Steve Schultze of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more on the disrepair at the Milwaukee Mental health Complex, in a story entitled, Milwaukee County Hopes to Keep Repair Cost Low for Mental Facility.
Milwaukee County officials hope to keep down the cost and scope of repairs to the Mental Health Complex needed to resolve citations issued by state and federal regulators this month….A formal cost estimate is being prepared for presentation to county supervisors at a special meeting next week. The number could wind up lower than a $15 million ballpark estimate if a consultant hired by the county succeeds in discussions with state inspectors….
Inspectors for the state did a once-in-four-years survey of the Mental Health Complex in May, finding numerous problems that could jeopardize the hospital’s licensing and funding. Inspection reports outlined dozens of problems requiring repairs to the complex on the County Grounds, including extensive fireproofing and possibly replacing the entire acoustical-tile ceiling of the 425,000 square-foot hospital. Inspectors also found unsanitary conditions in food service and laundry areas.
What did John Chianelli, the administrator of the county’s Behavioral Health Division, say about the inspection violations? Ready? Chianelli is reported to have “said inspectors were the pickiest he’d seen in two decades. “They really did come in with white gloves on,” Chianelli told the County Board’s finance committee.” He also admitted, “[u]nder questioning from county supervisors [that] it had been difficult to keep pace with new health and safety standards. However, he said his division, which includes the complex, had adequate staff despite cuts in recent years.”
It’s well past time for Milwaukee County to recognize that Chianelli’s not up to the job of managing Milwaukee County’s Behavioral Health Division. He’s not even up to speaking to county officials: whining about inspectors coming in “with white gloves on” is hardly an acceptable answer to problems with basic sanitation in a mental health facility. An answer like that is a fool’s answer, and it was Chianelli’s answer, so now one knows what one needs to know about Chianelli.
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, Update 5, Update 6, Update 7, Update 8, Update 9, and Update 10.