Storm Brews Over Georgia’s Mental Health Hospitals

Mental health care is difficult to provide; inpatient mental health care is even more so. There is never enough money, the need is great, and there are just not enough people who want to provide that kind of care. Having worked in this system for so long, therefore, it came as no surprise to me to read about the current storm brewing over the care provided by Georgia’s state-run psychiatric hospitals in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Savannah Morning News.

Both news organizations report on a critical 65-page Department of Justice letter sent last week to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s office. The letter apparently cites “grave concerns” as well as dozens of specific incidents that are “serious, recurring and frequently result in grave harm”.  As many as 21 inpatients in Georgia’s psychiatric system were reported to have died under “suspicious circumstances” during 2007, but what was even more startling to me was the lackadaisical pace with which the Feds have investigated this horribly tragic situation.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that federal authorities had announced their pending investigation in April. They began gathering records from the hospitals during the summer. And, finally, officials began visiting the facilities in September.

So let me get this right. I have to repeat this just to be sure I’m understanding correctly. At some point, the Feds heard that there was a serious problem with mental health care and came to believe that there was a problem. So, then, in April 2007 they announced, out loud, “Okay, we’re going to check into this” and took the next five months “gathering records” before finally beginning to visit the hospitals.

Meanwhile, we’re now nine months later and they have sent a letter to the governor, telling him that he had better get his act together.

Way to go, Feds!

Unfortunately, many of the criticisms that I read in the Journal-Constitution article are not unusual in psychiatric care: patient deaths, self-injurious behavior by patients, assaults by patients on other patients and staff, inadequate medical care, and abysmal staffing. With regard to staffing, if you have read my book, The Forgotten Future: Adolescents in Crisis, you’ll recall my recounting that at one time I was the sole registered nurse on a unit with 31 children under the age of 12.

I’ll be following this story, and if you have any feedback or further information, please send a comment.