Episode Synopsis "Former ME Supreme Court chief justice testifies on reform progress at state mental health unit."

Audio: On January 22, 2016 former Maine Chief Justice Daniel Wathen spoke for ten minutes before the Maine Legislature to describe his view of the progress of reforms at Riverview state mental hospital. Since 2010, Wathen has been overseeing court-ordered improvements there. At the Jan 22, 2016 meeting of the Legislature's Government Oversight Committee meeting, he said his recommendations will be filed with the court in early February. He said key problem is Riverview has 51 vacant positions as of Jan 19, 2016. 47 of the 51 are direct care jobs: nurses, mental health workers, others who work directly with the mentally ill. Wathen said filling the direct care jobs is more important then the administrative jobs. Wathen says that the system is concealing its lack of mental health workers by designating the facility's "acuity specialists" as mental health workers. He is going to recommend they NOT count "Acuity Specialists" as mental health workers when counting and budgeting mental health worker staff. Actuity specialists job description (summarized) "Paraprofessional work in providing emergency response to adults experiencing moderate to acute psychiatric crisis. Work includes...co-leading and monitoring the unit....recommending /implementing actions or interventions to prevent escalation of behaviors or injury to staff/client...overseeing/guiding the application of crisis prevention activities. "

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• Former ME Supreme Court chief justice testifies on reform progress at state mental health unit.