of us are Licensed, and will find work else where. If we are truly patient advocates and are concerned about the well being of the patients we will continue to do what is necessary; granted posting things here will not make a difference. If we however contact the federal and local authorities pertaining to the issues, we will change the facility’s climate into a productive and therapeutic environment for the patients. Bullying the staff and threatening them with job loss does not provide a climate that conductive to good care. To prove that I’m right: we will get the right people notified, they will be told what charts to pull and investigate, all documentation pertaining to unethical and unlawful behavior released, time sheets will be evaluated, interviews with employees past and present w/o management present to intimidate, staff will need to prove that they have the skill and certification to hold current positions. We will see what really is going on at this facility—who is part of the solution and who is creating the problems.
Mike DOES NOT care, if he cared, he wouldn’t have overridden a doctor to bring in a TB patient thus risk infecting all staff and patients, he would not have said at the first meeting “I DON’T CARE IF YOUR MOM DIES YOU WILL WORK YOUR SCHEDULE!” Mike cares about mike and how he can seduce, and how to save money but cutting staff, and filling the hospital. He cares about taking all the missing expensive artwork home, and televisions. Mike cares only about Mike, if you believe otherwise you may need a drug screen.
I person only has to be at the facility for two hours to see what bad shape the hospital has gone down to. The moral is at it all time lowest. If the things posted were not true, would people take the time to post them, most people have lives. The fact that someone takes the time to post the truth only demonstrates character, it is a warning to potential patients to get serious about researching their options before going to any old private hospital. When the quality of care is actually higher at a public facility, cheaper too. People do your research. Someone refresh my memory–Didn’t we get told at a meeting that there would be no raises for ANY PSI staff at any facility, but yet Joey Jacobs just recieve a whopper of a bonus (a substantial amount of stock) and didn’t we fudge number and mislead shareholders about earning, the same shareholder that are sueing. What’s up with that?
Mr. Ham,
Loose dentures? Good attempt at covering up the real problem. People exhibit certain hand gestures when they are craving. There are physical signs and symptoms when someone is experiencing withdrawals. These symptoms include tremors, increased sweating, anxiety, and increased irritability. What is up with the frequent mood swings, the inflated self esteem, grandiosity, pressured speech at times, flight of ideas, sexual indiscretions, and poor business decisions. This belief that you are above the law and untouchable has led to the neglect and abuse of patients. The doctors could have done a 1013 on you already and forced you to get the treatment you need. You are a danger to yourself and others. By the way, Missy and Chelle are the ones that have been feeding certain information out. How else would certain things be known? Also, they frequently give you incorrect information. Don’t ever make another attempt to touch me or make sexual advances towards me or any other employee again. We are documenting everything. Are you the one with the name “Truth”? If so, then you are exhibiting religiousosity, which falls under delusional thinking. Why are you threatened by the employees? What are you so paranoid about that you feel the need to attempt to intimidate others? Not everyone is intimidated by you. In fact we laugh at you and have no respect for you. You could have been a positive influence and made positive changes for our facility to be the best. You have failed. You did not have to use intimidation to gain respect. The poor business practices led to us not having any respect for you. We challenge you, to do what is right. Are you willing to take that challenge or are you too much of a coward? Someone who feels the need to intimidate others is a coward. Are you going to kill another patient and continue to destroy others? People come to us for help and trust us to keep them safe. Do you have the ability to be honest with yourself and see how you have failed or are you going to continue to blame others for your own mistakes and inadequacies? Is this how you make up for your impotence? It is time to step down. YOU KILLED A PATIENT, because of your decisions!!!
The Employees of St. Simons By-The-Sea
I am licensed, I can go elsewhere too,I don’t want to.Brown nosing? Grow up. I choose to give our new CEO the support he needs to make change. Then when the change is done, see what happens from there. But he has not been given that support by everyone,or the time for that matter, so how can we see if his plan works or not? And No I am not one of his females. But nice try. All decisions at the hospital are not all made by Mike alone. There are different TX teams for the Pts. according to what DR. they have. So to say MIKE is stealing from Pts. is a lie. Yes the same Drs you are referring to who called joint commission. Who do or do not D/C the Pts. with the tx. team agreement.The Drs would not risk their license for Mike. Infection control was called for the Pt. who might have had TB. I was there when the pt. refused to stay in the room, and guess where he was when he said it? In his room. Then taken out of the facility. So to say he was walking the halls and coughing on people is another lie. To say he did not wear his mask, lie again. I saw him wearing it. On the under staffing, schedules are made and call outs happen, that is any work place, seriously? Staff in charge of this work their butts off preventing and fixing this. On the people who have been let go,they needed to be. This was not just a Mike decision, where do you think he gets his info? Your fellow employees.And what he sees with his own eyes as he walks the hospital. This job takes a team effort, if you are not part of the team, and you are not doing your job. It is your peers letting the supervisor know, like it or not. The supervisor reports to Mike, investigations are done and decisions are made, with guess what? a team, not just Mike. It is so easy when you are unhappy at your job to only see the ugly. Ugly is easy to see, and when you go looking for it, you will find it. Try looking for the good things. Like the therapist are all on the units now, were the Pts. have access to them all day. The MHT’s are being encouraged to interact with the pts. instead of just look at them and mark it on a Q. MHT’s are encouraged to take groups with the pts. and the good ones not lazy, love it and participate. Vitals are done more then they have been in the past. Pts. cannot be outside even on the smoking patio without supervision. The list can go on and on. Mike has done plenty so far, and I hope will continue. You get the people you need, and you report all that you need to. It seems like you are more interested in the money from a law suit and drama then the pts. Nothing would stop you from helping the pts. if that was your real intention. You would be sure you were there doing what you felt was right, even if you thought the person next to you was doing wrong. You would hope to balance it. I would love and do deserve more money then I am being paid, I would love for all the MHT’s to work at the level of some of there peers. I would love for Mike’s plan to be up and running right now. But those things are a work in progress, And I will not let anything stop me from being right there in the hospital, in the mix doing what I know I need to do. For the pts. always. You know the people who are there that love the pts. They are there daily giving their all support them if you cannot support Mike, FOR THE PATIENTS.
Re: St. Simons By the Sea…
Let’s deal with a few basic issues first, then deal with US, the employees. First, before Mike Ham (yes, it’s one M)arrived, nurses and techs told mgmt if and when they’d work…we had people working 5AM to Noon, people who wouldn’t work wknds, people who decided they’d work 2PM-8:30PM 4 days a week… Try finding another job where you tell your employer if and when you’re going to work. Mike came in and said we’re going to 12-hr
shifts, peiod. Change is seldom easy. If you can’t
adapt, then find another job that fits your needs.
Second, to those who wrote that it’s all about
making money and not patient care, wise up. It’s about both. If the facility continually loses money it will cease to exist…just look at all the
businesses big & small in Brunswick, in GA, and in
America that are now closed.
Third, everybody’s paycheck comes from patient residency. We can argue over who deserves how much,
but if you don’t like your pay, find a job that pays you what you think you deserve. When patients go back to their outside doctors who sent them to SSBTS, these drs question their patient about their time at SSBTS… if they hear that patients are being mistreated, that staff is on cell phones instead of addressing patients needs, that there is
one nurse for 25 patients…whatever the negative,
the doctor is less likely to send us another pt.
Word of mouth can help our facility or can hurt it.
We need to work together as a family to make it the
best it can be.
So now if you are complaining about patient care it’s time to look in the mirror and recognize
the following:
Continuing with the above..it’s time to look in
the mirror and recognize the following:
YOU are harming patient care every time you call out to take a day off without really needing to…
no wonder there are so many staff/patient ratio problems…
Continuing with the above:
YOU are harming patient care every time you walk in late. YOU are harming patient care every time
you sit at the computer and type letters or play games when you’re supposed to be WORKING. YOU are harming patient care every time you are rude to a patient. YOU are harming patient care every timeyou don’t complete a nurse’s note. YOU are harming patient care everytime you fudge a 15-minute vital sign. YOU didn’t care about the patients when you talked on your cell phone instead of attending to patient needs (now Mike has rightly banned them).. and the list goes on.
Sorry if the truth hurts, but try this…when
you brush your teeth at bedtime, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you did everything you
could do to make SSBTS the best it could be today.
If your answer is yes, sweet dreams. Or do you say why should I work hard because so-and-so doesn’t?
Pointing to somebody else’s wrong behavior to
justify your wrong behavior is unacceptable.
When a fellow staff needs help, do you say “that’s not my job” or do you pitch in whether
it’s your job or not? Are you a doer or a complainer?
Mike’s mgmt style has you in fear of your being
fired only if you know you’re not doing everything
you can do to make SSBTS the best that it can be.
He’s not interested in getting rid of hard workers
that always do their jobs. It costs a lot of time and money to advertise, interview, and put through orientation all new employees. But if you repeatedly call out, come in late, are rude to patients, don’t complete required written work, make med errors, try to do just enough to get by, sneak in a cellphone, waste time on the computer, make excuses, blame others, and are routinely short-changing your employer, you should be worried about your job. YOU are hurting patient care and will soon be gone.
We are all in this together, hopefully to do everything we can for every patient. Let’s focus on being able to look in the mirror and say “I did the very best I could do today to make SSBTS the best that it could be.”
I have been reading this since yesterday, and I am appalled. Do you people have nothing better to do than knock down the place where you work? You don’t know all the details, yet you run your mouths as if you are in the administrative meetings. Patient care is the main concern for the people working their butt’s off in that building. Call Medicare, Medicaid, the senator’s, call the Pope; but before you continue to run your mouth and prove how uninformed you are, get the facts, and then tuck your tail between your legs, and stop typing. We are grown ups expected to do a job to help our patients, not bitch and moan because we are to afraid to stand up for what we believe. Instead of whining about what you think is wrong, get up off your lazy ass and do something about it. Chart like professionals, stop talking about patient’s in front of other patients, stop stirring crap just to see where it falls, and take notes because your memory is short. QUIT PUTTING PATIENT NAMES IN A BLOG – CAN YOU SPELL CONFIDENTIALITY??, and if you dislike the job so much, get another one. Changes needed to be made, and they are still coming. You have nothing to worry about if you do your job. Take the emotion out, and look at this logically. Patient care is about our patients, and about making money – or did you want to do it for free? Grow up, shut up, take care of those patients that desperately need help, stop calling in, try and smile once in awhile, and adapt to change instead of being so negative. Learn how to spell if you are going to blog!!
just one little note…how do you who is in those admin. meetings that might talk outside of those meetings.. within 20 min. lots of staff know exactly what was said…
That’s all you’ve got? YOU shouldn’t post on a blog if you can’t articulate, or punctuate. How many times do I have to type that. Dictionaries are available on google and it’s free, people!! Administrative meetings happen – no big deal. Staff not being able to discern between the truth and gossip – that’s a big deal. AND YOU, writing about someone losing their job and having a son with disabilities? You lied, and stirred up crap, and what does that make you? Listening to gossip makes you look foolish. Stop with the pity party. Leaving soon? What’s stopping you from “Leaving now.”
You only have to work a unit for more that an hour to see what is going on. Why is administration so defensive– guilt? It’s the administrative staff that treats the clinical staff like incompetent boobs. The clinical staff is on the front line everyday doing the best that they can. They feel like they are not supported by administration. When we are being threatened and attacked by patients where is administration? When you can work on the unit with patients for more than a 1 hour session, you will know the truth. Your clinical staff is working their tails off trying to keep the units safe, help the patients, and get all their work done– all the while having to be preoccupied with being lied on and backstabbed by the staff working up front. There should be unity between the units and staff, but instead there seems to be two classes–the privilege and the working. Things will not improve until management treats the working staff with respect and realize that their jobs are hard and they need support, rather than trying to trip people up. The fact that there is so much animosity clearly means that there is a problem, and perception is often more tangible that fact. If staff feels that they are being attacked and threatened then that is very real to them, what evidence is there to create that impression? People are not just picking things out of the air, these are REAL concerns and feeling and should not be so easily dismissed. If you are so easily ready to call people names like crybaby and bitchy, should you even have contact with the patients? Granted some people should have been fired others not, you have to take everything in context including the events leading up to the crisis. I’m all for a proactive approach, everybody now is reacting. In the mad dash to clean up the facility a lot of good people are being displaced, and wounded. The fact that everybody is so cut-throat with their text indicates just how bad things are; these are the same people who just a couple years ago we would bend over backward to do anything for. Now everyone is so self-motivated, it’s very disheartening. We have all grown cold and traveled far from the Lord. If we can’t help the very family we have worked with for years, How can we help patients who are only with of for a very brief time. We all need to stop, PRAY, and seek guidance and ask ourselves “What are we becoming?”