We support each other and work together to make things better for our children….. these are the words we use to describe the work of Families as Allies.
Two recent developments—the appointment of a Special Master in a court case against the state of Mississippi and legislation creating a Mental Health Coordinator (SB2610)—may provide opportunities for families to work together to make the state’s system of care for mental health more responsive to our children and to us.
Both of these developments stem from a United States Department of Justice 2016 lawsuit alleging that Mississippi does not provide enough of the right kinds of supports for adults with mental illness to be able to live in the community and that this is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The State lost this lawsuit after a month-long trial in June 2019.
Although this lawsuit is specifically about adults, reform to the adult system is likely to benefit children and families as well.
On February 25, 2020, Judge Carlton Reeves appointed Dr. Michael Hogan to be the Special Master in the case. Dr. Hogan will work with the two parties to craft a remedy to the problems identified in the lawsuit. Based on the trial, we anticipate this will include enhancing crisis services and peer support, two services that families repeatedly describe as essential but not necessarily currently working in the most helpful way.
I encourage all of you to follow the remedy process as it unfolds and give feedback to the organizations working with your children. Let them know how you would like to see these remedies implemented.
Senator Hob Bryan, chairman of the Public Health and Welfare committee, recently introduced Senate Bill 2610. The bill creates a Mental Health Coordinator position to look at how all aspects of our public mental health system are functioning and then report to the legislature about what is needed to make it work better. The Coordinator will get input from many groups, including organizations such as Families as Allies and people receiving services.
I urge all of you to think about how you as individuals and Families as Allies as a whole can best work with the Coordinator to make things better for our children if this bill passes and becomes a law.
With Warm Gratitude and a United Heart on behalf of Families as Allies – Joy
I came to merit health hospital ER on June 1-15, 2020. I had a mental breakdown and I couldn’t get any sleep, this is due to a lot of personal things going on in my life. My husband brought me into the ER, because I told him that the kids were flying these drones around my home. He thought I was hallucinating because I hadn’t been to sleep in a couple days, but who ever wrote my intake in the triage added more on my inpatient. So I was taken to the back and we waited the nurse came in and did an ecg on me and they decided to Dr. David Dean was the Er doc at the time. I’m put in this room with a bed and that’s it there was a camera in that room as well. My husband stayed in the Er, while I was in this room. I’m just sitting, mind you I was not acting out or nor was I a threat to my self or anyone. As I’m looking through tge little glass window I see these two nurses there and the doc. I would knock on the window and they would move out of tge way so I couldn’t see them. So a little bit after the nurse came in and said I was being discharged, I’m thinking discharge to go home, I’m telling them that I want my discharge papers, and they rolled me in the elevator while I was in the elevator I took my foot to turn the wheelchair around so I can see where they were taken to and the nurse quickly blocked me from turning my chair. I’m confused because I don’t know why there had to be a security guard with her if I was being discharge. I was wheeled to the 5th floor the psych ward, at this point I demanded for them to get my husband on the phone. So this other nurse asked whats his number I gave it to her, she dialed the number and said he didn’t answer. My husband stayed in the ER until around 1am he said a security guard came to tell him they were going to keep. Again, I’m confused wondering why I was on this flower when tge only thing was wrong was that I’ve been very depressed and my mind races a lot which cause me not to go to sleep. I’m not going to go through the whole situation. All I’m going to say that I went through he’ll, I was already going Hinds behavior in highway 80, I had always spoke with the therapist and nurse practitioner there. I hadn’t seen the psychiatrist until I got out the hospital. While I was at Merit for 2wks, they put me on lithium, abilify, Haldol, ativan,trazodone, ambien, benadryl. I already to Roderick the NP that I was already taking zoloft for depression, he was like the doctor wanted me to take the lithium, after taking the medicine I was walking around the hall with the men and women we were all together, no mask, for me until about the 10th day I was in there, anyway all that medicine they gave and by being profoked by certain staff to go in and out of these rooms, I did but I was confused because I didn’t understand why I was being instructed to do that, yes I was going in and out of rooms and opening and shutting doors, thats because the had me on all this medicine so the guy thst was coming in the room that I ran to was like” I’m trying to help you, and I was like I’m confused. Again, I was brought to Merit health Er in South jackson. They literally tried to kill me and I’m not exaggerating, we are normally called to the nurses when its time to take medicine. But for some reason I was not doing what they wanted me to do and I stayed at the nurses station telling them they were trying to kill me and that what they were writing on my chart was fraud. There was one occasion where two guys blocked me so I wouldn’t come out of the room, basically using scare tactics on me and when that didn’t work they will inject me with who knows what and would press hard like on my shoulder. Still, it didn’t affect me I was alert and I knew what they were doing and they were mad at me, so I was neglected my husband brought my clothes there they wouldn’t give it to me, they let me go without shower to where I had an odor, I and everyone walking like “holding there nose” so I had one dress they gave me, I had to wash that dress by hand and throw it over the door. They were so mad at me they had to call the main security guard and his men and a nurse to come toward me while I was standing in the hall, I was not acting out or anything, they came toward me I raised my hands up and I said put your hands on me, so the one nurse grabbed my left arm and the guard grabbed my right arm. The other guards were just walking with the security officer, so they slammed me down on the bed pulled my pants down and shot me who knows what in my left button checked then I felt the medicine it felt different then any other med I knew they were trying to kill. Still, that didn’t work I got right back up and stared walking the hall, they were telling my husband that I was running in and out of rooms and that I was rolling in the floor. Which is a lie. It would make people love one think you she really loosing it. All the other so called patients banging on the door, falling out on the floor and the didn’t get security called on the and had needles stuck in there arms or butt. I wanted leave and they were keeping me involuntary. I was treated horrible and what you guys did to me is a disgrace before GOD… I told Timothy the RN that I had a history of malignant hyperprexia and autism asperpers is hereditary. The 2 RN were on that floor, they kept Dr. From seeing, they’ll walk right pass me and go to other patients room. All this cause all that medicine didn’t put me down, and no matter the pills and injection they gave me I was still alert. I was prescribed narcan by my pain mgt. doc, for what I don’t know. I don’t do drugs I take my medicine like I suppose to. I was supposed to be safe and not treat me like I was a burden coming there thats what they are suppose to do, is help us, not neglect, abuse,bully,use scare tactics we are already vulnerable in the first place. I called after I got out the hospital June 15, 2020 and I called and did a grievance Mr. Barry Moss wrote me a letter on June 29,2020 telling me there were going to do a review I’ll receive a response in 30 days. July 16, 2020 another letter from Mr. Moss saying he reviewed the footage of me being on the 5th and 6th floor and basically saying nothing happen. Both letters signed by Mr. Moss. I know was a lie.. while I was on the 6th floor two companies came in pro tel and pro tech they were in the nurses station changing phones, and cameras. I guess trying to remove footage. You all had no right to treat me the way you did all because I wouldn’t sleep and stayed at the nurses station watching them sleep and watching their phones. I was never seen by Dr kwentus, RN Timothy was always with the doctor. I also went and got my records from Merit they wrote stuff on my progress report that were not true at all. I was charged on my medicare as well and the NP, doctors or Dr. Kwentus never saw. I’m nervous about going to hospitals now, cause the hospital is suppose to make you feel safe. That never happened.