Not too long ago, I had a child at this "place". Talking with his "counselor" by phone seemed okay enough but when I was coming to take him home, no answer, none at all. In the lobby which I rang a bell into, no one came out to greet me. Finally a janitorial person said I had to knock on a window. There was a group of office windows which you could not tell was an office. It was filled and i mean filled with purple and green papers inside taped to the glass. Outside the glass were many papers with notices. The whole thing looked like a bulletin.
So once through the paper, seeing a note, knock on window, I did. A woman, very impersonal, said, yes? I told her I'm here to pick up--------. She closed the window. I wish I was more nervy. I should have banged on the window and said excuse me, do you speak? Can you tell me the next step-is he coming out?
Nope, I just waited, and waited and waited. I watched as group of teens come out with a staff and as the doors were closing I hear someone screaming, and I do mean screaming at the top of her lungs. I thought a kid was having a meltdown. nah, silly me. It was a staff person. Some kid walked out with the group and this was a staff person screaming bloody murder.
The teen kept walking, now half backwards saying, I',m sorry miss, I'm sorry, looking to me like she was going anyway. After four I'm sorry's, she walked back in. Another ten minutes pass and a woman comes out with my child who is tossing a pair of shorts in the air. I ask where are his clothes. She says she doesn't know and I say I am not leaving without your clothes, go find them. The woman tell me FIRST, he doesn't know, he's always saying I don't know. Yes I know he does that, but I keep on him as he just doesn't want to do what he needs to do. With children with mental health disabilities it is up to the ADULTS, the people in CHARGE to make sure things are done. Then she tells me he takes clothes in and come out wearing a hospital gown. Okay so now she admits he has clothes. They were brand new!
She is showing me discharge papers which were unreadable, maybe her copy was, but the yellow sheets for me weren't. I am given a script. Prior to release I asked his counselor Courtney if he is on the same meds, was there a med change. She said no med changes. According to the discourage papers after an agency person looked at them, there was definitely a med change. So we decided to call the hospital to contact the doctor. He is on vacation. The agency guy finally after many tries contacts Courtney who now is saying, there was med a change. Does anyone know what is being done there?
Now back to the clothes issue. The woman who brought the child to me, goes back into the double doors, and I'm sure to discuss how to handle this. She opens the FRIENDLY window and shows me a blank form. IMAGINE a BLANK Form. I bet they have a million of them and I tell her anyone can show a blank form. My little guy said Gary took his clothes, the ambulance driver gave them to him and he did sign a paper. It was about nine at night when he arrived, having been at crisis since ten that morning and they wanted info from him. So now the woman is saying the clothes not only never came in, but the child has problems and he can't tell what he did, when etc. So they know they have a child, not an older kid who would let them mess with his belongings, but a child who has severe problems and just let him be. He was wearing someone elses underwear, hospital footie's, some one eses tee shirt, his own outside shorts.
A different janitor tell me, they don't care, they takes kids clothes and just throw them in a closet all the time. Finally an honest answer, not blaming a child with mental health issues.
In closing I just received a notice about his file...This so called hospital lists him as having alcohol issues, but the way they worded it, in disease technical terms, he wouldn't even be alive if that was true !!!
What are they doing to the children they have. Check your kids files. Sign papers, send clothes in you don't care about because they won't come home. Get copies made, ask to see files before the child is released!!!
So once through the paper, seeing a note, knock on window, I did. A woman, very impersonal, said, yes? I told her I'm here to pick up--------. She closed the window. I wish I was more nervy. I should have banged on the window and said excuse me, do you speak? Can you tell me the next step-is he coming out?
Nope, I just waited, and waited and waited. I watched as group of teens come out with a staff and as the doors were closing I hear someone screaming, and I do mean screaming at the top of her lungs. I thought a kid was having a meltdown. nah, silly me. It was a staff person. Some kid walked out with the group and this was a staff person screaming bloody murder.
The teen kept walking, now half backwards saying, I',m sorry miss, I'm sorry, looking to me like she was going anyway. After four I'm sorry's, she walked back in. Another ten minutes pass and a woman comes out with my child who is tossing a pair of shorts in the air. I ask where are his clothes. She says she doesn't know and I say I am not leaving without your clothes, go find them. The woman tell me FIRST, he doesn't know, he's always saying I don't know. Yes I know he does that, but I keep on him as he just doesn't want to do what he needs to do. With children with mental health disabilities it is up to the ADULTS, the people in CHARGE to make sure things are done. Then she tells me he takes clothes in and come out wearing a hospital gown. Okay so now she admits he has clothes. They were brand new!
She is showing me discharge papers which were unreadable, maybe her copy was, but the yellow sheets for me weren't. I am given a script. Prior to release I asked his counselor Courtney if he is on the same meds, was there a med change. She said no med changes. According to the discourage papers after an agency person looked at them, there was definitely a med change. So we decided to call the hospital to contact the doctor. He is on vacation. The agency guy finally after many tries contacts Courtney who now is saying, there was med a change. Does anyone know what is being done there?
Now back to the clothes issue. The woman who brought the child to me, goes back into the double doors, and I'm sure to discuss how to handle this. She opens the FRIENDLY window and shows me a blank form. IMAGINE a BLANK Form. I bet they have a million of them and I tell her anyone can show a blank form. My little guy said Gary took his clothes, the ambulance driver gave them to him and he did sign a paper. It was about nine at night when he arrived, having been at crisis since ten that morning and they wanted info from him. So now the woman is saying the clothes not only never came in, but the child has problems and he can't tell what he did, when etc. So they know they have a child, not an older kid who would let them mess with his belongings, but a child who has severe problems and just let him be. He was wearing someone elses underwear, hospital footie's, some one eses tee shirt, his own outside shorts.
A different janitor tell me, they don't care, they takes kids clothes and just throw them in a closet all the time. Finally an honest answer, not blaming a child with mental health issues.
In closing I just received a notice about his file...This so called hospital lists him as having alcohol issues, but the way they worded it, in disease technical terms, he wouldn't even be alive if that was true !!!
What are they doing to the children they have. Check your kids files. Sign papers, send clothes in you don't care about because they won't come home. Get copies made, ask to see files before the child is released!!!
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