DPC Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

March 19, 2008

Members in Attendance: Jack Akester,Wanda Boston, Burley Melton, Husam Abdallahand Erica Heiman

TOPIC / DISCUSSION / ACTION

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

/ The minutes from the January 2007 meeting were approved.
NEW BUSINESS
INTRODUCTIONS / Committee members and Hospital Director gave introductions and discussed backgrounds.
HOSPITAL INITIATIVES
Treatment team
Certification/ accreditation
Administrative staff
Concerns
Staffing
Newspaper
Updates / H. Abdallah shared with the committee his new initiatives for DelawarePsychiatricCenter.
He stated the hospital will set up a stable time of treatment team meetings the same hour every day.
H. Abdallah said his vision is to use the recovery model instead of the medical model to empower patient-centered choices and options and use recovery terminology.
He stated the Department of Justicewill come soon to evaluate the hospital to complete an investigation. When they come the hospital will have to process 100,000 of documents they request.
CMS sent final report that certified the DPC. There were no issues not to pass, and it was nota conditional certificate.
He added the Joint Commission will give their decision soon.
H. Abdallah shared he feels the hospital leadership is good and getting his vision.
He reintroduced a daily morning communication meeting to review the 24 hour report including Unit Directors, Nurse Managers, Chief Psychiatrist, Chief Physician, and administrators.
He has asked administrative staff to be more involved on units. He wants their leadership to be demonstrated by getting out there instead of giving directives from an office.
His concerns so far are that people will hearthe negative news and it will drive away good staff.
The paper reported incorrectly we are not hiring. We are seeking merit and qualified staff.
H. Abdallah stated we know staff here are calling the newspaper reporter. He added it is one thing print the truth to help, but another to embellish.
J. Akester added he has personal concerns with the local paper because no other paper is there to counter balance. He felt it is not very good, the paper has a fault that it is not buffering the information received.
B. Melton stated in working with mental health advocacy programs, he is concerned that the paper is trying to negatively impact mental health programs.
H. Abdallah stated the media plays a negative role. The best treatment is not reported, but it seems the problems blown up beyond the truth. He is not concerned but wants to make sure the hospital runs right.
H. Abdallah hosted a town hall meeting to talk to staff and show he’s here to help staff know they are in the right place.
H. Abdallah stated he loves what he does. He wants to be here as early as can and leave as late as he can. He finds it a very challenging job and views it from the perspective of what treatment he would want if it was his child or parent in the hospital
He shared the Seclusion/ Restraint numbers are down, the incidences of violence has decreased and the leadership will use the least restrictive method.
He added he has a zero tolerance on all violence: staff-staff, staff- patient, patient-patient, or patient-staff.
He said we know things have happened and will happen, but stated the key is to learn from it, minimize it and not let it go by, but to investigate everything. / Update.
Informational.
Update.
The paper is tearing down what people are trying to build here.
Governor approved 24 facilities can continue to hire.
The committee wants to work with the hospital as a team for mental health.
B. Melton stated the committee will advocate with politicians for positive changes and funding for mental health programs.
H. Abdallah wants public to trust what we do here instead of what is printed in the paper.
Update.
Informational.
Update.
Informational.
Discharge Process/ group homes / H. Abdallah discussed the discharge process by explaining the criteria for a discharge including: stability, compliancy with medicine and treatment, and lack of danger to self or others, no legal charges keeping the patient in the hospital, etc.
H. Abdallah stated some patients ready for discharge were transferred to one unit to work with group home staff in preparation for leaving the hospital.
H. Abdallah shared patients have not been discharged because town hall has not approved final building permit on the home.
H. Abdallah is concerned the press is setting upthe former patients for disaster because stresses when people on the outside pass by the patients and yell inappropriate things. / Informational.
Group home staff is assisting with the patient transition until the group homes are opened.
Update.
H. Abdallah said other group homes not run by DSAMH are being affected negatively.
Concerned Family Group / H. Abdallah stated he would like to hold quarterly town hall with family member to give opportunities for questions and answers and transparency and openness
He wants to start up a concerned family group. / Update.
Informational.
Committee Vision / The hospital and the committee will look to each other as a support system and work together as a team for the same fight to help each other help the mentally ill. / Update.
NEXT MEETING / The next meeting is scheduled for May 21, 2008 at 2:30 pm in the Executive Conference Room.

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