The Salem Missouri News<\/a> reported June 25 that staff at a Department of Mental Health (DMH) contractor,\u00a0Enrichment Services Inc. (ESI)\u00a0located in Salem (125\u00a0miles southwest of St. Louis,) took developmentally disabled consumers to adult establishments for sex entertainment and gambling.<\/p>\n While the DMH insisted that no patient abuse occurred, they did admit that this was inappropriate behavior and that if such trips continued the provider’s contract would be cancelled.<\/p>\n So, another mental health care provider gets away with inappropriate behavior. No discipline, just a warning. “The legal standard for abuse or neglect could not be met,” they said, while at the same time bemoaning the fact that taxpayer dollars were used for the offense.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, everyone is so pleased that the DMH took such a strong stand against inappropriate behavior with their mental health care consumers. (That was sarcasm; sometimes my sarcasm if not stated as such does not completely come through in an email.)<\/p>\n Such treatment of those under the care of the Department of Mental Health is never help; it is a betrayal in the guise of help, and an all-too-frequent occurrence in the mental health industry. Psychiatrists and psychologists cannot be allowed to continue to determine the standards of conduct in any society.<\/p>\n Patients, their families and guardians, should be provided written information on\u00a0their caretakers’\u00a0professional standards and informed that any behavior outside those standards is inappropriate and subject to discipline; and that “patient consent” is not a defense. Any patient,\u00a0or their family or guardian, who is subjected to such inappropriate behavior\u00a0should file a complaint with the Missouri Office of Constituent Services at 800-364-9687 or email constituentsvcs@dmh.mo.gov<\/a> with a copy to the local police department.<\/p>\n If you are so moved, please express your concern to ESI<\/a>, the Dent County Developmental Disabilities Board<\/a>, the Missouri Association of County Developmental Disabilities Services<\/a>, the Missouri Department of Mental Health<\/a>, and the Salem News<\/a>.<\/p>\n [All emails here for convenience: constituentsvcs@dmh.mo.gov<\/a>; enrichmentservices@embarqmail.com<\/a>; sb40board@embarqmail.com<\/a>; leswagner@macdds.org<\/a>; Keith.Schafer@dmh.mo.gov<\/a>; salemnews@thesalemnewsonline.com<\/a>]<\/p>\n Click here for more information about psychiatric sexual misconduct<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Salem Missouri, psychiatric hotbed The Salem Missouri News reported June 25 that staff at a Department of Mental Health (DMH) contractor,\u00a0Enrichment Services Inc. (ESI)\u00a0located in Salem (125\u00a0miles southwest of St. Louis,) took developmentally disabled consumers to adult establishments for sex … Continue reading