ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. EX-ANCORA CEO GETS BIG JOB
2. CLOSING AT ST. MARY'S STUDIED
3. NEW STRIDES ON MENTAL CARE
4. OLD GREYSTONE HOSPITAL IS WRECKED BY VANDALS
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DESPITE RECORD, A PLUM POSITION
Ex-Ancora Ceo Gets Big Job
LaTanya Wood-El's tenure as chief executive officer at
Ancora Psychiatric Hospital ended in December when state
officials said the hospital lacked routine procedures for
tracking, reporting and preventing violence. But a few days
ago, the state Human Services Department gave Wood-El broad
new responsibilities. Wood-El is now in charge of investigating
- statewide - the same sort of escapes, assaults and suicides
that marred her time at Ancora. She will be overseeing the
investigations at all five state psychiatric institutions.
Read more in the Asbury Park Press:
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/NEWS/808210583/1001/NEWSFRONT&referrer=
NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
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CLOSING AT ST. MARY'S STUDIED
The overburdened mental health system in North Jersey is
closely monitoring the proposed closure of the 38-bed psychiatric
unit at St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic County, assessing
the potential domino effect on other providers if the state
approves the closure, officials said yesterday. St. Mary's
has a pending application with the state Department of Health
and Senior Services to close its 40-year-old psychiatric
unit. Hospital officials said they don't have adequate funds
to continue the operation.
Read Lawrence Ragonese's Star Ledger report:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/morris/index.ssf?/base/news-5/121912057751170.xml&coll=1
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NEW STRIDES ON MENTAL CARE
Whether the state should let one hospital, St. Mary's in
Passaic, close its psychiatric unit is a small part of a
much larger question about how mental health services are
organized in New Jersey. Fortunately, there's evidence the
state is finally beginning to take a more active role in
building a community network of services. Many hospitals
are under tremendous financial pressure. But even as St.
Mary's applied to close its mental health unit, the state
was seeking to add 80 psychiatric beds at hospitals throughout
the state. The request comes with $60,000 from the state
to help pay for each bed.
Read the Star Ledger Editorial:
http://www.nj.com/opinion/ledger/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-2/121920697929410.xml&coll=1
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OLD GREYSTONE HOSPITAL IS WRECKED BY VANDALS
Vandals ransacked the old Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital
in Parsippany, causing $10,000 to $15,000 in damage to the
132-year-old structure that was abandoned last month, officials
said yesterday.
"Furniture was tossed around, doors were forced open
and broken, even the model of the new Greystone Hospital
was damaged. The place was pretty well torn up," said
Ellen Lovejoy, a spokeswoman for the state Department of
Human Services, which runs Greystone.
A new $170 million Greystone opened last month a short distance
from the old hospital, which had mostly been emptied of
essential equipment and files and left unattended. The administrative
duties that had been handled in the center portion of the
old building had been moved to the new hospital, said officials.
Read the Star Ledger story:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/morris/index.ssf?/base/news-5/121912052851170.xml&coll=1
