Medication Nation

Just to give our readers an update, we have been working behind the scenes to gather information and to present a picture of what is happening after the last article was written by the Sacramento Bee on September, 11, 2008.

It appears that the case for Steven Burton has been dropped by the Bee. I believe the family is still pursuing legal action against the hospital.

I recently called to chat with Larry Menard of the Department of Justice, who investigated the Sunday Adeife case. I was curious to know how a health worker was allowed to continue working despite recent allegations of sexual assault.

Larry Menard informed me that Adeife had been a temporary staff person at Heritage Oaks during the time of the incident. He had also previously worked at Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center or SCMHTC, where he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman. Larry stated that the womans claims regarded fondling, and so no evidence could be collected of the occurence. Nothing was apparently reported to his employer, and they (an unknown staffing agency) continued to allow him to work in different hospitals.

I asked Larry point blank if Heritage Oaks would be held responsible for the conduct of this employee, and he responded that “probably” the staffing agency would be held liable.

How nice don’t you think? Heritage Oaks can hire and dispose of whoever they like, and since they are doing it via a separate agency they are not held responsible at all for background checks or any review of criminal activity or history. My impression from speaking with Larry was one of disinterest in the case of responsibility. Apparently a man who was accused of sexually abusing a patient under 18 years of age was allowed to continue in his conduct prior to this incident, in a hospital that works almost in tandem with Heritage Oaks and Psychiatric Solutions Inc.

Please read this article to get more info on the story as reported by several sources: Heritage Oaks Worker arrested in patient’s rape There are 3 pages of several articles.

In lieu of Steven Burton and the case against Sunday Adeife, and as I have reported recently the Sacramento Bee and even the Roseville District Representative Ted Gaines have lost interest in this issue. The Bee has begun reporting on other stories of psychiatric illness and the case of homelessness as their usual daily news comes in, while ignoring any of the currently outstanding issues with Sierra Vista or Heritage Oaks. We have not heard one iota about SCMHTC.

Ted Gaines has also taken a step back by calling people who have contacted his office interested in information and telling them that he is backing down from any pursuit of the hospital. I have not received any call to this effect personally.

What could be the cause of all of this muffled silence? Is it possible that PSI has written a check to cover any hardships incurred by the Bee or Gaines in the pursuit of truth? The way both have backed away from the issues so suddenly brings questions of whether there was a silent party intervening on behalf of the hospital. It’s obvious that public sentiment has not settled down, as the Mary Smith Case seems to be moving forward, as is the case for several others, an employee wrongfully terminated, a juvenile who was sexually assaulted, and the family of Ramona Knapp.

As Laurel Mildred, the Executive Director of California Network
of Mental Health Clients states in the first Sacramento Bee article, the situation at Sierra Vista Hospital is “a public health emergency.”

Still waiting to hear from someone in the upper echelons of State oversight and public health to make a move on this issue.