4.) What Staff?

AT HIS BEST, MAN IS THE NOBLEST OF ALL ANIMALS

SEPARATED FROM LAW AND JUSTICE HE IS THE WORST

                                                                                 ~ Aristotle
 Anonymous said...

These messages make me very sad. That clinic used to be an invaluable asset to the recovering community and now it appears it has fallen into disrepair. I do hope you find resolution         May 30, 2019 at 2:46 Pm

Let's get right down to it. Make no mistake about it, Leah is CADS program manager and she's the boss with a rubber stamp staff. Think of our president, his cabinet and the GOP. If politics is not your thing, think of a mob boss who gives orders while trying to stay completely clear of "blame".and guilt. Who remembers the underworld figure with the nickname Teflon John? That's him,John Joseph Gotti Jr. the Italian-American gangster who became boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City.  He was given the nickname "The Teflon Don" because of his flamboyancy and after three high-profile trials in the 1980s resulted in his acquittal, though it was later revealed that the trials had been tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct and witness intimidation. Now hold that thought. In walks CADS program manager, Leah Morris. No, she's not the POTUS, nor is she the head of a crime family, However, she does wear some of their shoes. She also mimics some of their foot prints. Of course she doesn't traffic in drugs, prostitution and gambling. And, she did not need Putin's assistance to acquire her job. But she does have a staff largely in name only. 

                                                                             

So she's not a mob boss but she does enjoy the benefits of a crew of loyalists, henchmen, if you will. One  such crew member she brings along with her, acts as her Bundini "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" Brown, Ali's infamous corner-man.

  DOOR MONITOR, SHARI
 The door monitor, although she has no training in the recovery field, acts as Leah's Sargent at arms`.She's indebted to Leah for giving her that position after losing hers' in the merger with UnityPoint. Its been said that she's the loudest voice in the meeting, often running interference for her boss on business matters that needs a " yes men  vote". Basically, in the meetings she's the intimation factor who professes to have more knowledge than the rookie counselors who combined have less than six months on the job. One other staff member is on loan from another department. Leah's staff members are often "on loan" because she can't seem to keep employees. I HAD a counselor for one 15 minute visit. On record I believe she was listed as my counselor but I never saw her again, never! After her departure I was given a counselor with 1 month on the job. I never met with her. Then I was given a counselor for another 1 month period. He has now quit as well. I asked him why he was leaving. He said things were not going "the way he thought they should". I didn't know exactly what he meant but I have my suspicions. He was the counselor who leaked a copy of a record concerning a meeting I had with Leah. Listen, although Leah never gave me a reply to my grievance and a meeting we had to discuss my grievance, she quietly filed an official document into the records about our meeting. Come to find out it was littered with falsehoods. That's the politically correct way to say she lied abundantly. I speak about that document in more detail  in another post. But basically she filed a false and misleading document into the records, obviously believing I would never see it. This same counselor also encouraged me to write to the state director over the methadone program in Illinois. I called and made contact with him. That's another story for another time but it should be noted that I am not the first to complain about this manager and her methods. You have to understand that she has a systematic method to her madness which has been working for her. It just so happened that this time she drew the short straw when she set her sights on me.

 Little did she know that I worked in Quality Control at the Central Base Personnel Office (CBPO) while in The United States Air Force. One of my tasks was working with Unfavorable Information Files. Think of a police record. It's a file I maintained on everyone on the base who may have committed a violation of military code or broke the law off the base. I also kept bad credit files as well. Basically anything an airmen might have done that would shine an unfavorable light on him and thus The Air Force, I maintained a record on him or her. When there were "down" periods or slow days in the office, we read manuals after manuals, all day long we read manuals on everything associated with our job/duties. I've carried some of my military habits AND TRAINING  along with me my entire life.

The very first day I went to the nurses window to get my first dose of methadone I asked the nurse what organization controls what they do there? When she looked at me like I was nuts I changed the question. I asked her if there was a regulation that she's required to follow? She said, "you will have to ask your counselor, I don't get involved in all that stuff." I thought that was kind of strange but at that time I didn't know anything different. However, now I know. 

Aside from my love of reading informational material and non-fiction literature, I was a guest writer for a local newspaper. In 2012 I won a writing contest and was awarded a guest column for a portion of the year. But the average client would not have the same background, and might not have the patience, time and endurance to grind this struggle out as I am doing. I believe that's why this manager has managed to continue her systematic approach of running this program with a heavy hand and in violation of several rules and regulations. Most clients would not be able to go through this lengthy process to prove their innocence while she stacks the deck against them. Not to mention the cost associated with this journey. Investigations, travel, research, background checks and a helping "staff" does not come without cost. Most cannot afford the costs associated with this investigation. The man hours I've put into this case ,alone, are well over 600. Anyway, I have to push forward because my life is on the line. When I first started this journey it became obvious early on that something wasn't adding up. However the shear volume of egregious acts did however catch me by surprise.
                                                                                 

 Where was I? Oh, I was mentioning the makeup of Leah's staff.  

                             

   the door monitor who also holds the title of Med Check is a good place to continue. Periodically the clients must bring in all their prescription medications for what is known as a "med count" and Shari is the person that counts it. She also calls clients in the morning starting at 5:30 AM if their name came up for a urine specimen, known as a "DROP". The client's names are said to be randomly selected by the computer. However, Shari's been given the authority to place a client's name on the list if she suspects that they have been drinking or using other illegal substances. Oh boy, if you did not know, you do now, that's power with a capital "P".

It should be noted that giving urine can be an embarrassing and humiliating experience.The collection process varies between treatment centers. However, like most procedures in the "treatment" field there are NCBI (The National Center for Biotechnology Information)  and/or SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and/or a CFR regulations that covers it. In fact, practically every requirement of the client and the providers are covered by a government regulation. Even how to give and collect urine specimens has it's own code/regulation. The problem that I'm experience is this program manager apparently does not believe she must follow any of them. 

From the opening bell, the directive "Clients Rights", CADS Directive Number 4040, Leah drops the ball. For example item # 8 (among several others on the list) has been trampled on by this program manager. It reads: [All clients have the right] To have access to information pertaining to your treatment in sufficient time to facilitate your decision making. I had zero time before I was required to sign a receipt for an administrative withdrawal order. I never saw it coming. I was completely blindsided. On this CADS directive alone (4040), this program manager has managed to violate at least 5 directives. That's right, you've read that correctly, 5 violations on one piece of paper.... she ignored and/or dropped the ball. We're not speaking of parking violations. We're addressing issues involving a class II Narcotic.and clients lives are at risk. .

For women I understand it's very humiliating to have another woman stand in front of them and watch them pee in a little 2 inch wide cup. Men are not generally as concerned with someone watching us urinate. We'll stop our car on the side of the highway, pull ours out, go, and get back on the road. But I've heard that some women cannot release themselves while someone is starring down on them. That' reason along with many more is why the door monitor has juice (slang for POWER). She has been known to threaten clients with putting their names on the drop list. If you did not know, you do now, that's power with a capital "P" in a world near you. The door monitor's role in my grievance will be discussed in deeper details in upcoming pages/posts.

For now, lets go back to the program manager's other staff members.


42 CFR § 8.12 - Federal opioid treatment standards. It's safe to say none of them have read that manual/regulation. They are quick to say they don't know what goes on back there, referring to the portion of the clinic other than their offices and classrooms. Most, if not all of them did not know anything about methadone when they were selected  as "counselors"and are in no hurry to find out. That plays right into Leah's plans. Someone who has the title of staff member, but does not have the empowerment, responsibility or accountability of a staff member with  equal knowledge  needed to make serious decision regarding methadone clients are nothing more than pawns. Their understanding and training in issues related to methadone is I believe insufficient to make serious decisions concerning my treatment and/or issues regarding discipline related to an issue in the CFR. They may not have personally read and/or discussed it with someone other than the "staff".

 But first, it must be noted that many of the changes in my counselors were "suggested" by the all powerful and most senior  staff member, the door monitor, Shari. How do I know that? I was told by the counselor herself, Colette and verified by the front desk clerk. When I first heard that my counselor had been changed again, I asked Colette what was going on? She said Shari did it. WHAT! SHARI!? The door monitor is calling shots... and making personnel changes? By the way, with Shari's history and her ex-con status, she's the last person I would expect to be in a staff room discussing sensitive information. To her, negative information is an asset. Negative information has value. But here she was assigning counselors who were suppose to be guiding me. instead they were digging my grave.

Now let's talk about the other major player on the "clinical team" or staff, the doctor. He will need a post of his own.  
Please read the next post titled:  HERE COMES THE DOCTOR
  and THE NURSE WHO DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO READ ALL THAT STUFF.
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                                  This is what its felt like dealing with Leah and her "staff".  😅
                                   Well, you know what I mean.  It HAS BEEN scary.                       

                                                      

                                                           
      CADS CLINICAL STAFF OR THE THREE MONKEYS?

.                     YOU MAKE THE CALL