contact: Joe Lawrence 443-691-2567
AFSCME issues proposal to reduce violence at Fulton State Hospital
Jefferson City, MO... Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees presented the Mental Health Commission with a proposal to stem the surge of assaults on staff and clients at Fulton State Hospital, Missouri’s only maximum security forensic facility.
AFSCME members are calling on the commission to install a man-down alarm system that would allow staff to immediately alert others of emergency situations. It would also be triggered if an employee was knocked down. Every minute is critical in such situations, and the facility’s inadequate staffing leaves employees isolated and vulnerable to violence, making such a device imperative for having a safer environment for staff and clients.
Violence against staff has been escalating at Fulton, as witnessed by the dramatic increase in workers compensations claims, especially in the last year. In fiscal year 2007 there were 390 claims compared to the 655 claims in FY 2009, costing the state nearly $2 million.
Man-down alarm systems are in use in similar facilities across the country, including Logansport State Hospital in Indiana, Mendota Mental Health Institute in Wisconsin, Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center, and Chester Mental Health Center in Illinois. Earlier this fall AFSCME members proposed the purchase of the system at an estimated cost of $50,000.
“We truly care for our clients and are committed to their wellbeing,” said Michelle Sanders, a forensic rehabilitation specialist at Fulton. “But it’s a hazardous, too often dangerous job, and the Department of Mental Health needs to make Fulton safer for staff and the clients,” she added.
Sanders has been injured a number of times, more recently this week when she injured her hand while assisting a co-worker being attacked by a client. “There’s much that needs to be done at Fulton, but there’s no reason the department can’t make this minimal effort now to make us safer from assault and injury,” Sanders added.
AFSCME members are requesting a decision be announced no later than one week from today, Thursday, November 19.
