Investigation first

It was my understanding that Dempsey Benton was appointed head of the state Department of Health and Human Services in order to fix the disarray of the state's mental health system. The N&O ably documented the waste of over $400 million of taxpayers' money.

Thus, it was with great surprise that I read in Under the Dome on Aug. 21 that Benton had created a new administrative position for Patsy Christian, who was forced to resign in June as director of Central Regional Hospital in Butner. The position was created after she stepped down, keeping her on the state payroll at a salary of $114,056! Now Christian has been shipped off to Goldsboro to fix things at Cherry Hospital. An SBI investigation to see whether she violated state purchasing laws has yet to be completed.

Usually when a person has come under suspicion of doing something wrong, s/he is not put in a new position to be able to repeat that mistake until found innocent -- or isn't that the way the system of justice is supposed to work?

Adele Gray, Wilson

A staff who cares not hard to find

Regarding the Aug. 27 article "Feds descend on Cherry Hospital": In response to state Sen. Martin Nesbitt's uncertainty as to whether staff members who "care about the patients" can be found at our state's mental hospitals, I can answer with confidence that, yes, we exist and can be easily located on every patient ward in every hospital, 24/7, 365 days a year.

I also can tell him of the presence of a chasm between those who work "in the trenches" and those whose feet tread the carpeted halls of the administrative buildings. Only when an environment that nurtures the dignity, value and importance of every worker is firmly in place can this rift be mended and the fears of every patient and their family members finally laid to rest. Only a coordinated sense of teamwork firmly rooted upon mutual respect can ensure that recent events will survive only as bitterly learned lessons to be diligently avoided in the future.

Our patients and we who provide their care deserve nothing less.

Eric Tommerdahl, Raleigh

Hospital beds needed

Surely, our state mental health system has hit bottom. Emergency departments across the state are overflowing with people with psychiatric emergencies, affecting the care of people with medical emergencies. At the same time, the state is evaluating local mental health entities on how effective they are in limiting the use of state psychiatric hospital beds with no indicator to make sure patients are provided alternative community services and housing.

The recent horror story about another patient dying in a state hospital may tempt some to call for closing even more beds. State hospital beds are not the long-term answer to care for most people with mental illness, but for those who are the sickest, they are essential.

Our governor and legislature need to demand that the state Department of Health and Human Services fix the problems at the state hospitals and that hospitals keep people long enough to stabilize them. The state also needs to keep Dorothea Dix Hospital open as a statewide resource until alternative community services and housing are adequate to keep most people out of both community emergency departments and state hospitals.

Ann Akland

Co-Chair Advocacy, NAMI Wake County, Knightdale

Welcome introspection

Regarding the Aug. 21 article "Report: Reforms lacked controls": Finally, someone went beyond blaming community support providers and looked at the people who were charged with implementing mental health reform. The State Division of Mental Health Services has consistently failed to examine itself and take responsibility for poor planning, management and implementation of the new program, preferring to blame it all on a few providers of service.

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