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Mental health crisis center too lax, Allegheny County audit concludes

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (PA) - 8/15/2014

Aug. 15--An East Liberty mental health crisis center that tried to help an Oakland man a month before he killed a Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic employee in a shooting rampage has lax internal controls and sloppy record keeping, according to a joint audit released on Thursday by the Allegheny County Controller's Office and the District Attorney's Office.

The audit investigated the $4.4 million contract between the county's Department of Human Services and Western Psych's Resolve Crisis Network program, as well as the county's process for involuntarily committing people for mental health treatment.

District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. asked County Controller Chelsa Wagner to audit county mental health contracts as a result of the shooting at Western Psych, hoping it would support safety upgrades. On March 8, 2012, John Shick, 30, opened fire in the lobby of the Oakland clinic, killing a therapist and wounding four before police shot and killed him.

"There's nothing in this audit that would have addressed that or could have prevented that at all," said Patricia Valentine, executive director for integrated program services for DHS.

A month before the shooting, Shick brought a baseball bat into the Shadyside Family Health Center and banged it on the counter. The incident was reported to Resolve, which sent help to Shick's apartment. He refused treatment.

The audit found Resolve, which offers a 24-hour mental health crisis services for the county, did not properly document or dispose of illegal drugs, prescription drugs and weapons confiscated from patients. In addition, it overbilled the county $15,604, which was later reimbursed.

It also found deficiencies in the process for involuntarily hospitalizing people in need of mental health care. The department had gaps in paperwork, incomplete call logs and poor tracking of warrants. Wagner wrote these deficiencies could cause patients to "fall through the cracks."

"While conducting our audit, we found internal deficiencies that could potentially result in people being left untreated," Wagner said in a statement.

Valentine said the audit's findings -- at both Resolve and DHS -- focused on documentation, record keeping and processing of patient information after treatment.

"I don't think there is anything here that is something that could have led to someone not getting care," Valentine said.

Letters from Valentine and Ellie Medved, vice president of ambulatory and crisis services at Western Psych, state that both organizations have taken steps to address concerns raised in the audit. Western Psych redesigned its lobby and made other security upgrades in response to a safety review commissioned by Zappala.

Aaron Aupperlee is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7986 or aaupperlee@tribweb.com.

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