Washington State DSHS - Western State Hospital - The love that can bring down old stone walls -Lindsay's Journey

Vintage Photo late 1800's

WE ALL MUST BREAK DOWN THESE COLD STONE WALLS, ONE BRICK AT A TIME, ONE PATIENT AT A TIME, UNTIL JUSTICE PREVAILS, HUMANENESS TRIUMPHS, AND THE FLOWERS BLOOM IN ALL THEIR GLORY ONCE MORE DIGNIFIED IN THE WARM SUNLIGHT OF THIS LIFE JOURNEY

In my last post I shared some of the basic human rights and level of care patients at Western State Institution are denied on a regular basis. Since that time the DSHS headquarters and the Washington State Attorney General’s office have hit this site and other related sites. They have been made keenly aware of this situation @ Western State Institution.

So let us open up this can of political worms here for all the public to see. Lindsay, not unlike thousands of deemed mentally ill in the State of Washington that are not receiving either humane or effective care. The sad truth of this dire situation is that the entire system is so fragmented, discombobulated, and corrupted by poor management with a limited/constraining modality that it is incapable of serving or meeting the basic needs of the population it espouses to help/treat/care for.

In this system proactive advocates and families looking out for the best interest, and caring about patient’s rights/care are often viewed by DSHS and Western State Institution as a threat, the enemy, and as an obstacle that must be silenced at all cost (it would be nice if DSHS held to their own printed standards of family involvement in the treatment process). Yet, as we have seen time and time again, words without action and accountability mean absolutely nothing in government or their ingrained institutions.

I have personally seen, experienced, and bear witness to this unavoidable sad fact and truth about the failing and cruel Washington State Mental Health System. The unfortunate truth is DSHS serves but a single master; with that being an entrenched, greedy, and wasteful bureaucratic beast within itself.

From what I have seen so far by Washington State DSHS in Olympia is an inability for them to investigate themselves or advocate on behalf of Western State Institution patients and family members based on the factual basis they also run the residential care facility in her story that placed Lindsay in grave danger. They appear much more concerned about circling their wagons and protecting themselves from public scrutiny, Western State Institution, inhumane policies, and the DSHS engrained political/professional elite, in my honest opinion based on direct observation and experience.

The following links will guide you through a journey of hope, love, pain, commitment, despair, heartbreak, struggle, and frustration. They really should be mandatory reading for anyone that has or may ever have a loved one entering the Washington State Mental health system at all levels.

I challenge each of you to take this journey along with Lindsay through her mother’s poignant living words. I believe you (as I have) will be as concerned and devastated by this callous/broken system which has forgotten that history, civilization, fate, and even a final spiritual destiny itself someday will surely judge us all by how we treat and care for the most vulnerable, innocent, disadvantaged, and quite possibly the most endearing segments of our population.

(Arranged from current to oldest in order and is not all inclusive)

http://www.furiousseasons.com/archives/2010/01/lindsay_needs_to_go_outdoors.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2010/01/fresh-air-smoke-breaks-and-maybe-aclu.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2010/01/concrete-and-stones.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-day-new-ward.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2010/01/western-state-hospital-civil-commitment.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2010/01/washington-state-revolving-door-mental.html

http://www.furiousseasons.com/archives/2010/01/some_thoughts_for_western_state_hospital_dshs.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2010/01/top-100-state-workers-one-psychiatrist.html

Furious Seasons,Some Thoughts For Western State Hospital, DSHS,Philip Dawdy reporting

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2010/01/federal-report-casts-dark-cloud-over.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2010/01/destination-unknown.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/golden-moments.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/superior-court-answer-to-keep.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/changes-to-ensure-quality-care-in-state.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/crescent-moon-left-open-sky-right.html

http://www.furiousseasons.com/archives/2009/12/stephany_linds_lose_their_fight_with_washington_states_mental_health_system.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-hope-she-knows-i-love-her.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/this-is-your-golden-moment.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/choices.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/standing-alone-in-no-mans-land.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/rising-sunset.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/searching-for-my-memories.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/poignant-part-of-prosecuting-testimony.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/believe.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/poignant-eloquent-gift-of-dignity-and.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/complaints.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-it-works-i-go-with-grace-of-god.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/be-still.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/sweet-days-of-summer.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/at-cafe-with-view.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/12/taloned-grip.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/11/rules-boxes-and-piazza.html

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/11/raven-and-cooking.html

The Lindsay writings continue back through this journey beyond this last link back to August 2009 in two separate psych hospitals (just click blog label “In the Psych Ward” for much more)

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TO BE CONTINUED