St. Lawrence PC faces troubled waters
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By DEBORAH A. MILES Massena, Gouverneur and Ogdensburg. It table.
Working conditions at the St. Lawrence also has inpatient units for adults and “PEF wants to work with management
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Psychiatric Center in Ogdensburg have children, and a sex offenders’ treatment to come up with a satisfactory remedy for
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I professional staff worried their clients are center. the caseload issue,” Baker said. “The
being treated as numbers and not as “Part of the problem is non- thing everyone should be focusing on is
individuals. professionals are demanding quality care for the patients. If that starts
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Administrators are pushing the social professionals to do more without respect to crumble, the consequences could be
workers, psychologists and nurses to see for true clinical care. They want to paint grave.
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more patients. In the recent past, the us as unproductive, so they can reframe “We’ve already seen how other
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average caseload was 40. Now, it’s their staffing levels,” Stickles said. agencies, such as the state Office of
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jumped to more than 70. “They have crossed the line with Children and Family Services, are routing
“It is just not manageable,” said Robert unreasonable caseloads and by having us clients to different facilities. It’s in an
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Stickles, a PEF steward and social worker complete paperwork during counseling upheaval. We don’t want to see a similar
at the Ogdensburg satellite clinic. sessions,” Davey added. “This flies in the situation at the state Office of Mental
“Professionals have ethics. This push face of a good therapeutic interaction with Health (OMH), where patients might have
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for productivity ignores the basic a patient.” to travel hundreds of miles to get quality
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guidelines for providing quality care to The case load issue is weighing heavily care. That could happen if they fall
our patients. We fear the end result will on members. At the Massena Mental through the cracks here.
be a bad outcome for patients, putting Health Clinic, members are carrying even “And bullying shouldn’t be internalized
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our licenses at stake.” more on their shoulders – bullying. by our members. They should share every
“Administrators are letting productivity “Administrators have shown no desire situation with others,” Baker said.
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concerns trump patient care,” said to identify or address this problem,” “Employees who are being bullied can
Virginia Davey, a teacher and PEF Stickles said. “They are using coercion regain control by recognizing they are a
Division 249 council leader. and bullying to get staff to take on more target, and realizing they are not the
Stickles and Davey both said St. than what is reasonable. And they source of the problem.”
Lawrence PC administrators are more continue to reframe the issue, instead of Baker also said PEF is concerned the
concerned with the quantity of patients dealing with it directly.” negative trends at St. Lawrence PC are
seen, rather than the quality of care Stickles said the union has been indicative of the affect the state hiring
patients receive. working with members to provide freeze and agency cuts are having in OMH
PEF leaders have raised the issue at support, empowerment and a sense of facilities.
labor-management meetings and cohesion. “This is clearly having a negative
continue to reach a stalemate. More than PEF Vice President Pat Baker said the impact on patient and staff safety,” she
225 PEF members work at the facility union must continue to advocate for said. “The union will be speaking out
which includes three satellite clinics, these members at the labor-management about this at every opportunity.”
VA increases Agent Orange illness presumptions list
By DEBORAH A. MILES veterans who may have been affected by Agent Orange. A-year-
If you are a Vietnam War veteran and were exposed to the and- a-half ago, I found out by accident I was entitled to a
herbicide defoliant known as Agent Orange, you may be entitled disability benefit that could have started in 1992,” Harms said.
to benefits. “If you have never been to the VA or never revealed you had
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) increased the one of the listed diseases, they don’t have you on the list to
number of illnesses in October 2009 that are now presumed to receive information updates. I bet thousands of guys with Type 2
have been caused by Agent Orange. diabetes and who were in Vietnam aren’t getting anything for it,
PEF Veterans Committee Chair because they don’t know the benefit is
Richard Fletcher said the addition of hairy available.”
cell leukemia, Parkinson’s disease and Fletcher said the committee is working
ischemic heart disease raises the total to create a statewide information network
number of “presumed” service-connected among PEF members who are veterans. It
illnesses to 15. plans to set up more regional meetings
“The committee is concerned about and disseminate information through
PEF members who are not claiming PEF’s regional coordinators and regional
benefits they are entitled to receive,” committees.
Fletcher said. “Benefits change “To be informed, you must be involved,”
constantly. Many Vietnam era guys Fletcher said. “Join the Veterans of
qualify for benefits, but are not taking Foreign Wars or the American Legion. You
advantage of them.” really don’t need to wear the hat and go to
PEF retiree Robert Harms, a member the meetings to get mailings and valuable
of the committee, said he knows first- updates about available benefits.”
hand how the system can fail to inform all For a list of the 15 service-connected
the veterans. illnesses the VA considers linked to Agent
“One of my pet peeves is not enough Orange, and for other benefit information,
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