The Humboldt-Del Norte Medical Society, a professional
organization of about 200 physicians, sent a letter to the Humboldt County
Board of Supervisors earlier this month sounding the alarm about conditions at
the Mental Health Branch of Humboldt County’s Department of Health and Human
Services.
The Mental Health Branch had a well-publicized exodus of
doctors and nurses earlier this year, with employees decrying gross
mismanagement, low worker morale and unsafe conditions for staff and patients.
In a Nov. 5 letter to county supervisors (link below), Humboldt-Del Norte
Medical Society President Dr. John Nelson says management’s response has been
insufficient, and the crisis continues.
“We have seen little in the way of definable progress,”
Nelson says, claiming that the administration hasn’t acknowledged the severity
of the problems, which would “take pages of written reports” to communicate.
“Initial administrative reaction to our prior letter [sent last spring] was one
of denial.”
Speaking on behalf of the medical society, Nelson says the
problems at Mental Health deserve to be investigated by the Grand Jury, since
the county’s own response has been “discouraging.” He goes on to describe
a top-down, military-like administrative style and says frontline medical staff
should be given more authority and flexibility.
Earlier this week, of course, the county announced the
hiring of a new director for the Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS). Thirty-two-year-old Kristin Brinks will replace longtime director
Phillip Crandall, whose retirement is scheduled to take effect at the end of
January. While some critics of the department have expressed hope about the new
hire, Nelson describes deep-seated issues, saying there is “a pervasive culture
of bureaucratic indifference to the input of employees and the community that
is toxic … .”
Back in March, DHHS announced that it was hiring an outside
medical staffing firm, Traditions Behavioral Health, to help fill the staffing
holes left by the departure of many doctors and nurses over a relatively short
period. That firm continues its recruiting efforts, but insiders tell the Outpost
that Mental Health Branch employees, including several new hires, continue to
leave. Nelson addresses this in his letter.
“Outpatient services are a shell of what they used to be,”
it reads. And while salaries have been raised in an effort to attract and
retain more qualified staff, “more medical staff are leaving for reasons not
related to pay or location. The culture is not changing.” Nelson says
attention needs to be paid specifically to the branch’s Alcohol and Other Drugs
program, and there should be improved coordination with law enforcement.
The Outpost reached out to DHHS for a response, and
after some scheduling conflicts we agreed to meet with management next week to
discuss the issues raised by the medical society.
Nelson, however, is calling for
a broader discussion of these issues. “There should be a public hearing on
the state of Mental Health before the Board of Supervisors in the near future,”
he says.
November 20, 2015
Lost
Coast Outpost
By Ryan Burns
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