Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The dangerous conditions at one of our largest employers
Part of my day job involves reading newspapers from around the state. I was floored when I read an article in the Spokesman-Review of Spokane about what it's like to work at Eastern State Hospital and Western State Hospital. Check out this info from the story:
"Despite safety plans, violence-prevention training and other efforts, DSHS says, worker injuries at both Eastern State Hospital at Medical Lake and Western State Hospital ... have risen since 2000 ... The numbers are particularly stark at Western, which went from 153 attacks in 2000 to last year's 275."
"Western State Hospital alone accounts for nearly a quarter of the worker's compensation premiums for the entire staff of DSHS, the state's largest agency. Worker absences due to assaults are twice as long as they were six years ago."
I have volunteered more than a decade at the pioneer fort museum on the grounds of the hospital. I've met many patients, family members and staff. Part of the problem is that often the mentally ill do not give off the same cues as you or I would give off if we were about to attack someone. It's hard to tell if someone is going to attack. That's not the fault of the staff.
Frankly, more than almost any group I know of, the people who work at Western State are doing God's work. I don't claim to know the sources or cures of the overall problem, but I do know those people deserve better than this situation.
I don't know if the Legislature is the answer. The article suggests that some lawmakers are interested in the question. On Monday, the Lakewood City Council heard a report on various issues of interest to Lakewood that may come up during the coming legislative session. Even if it was not the center of so much help and healing, WSH is a huge employer in Lakewood. This subject needs to be added to the list.
Oh, and while it may seem like a digression, I do have to ask ...
... Could anyone in state government tell me how putting an open-door prison on the grounds of Western State would help the situation?
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"Despite safety plans, violence-prevention training and other efforts, DSHS says, worker injuries at both Eastern State Hospital at Medical Lake and Western State Hospital ... have risen since 2000 ... The numbers are particularly stark at Western, which went from 153 attacks in 2000 to last year's 275."
"Western State Hospital alone accounts for nearly a quarter of the worker's compensation premiums for the entire staff of DSHS, the state's largest agency. Worker absences due to assaults are twice as long as they were six years ago."
I have volunteered more than a decade at the pioneer fort museum on the grounds of the hospital. I've met many patients, family members and staff. Part of the problem is that often the mentally ill do not give off the same cues as you or I would give off if we were about to attack someone. It's hard to tell if someone is going to attack. That's not the fault of the staff.
Frankly, more than almost any group I know of, the people who work at Western State are doing God's work. I don't claim to know the sources or cures of the overall problem, but I do know those people deserve better than this situation.
I don't know if the Legislature is the answer. The article suggests that some lawmakers are interested in the question. On Monday, the Lakewood City Council heard a report on various issues of interest to Lakewood that may come up during the coming legislative session. Even if it was not the center of so much help and healing, WSH is a huge employer in Lakewood. This subject needs to be added to the list.
Oh, and while it may seem like a digression, I do have to ask ...
... Could anyone in state government tell me how putting an open-door prison on the grounds of Western State would help the situation?
