jamesfay's blog

What he should know:  Story Continued »

"Dear State Employees: Today is State Employee Recognition Day and it is my pleasure to have this opportunity to say thank you for your dedicated service to our state and our citizens. Thank you for all that you do to make our state government run effectively and efficiently. Thank you for keeping the people of our state safe, helping them achieve their goals in education and business, and providing vital services each day. I appreciate the work you do and the role your play as we each work together to deliver important services to Missouri citizens.  Story Continued »

"Though the Post-Dispatch doesn't identify the Mental Health "middle managers" who moved to terminate the nearly thirty workers without cause, it is an open secret that MRDD Division Director Bernie Simons is the ideologically rigid outsourcing maven who has made the privatization of state mental health services a first-order priority. Simons has consistently agitated for the firing of current state-employed caregivers and their replacement with temporary and employment agency staff.  Story Continued »

“Dr. Constantino’s time on the Commission coincides with some of the most difficult and stressful periods in DMH’s history (0ver 36 newspaper reports in the St. Louis Post Dispatch in 2006-7 on the Mental Health Commission and MRDD, more than all previous years combined). Multiyear funding reductions (This started under Governor Holden with the idea of offering early retirement to the veteran staff and cutting positions (FTE’s) from Regional Centers.  Story Continued »

SB 40’s are being set up to take the fall for the Department of Mental Health/MRDD leadership… It is apparent that Senate Board 40’s across the state are as different as night and day from each other; being at different levels of maturity, quality and professionalism. At least with the eleven regional offices you get the same quality and consistency regardless of what the DMH leadership states. For example, Greene County Senate Board in Springfield, Missouri, is clearly not up to the challenges that Bernie Simons is pushing on them.  Story Continued »

John is a young man around 10 years of age. He has trouble being around people and tenses up in crowds. He feels over whelmed at times. He cannot feed himself but needs to eat at regular set times. He will make a noise when he is hungry or thirsty. He is fed by spoon and his food is pureed. He wears diapers that Medicaid does not pay for. He uses two cases of diapers per month. Mom bathes him, brushes his teeth and cares for all his personal needs.  Story Continued »

The DMH hemorrhaging of staff continues…  Story Continued »

I noted on the news recently that the United States has lost approx. 3,000,000 jobs since 2003. These jobs were in the tech world, manufacturing, some service businesses, and at all levels of skill and quality.  Story Continued »