From KCUR News

Listener Comments

return to the main series page October 02, 2007 I wanted to write and compliment you on an outstanding piece of journalism in your series "Corruption and Neglect." As a person who sees individuals on a daily basis who suffer from mental health problems, I believe you understood the problems very well and communicated those issues to the public. I was impressed with your appreciation of the problems the police, the courts and the jails face in trying to deal with those who have a mental illness. Congratulations on excellent work. ---Joseph Locascio, Judge Kansas City Municipal Court October 02, 2007 Guyla Stidmon (NAMI Kansas City): "If people realized that persons with mental illness are not just a blight on society, that they are citizens that can offer a lot we would ... Do you have any idea how insulting, how offensive the above is? What do you believe "people with mental illnesses" means?   "A blight on society?" We have doctorates, earn in the millions, and succeed at every level of society. I am certain we are enrolled at UMKC, I am sure we are employed at UMKC, and teach there as well.   The above sounds strangely familiar, directed at other people earlier in our history. Same prejudice. Exact same. ---Harold Maio, Ft. Myers, Florida October 01, 2007 Thank you for the series on mental health issues in Missouri.  I am a professor at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and direct the special education program for our education majors. While the series does not directly tie to what we discuss with disability policy in the educational realm, it gives me an excellent link to the movement to remove people from the institution and 'transition' them in the community.  In the past, I served as the school principal at the Gillis School, in KCMO, and in several programs in the Kansas City area. Horror stories exist on both sides of this issue.  It is nice to give students a clear understanding of the 'real' reality.  We will follow your series in a Characteristics of Exceptional Learners course. Thanks again, ---mjr September 14, 2007 I would like to express my appreciation for Kelley Weiss's excellent three-part series on RCFs in the Kansas City area. I hope the station will follow these reports up with a discussion about how and why this situatiion has deteriorated to the extent it has. I hope the station will revisit the issue in a few months time with those who "wriggled off the hook" during the series - you know, just to "chart the progress". It would be interesting to hear a response from The Governor's Office defending its position on levels of funding to this (non-voting) segment of the population. I applaud Mr Danny Davis for having the courage to appear on Steve Kraske's program; it can't have been easy. I am the father of a profoundly developmentally disabled 21-year-old son. He lives with me in my home, and while caring for him extracts a terrible price, there is no question in my mind that HE is better off living with me.   ---David September 13, 2007 First of all I want to commend you on your story about the mental health system, it's long over due and tragically necessary. But my question is this-why isn't the Missouri Protection and Advocacy organization involved with all of this? Each state has one of these federally funded organizations, who's sole purpose is to intervene on behalf of individuals with disabilities whose rights are being violated-particularly in situations of abuse, neglect or exploitation. The situations you are describing are precisely why these organizations exist. If this organization is not responding to these needs, then their federal funders need to be notified immediately. You can contact Rocky NIchols- executive director, or Kirk Lowry,lead attorney, at the Disability Rights Center-the P&A for Kansas, at 785-273-9661 for further details. Secondly-doesn't Missouri have adult protective services laws and offices? If so, where has that office been in these situations? Why hasn't the Dept of Mental Health been more involved in these situations? Perhaps the better word would be proactive. The guardian you talked to- how in god's name can anyone be a guardian for 500 people? It's NOT humanly possible. There's a conflict of interest with this fellow-his job is to find the least restrictive environment for his wards to live. (check the guardianship statutes) That doesn't mean finding the closest nursing home and parking his ward there because that way he knows where they are and doesn't have to worry about them. Where are the mental health centers in Missouri? In Kansas you will find that each mental health center is responsible for a particular cachement area. The services they provide include getting people out of mental health nursing homes and state hospitals and live independently in the community with wrap around services to support their success. What's going on in Missouri, that something like this isn't occurring? Why isn't there regulation to get these people out of those hell holes and into the community with needed supports? Why aren't those places being closed and the owners in prison? Why aren't those places inspected regularly? Why aren't there background checks done on the owners, operators and staff of those organizations? In Kansas, Edmondson would be required to have separate accounts for each of her residents, and to would be mandatory that she ensure there could be no commingling of New Horizons funds. Why is it hard for Jan Drummond to enforce the regulations? If she's so concerned, why doesn't she have the Missouri P&A involved, which definitely can legal action? Keith Schafer claims closing those facilities, which appears to be exactly what's needed, based in their long history of abuse, neglect and exploitation, totally ignores the potential of working with mental health centers to support these people in the community. The state appears not to have been aware of the fact that each individual can be supported in the community costs much less than keeping them in institutions. These funds can be transferred from the facility to community providers. Please-follow up on this information, then get with the Disability Rights Center and learn about the abuse, neglect and exploitation situations that face Kansans with disabilities. --Lisa, Topeka September 12, 2007 After reviewing the blog on your web site, the office of public administrator would offer the attached statement in response. read the statement --James A. Fluker   Asst. County Counselor   Attorney for Office of Clay County Public Administrator September 12, 2007 Thank you so very very much for having this program as well as others that have been done. This is a note that I wrote that comes from my heart. I know it is difficult for people who have not walked in our footsteps to understand what the problems people with mental illness, their family and friends have to go through. But the hypocrisy in the hearts and minds of many elected officials and the people that elect them is beyond reason. THANK YOU SO MUCH. --Zoe September 12, 2007 What an important piece of work! I am so glad you are doing this......how sad to see the pictures of Campbell care and to know I have sent people back to that place. We do have a broken system and people need to know about that in order to work on fixing it. --Shayla