Bless you both Philip and Stephany. I don't know much about the situation in Washington State other than what you both haver written/told me, but I can die a happy girl if they closed down Ancora, Trenton, and Greystone here in my state.

These hospitals are no different than St. Mary's of Bethlehem, cept they have indoor plumbing.

I've been in the system. It still gives me nightmares.

I wish I could buy Philip and Stephany a pint and a burger. With fries in celebration.

The patients I've known inside and outside of Western State Hospital have told me nothing but horror stories and they cry from relief that they are no longer there.

The place is a snake pit, and one that I would never say I was glad my daughter was at, or ever received "care" from.

Treatment is medication based and patients are lucky if they can get out at 90 day ITA orders; most end up there for 6 months or a lifetime.

As for the scandal? all I can say is there are many reasons for that place to be investigated.

Medicaid fraud might be a nice start. Patient safety, staff safety, visitor safety....

It's the "main" last stop for patients in western Washington, and I for one will never allow my daughter to end up there again--which as a medicaid patient IS the only place for "long term care" available.

One private PCP nurse told me last Fall, when I prevented her from being discharged there by another hospital : "If she was sent there you would have buried her by now!".

I agree.

I just gone to the hospital and i found some information from there.The patients I've known inside and outside of Western State hospital have told me nothing but horror stories and they cry from relief that they are no longer there.

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mathewgrieg

Off-topic, but since no one in the universe is more knowledgeable than Stephany (and secondly, you) on WSH anyway, tough.

A woman on Therese Borchard's Beyond Blue blog noted that she had tried to commit suicide on August 12, 2007; so yesterday was the first anniversary of the attempt. Some (including me) suggested she celebrate being alive; she found that too much to be able to do on such a tough day.

She finally came up with the idea of calling the anniversary "Determination Day." And she said last night the idea helped her a lot.

Philip, today is your "Determination Day." Do what you need to do FOR you; write to us via FS when you can.

Larry, I'm hardly the expert, but have the unfortunate experience of being inside that place with my daughter due to her turning age 18 "legal adult".

One of my goals eventually is to get a law passed to protect other vulnerable kids (many are foster kids at age 18 in the system, they are on their own and are lost forever in it)to make an exception for Western State where the minimum age is 21 for entry there.

I've written it up to the Governor and the hospital (and received correspondence back) and the law would be named after my daughter.

Somehow my experiences have to change someone else's life for positive outcome, and I hope that is one way of helping other kids. (17 one day in a teen unit and 18 the next day in a full-blown hardcore adult psych ward is beyond description in terrorizing).

I've been in this place but only for three days and the place is a snake pit and the doctors are and nurses are the one to watch out for. I've been around others that have been in this place and know families that have love ones there and I've heard nothing but horror stories. Sometimes when love ones visit the patient will not even talk to them. One person told me that their sister was black and blue and had been beaten. The staff members wouldn't tell them what happened and their sister remained silent. I've seen pregnant women on the campus and have every reason to believe some sort of breeding program or something is going on there. I heard of genetic testing and I sometimes think it is some baby camp. I know that there are people that die there and I wonder weather they are cremated or buried. I know that in many cases some come form families with trust accounts and there is a potential incentive to sometimes kill individuals that might be in the line of inheritance and very likely people die there that nobody even family members know are in there. With cremation the body can't be identified and who know what other diabolical testing is done. People are killed there and there isn't any accounting or knowledge of how it happens. The administration just stonewall each incident that becomes public. I heard that one official say that a incident will just blow over "Keep your mouth shut". Look if I'm mentally ill and I don't think I'll ever get over the treatment I've received in the mental health system. Nobody cares and people like me are not important enough to believe or give any thought. The real sick people are the ones running the place and it will always be business as usual.

Charles McIntosh,

I care and you ARE IMPORTANT. I am relieve to hear you are out of that place, it's dangerous as you describe. I've written to all parties possible, including the Governor, about the internal violence and unsafe environment. It's underfunded, understaffed and a snake pit where it's hard to get discharged unless you have an advocate or an attorney.

Glad you got out, write your story to the Governor---you can trust me the emails if you use the Internet to send the letter--gets to where it needs to be, within days.

Your voice counts! more than you realize!