Top 100 PAID state workers: one psychiatrist at Western State Hospital

Psychiatrists Among Top Paid State Employees:Austin Jenkins (2009-10-29)

Listen to NPR in the link above:

"On Ward C-7 the day starts with a treatment team meeting.

Nurse: "We're going to start with J.O. this morning. Anxious to go to groups, he is visible on the ward, he's taking his medications "Nurse Vicki Kallahan-Storwick briefs Dr. Daniel Ruiz and the team on the status of the patients.

Ruiz follows up with the diagnosis.Dr. Daniel Ruiz: "This gentleman is new on the ward. He came with significant psychotic symptoms "And a treatment plan for each patient.

Ruiz has been a psychiatrist at Western State for eight years.

He came here straight out of residency at the University of Washington. It's a second career in medicine for him. Before becoming a psychiatrist, Ruiz was a general physician in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

His path to psychiatry began with a personal story.Dr. Daniel Ruiz: "I do have a brother with schizophrenia."

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January 6, 2010

Treatment team meeting results:

1. titrate and remove to zero, the Trileptal.

2. acknowledge and treat the current thyroid that is out of balance.

3. Dr. Ruiz will only meet with mother, weekly after today banning patient advocate from meetings due to demanding outside time.

4.WSH psychologist served court order to reside at western 180 days to patient without representation from legal department.

5. patient shall now not be allowed to have mother visit at lunch time as every day since admit on December 21, 2009 due to staff believing patient will not cooperate with them due to anticipation of mother arriving for lunch one hour visit.

6. mother was told to arrive at 4pm after groups and shift change ends.

7. patient was told to take meds, go to all groups, to earn an outside walk time with mother as a reward.

8. the advocate that was banned from future treatment team meetings today was told to write a letter to the legislator by Dr Ruiz, ( the advocate and support person patient has responded to and began to speak again as a result of hours and months of time spent with patient) if advocate didnt like the lack of funding, and proper ability to care for patient in the washington mental health system.

9. patient medications being changed is 2nd reason given to mother for not allowing outside time.

10. staff assured mother they would remind patient mom will be there at 4pm tomorrow.

11. "you're lucky she's on this ward", said Ruiz.

12. due to questioning patients right to have outside time, Dr. Ruiz deemed advocate a "detriment to patients best interest and will only meet with the mother weekly".

13. "if you take her home she loses ALL services".
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http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/ * (click this link to email a letter or the one written here, copied and pasted) OR

Write Governor Gregoire a letter:

Governor Chris Gregoire

Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
USA

Give Governor Gregoire's Office a call:

Governor's Office 360-902-4111

For relay operators for the deaf or hard of hearing,
please dial 7-1-1

Fax Governor Gregoire a letter:360-753-4110
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Dear Ms. Gregoire,

I am writing in concern of the care of a patient currently at Western State Hospital. The staff, including the doctor have voiced concern over lack of funding for mental health services in the State of Washington, USA.

It is an outrage, and unacceptable, that any patient be denied access to outside time due to lack of funding for appropriate staff to patient ratio. It is unacceptable, that advocates are not heard in meetings where the patient is top priority, and where team members discriminate toward a patient with PDD and non verbal. The patient who is duel-diagnosed with psychosis and a developmental delay, needs family support.

The base of care is funding, and this is a formal request to review the funding for mental health services in the state that you Govern, and it is a request to listen to all patients, not just 1 of approximately 800 at Western State Hospital.

Lindsay was deemed "not a danger to self, not a danger to others", but "a probable danger from society, a person who could suffer harm and exploitation" from society itself, by a King County Superior Court judge.

Lindsay, deserves more than limited/no outdoor time.
She deserves to have all members of her family and advocates be present in all meetings, she deserves far more than this system has given her to date.

She is 22 years old, and a victim of lack of funding, and proper care offered in Washington state, and it is time for her and others to be acknowledged.

Thank you for your time,

Sincerely,

________________

(YOUR NAME)

Further reference article:

Furious Seasons,Some Thoughts For Western State Hospital, DSHS,Philip Dawdy reporting