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I'm an employee at OSH. I'm also a psychiatric survivor and ex-mental patient. I'm willing to bet that I'm not alone here.

Most of those working here are good, dependable people. Some are outright fantastic. Still, everyday, I see and hear things from other staff that make my skin crawl. Well, it's just a reflection of a community that has rejected and stigmatized people with mental health challenges.

Removing Roy won't help a thing. The same people are in charge. If anything, Orr was just getting up to speed about where the real problems lie- in the managers and department chiefs he relied on to run things. A clean house should start with the people who are running things now.

Mandated overtime is making an already bad situation much worse. Patients don't get to activities because of lack of staff. Patients don't get to go on passes to buy clothing or personal items for the same reason. Staff who are tired, irritated and who don't get to recharge their batteries do not promote a safe environment for patients or workers (let alone "treatment"- I won't even go there).

OSH is great at putting a lid on scandal and trying to make things look better. When one patient escapes we lock down everybody until the community forgets. We aren't good at fixing real problems. Bruce Goldberg and Richard Harris have shown that they are good at the same things.

I read in the paper that Richard and Bruce say they "have known about the problems on 50F and have been taking action". News to me.

 Yes, the taxpayers are taking a bath. Give me the $180,000 to 250, 000 per year spent per patient and I could buy each one a house, a butler, a chef, real treatment and enough security to keep them safe. Their quality of life would go up 1000% and I'd still make out like a bandit. Don't even try to tell me you can't provide secure treatment in the community for a lot less.

Unfortunately, we are building a big new hospital. All the folks at the top say, "When the new hospital is here, everything will be better". It's magic. Or maybe I should say delusion.

The PSRB is a dysfunctional system built on the public perception of the "dangerous mentally ill". Add a host of illogical rules that are anti-recovery, anti-therapeutic and which reinforce the sad stereotypes that have been promoted by the movies, TV and Stephen King.

I expected better from OPB.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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