The more one looks, the more one sees that the director of Milwaukee’s Behavioral Department, and its Mental Health Complex, presides over an institution that has failed the mental patients who have sought, or been sent for, treatment there. John Chianelli, who cavalierly suggested a trade off of patient violence for patient sexual assault, confronts charge after charge of incompetence, inadequacy, and failure.
The Journal Sentinel reports, in Unsafe staffing levels hurt Mental Health Complex, union says,” that
Complaints by nurses over unsafe staffing levels at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex have surged this year, suggesting that short staffing could be a factor in a rash of patient assaults, nurses’ union officials said Wednesday.
For the first 4 1/2 months of this year, 167 complaints were filed by nurses with administrators at the complex, said Candice Owley, president of the Wisconsin
Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.That compares with 182 filed for all of 2009.
Chianelli’s response, when confronted with evidence of inadequate staffing was to say, “I’ll have to look into it.”
Oh, my. Here’s a man unfit to serve, for his perverse and immoral suggestion of a trade-off between male-against-male violence and male-against-female sexual assault. For that policy alone, a policy unsupported by serious medical literature as I have twice noted in this series, Chianelli should be fired. After the revelation of Chianelli’s policy, did Chianelli not think to review — immediately, and without fail until he was finished — every other aspect of the MHC’s operations?
He’s had weeks, and he still doesn’t know basic facts, revealing dangerous risks to vulnerable patients and staff members, such as simple staffing levels? What has he been doing these last few weeks?
He was unfit to serve based on this prior policy, but one can see now that he’s unfit and ungrateful: those who have flacked for him, and rushed to his defense, are defending not just an incompetent, but a particularly lazy one. After the first revelations, Chianelli should have found himself a huge coffee urn, and all the pastries in Milwaukee, and stayed up all night and day and night studying the operations of the hospital he oversees.
He shouldn’t have to say he’ll “look into it.” He should already know. Those who have defend him have defended a disgrace, someone who should be sacked immediately.
One can see also that in cases where workers at the MHC have union protection, unlike many who are under Chianelli’s direct authority, there’s a greater willingness to admit the truth about errors and misconduct at the facility. Chianelli’s use of testimonials from those who could have dismissed, including those who are accused of misconduct themselves, is no substitute for honest information from those who can speak without fear of possible dismissal or self-incrimination.
(I’ve written before about Milwaukee County’s Behavioral Health Division, and sexual assaults among mental patients at its Mental Health Center. BHD’s Director, John Chianelli, has implemented a policy of trading male-on-male violence among mental patients for male-on-female sexual assault. I’ve posted about Chianelli’s policy, and the tragedy that is conduct at the MHC, before. See, A Milwaukee County Bureaucrat’s Immoral Utilitarianism, Update: A Milwaukee County Bureaucrat’s Immoral Utilitarianism, Update 2, Update 3, Update 4, and Update 5.)