With patients becoming increasingly more violent and with criminal records and substance abuse problems, to reduce the number of trained staff on hand will undoubtedly increase the number of assaults by patients on staff. We cannot have more Kendra Webdale's. With workers required to return to work a mere eight hours later to care for our society's most vulnerable population, mentally ill children, exhaustion is creating a dangerous situation. These levels are just plain reckless. With patients becoming increasingly more violent and with criminal records, to reduce the number of trained staff on hand will undoubtedly increase the number of patient assaults.
People are afraid to come to work - they are scared of being attacked.
However, the dangerous situation is not just inside the walls of the facility. By March of next year, Bronx PC plans on further eliminating an additional 50 beds. By further eliminating 50 beds at Bronx Psychiatric Center, we are throwing the mentally ill out onto the streets of our communities and putting residents in danger. This is unacceptable. More than half of the jobs to be eliminated are located in New York City.