What happens when government wastes taxpayers? money? They hire consultants with taxpayers? money to figure out why, keep the report secret and drag their feet to fix things.
In an afternoon N&O report, The Department of Health and Human Services announced that they are hiring an independent outside hospital management firm to evaluate the mess at Cherry Hospital, where among other things, a patient was neglected, choked and died and the director commissioned a painting of herself from funds designated for patients. The feds are investigating and threatening to withhold funding. See here and here.
From the press release:
?We want a top-to-bottom evaluation of every aspect of the hospital including staffing, organizational structure, the competence and effectiveness of managers and supervisors at all levels, and all other components of hospital management and operational activities,? (MH/DD/SAS Co-Director Leza ) Wainwright said. ?We will be looking for their recommendations for any structural and personnel adjustments the Division needs to implement to ensure that Cherry Hospital is equipped to deliver the quality of care people expect and deserve from a state psychiatric hospital.?
Last year a similar evaluation was ordered after accusations of mismanagement and scandal, this one at the DOT. Taxpayers paid a private consultant firm $3.6 million for a report that took months and a demand from the governor to get released to the public. The report was full of recommendations and disclosures of waste and mismanagement. DOT was asked last October by the legislature to present a new org chart within a month ? they are just now getting around to it. Revisit the DOT mess here and here.
In the meantime, our roads are deteriorating, bridges are crumbling, and the mentally ill aren’t getting care they need. These are serious problems that beg serious solutions. Hopefully there won’t be more secret reports full of self serving recommendations that take months to implement. Money and time should not be wasted.
