Chapter 5

THURSDAY, JUNE 18

At Management Team meeting, after lunch on Thursday, Chet explained what we believed had led to the directive to close the bakery.

Besides Chet and me, there were the five Team Managers: Nita Bradley (Substance Abuse Rehabilitation), Lydia Grossman (Developmental Disabilities Habilitation), Greta Mazur (Community Mental Health), Terry Sloan (Public Health), and Liz Garrison (Administrative Support Services).

“He wants to sell the Mental Health program to this Universal Mental Health group?” Lydia asked, clearly expressing her incredulity.

“It’s called MH Unlimited,” I said. “We’ve tested our theory in different ways, throwing various monkey wrenches into Burt’s plan, and we had the expected reactions from him each time. In other words, we don’t have proof, but we have convincing evidence.”

Chet added, “I saw a brochure from MH Unlimited on his desk and I think it was attached to a folder that looked to have substantial filler.”

Greta’s phone rang. She got it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. “It says County Net.”

Chet said, “Answer it. You can’t hide forever.”

She tapped the connect button. “Mental Health, this is Greta.” She listened.

“Yes, sir.” And she disconnected.

“He wants me over there.”

I said, “Set your phone on record and tuck it inside your blouse, then keep your hands away.”

She undid a button, slid the phone in, just above the waistband of her slacks, then refastened the button.

I looked at her and said, “Not very noticeable, just don’t push your belly out.”

Liz handed her a clipboard. “Hold this about an inch away.”

I said to her, “Ten minutes, and I’m coming over there.”

Chet said, “Just calm down, Gary.”

Greta left.

“We set Greta up,” Chet explained. “We made a few moves that made it look like Margaret Deveaux might be preparing to bid on the mental health program. “Then we had Greta call MHU -- oh. I forgot to mention that Great received a recruitment letter from MHU a few weeks ago. She thought it was just a mass mailing and threw it out. So we had her call them and suggest she finally realized what they were after because another agency had also contacted her, though she wouldn’t tell them who the other agency was.”

“Yeah,” I interjected, “except we’d arranged that Burt would see the three of us meeting with Margaret at breakfast yesterday, in a heavy discussion, complete with hints at money and budget talk.”

Liz asked, “Let me get this straight. You three, and Margaret Deveaux, mounted a false flag operation so that Greta’s call to MHU would have some resonance when MHU called Burt to find out what was going on?”

“Yeah,” I said, “that was the main idea. Greta also told MHU that the reason she was thinking of jumping ship was because Burt was messing with money-earning programs.”

“I hadn’t believed some of the stories I’ve been told by my team about you guys.” Nita said. “I’m rapidly becoming less skeptical.”

Lydia said, “Oh, this is nothing. Wait until the dead bodies start piling up.”

I said, “We’ve already got one.” I told them the story of Evelyn Durkee and her threatened lawsuit.

“That’s not the same thing,” Lydia argued.

“She’s right,” Liz agreed, “not compared to Phil’s murder in the bakery and you being arrested for it.”

“Now that’s a story,” Terry said.

“Hey, I was just trying to keep the newbie from feeling left out,” I said. Actually, Nita had been on board for nearly ten months.

It was creeping up to ten minutes when Greta walked back in. She was shaking her head.

She flopped down in her chair and said, “Well, the bakery is off the chopping block. The directive to close it is rescinded. He quizzed me about our breakfast with Margaret yesterday and I told him Gary and I were trying to convince Margaret that the equipment was worth twenty-five grand.”

Chet asked, “Did he say anything about MHU?”

“He gave me a phone number and a woman’s name. I’m supposed to call her at four o’clock. What am I supposed to tell her?”

Lydia said, “Tell her to pound salt.”

“It sounds like MHU wants to add you to their fifth column,” I said.

Chet said, “It’s getting a bit too complex for us to continue with our sky-is-falling scheme.”

“I’m not so sure. Let’s think about it a bit,” I suggested. “There’s still a couple hours, and we have other business to cover. I have a some crisis service issues to discuss. Does anyone have anything urgent?”

Nita said, “I’ve received a notice from the state that they want to have a separate set of administrative regulations for alcohol dependence, pulling it from the general substance abuse program regs. It will cause us to have to have two separate record and reporting systems, and different staff qualifications.”

Greta was shaking her head. “Oh, they do that every few years,” she said. “There’s some state representative from Hancock County who has a family member who keeps going into rehab because of alcohol dependence. He doesn’t like the idea that his son, or nephew, or brother, or whoever it is, is classified in state regs the same as meth addicts and other so-called lowlifes, so he wants a separate program category for a better class of addicts.

“The state office doesn’t really want to do it,” Greta continued, “but, since it’s a state legislator, they have to play along.”

Then she explained, “What the state office really want is to collect protests from the funded programs throughout the state, along with estimates of how much more it will cost to run two programs instead of just one. The state office then shows that data to the chair of the Health and Welfare subcommittee and the whole thing will die a quiet death.

“Talk to Greg or Craig or whatever-his-name-is who runs the Blackstone County program over in Plattsburg. He can give you more details. I remember Phil complaining about this a couple times.”

“Okay, thanks, Greta.”

“Is that good enough, Nita?” Chet asked.

“Yes. The notification from the state office makes more sense now, as it actually listed all the features that were going to be loaded on us, almost like they were gloating about it. Now I realize it’s actually a prompt with cues about the problems we can cite in our responses. The only thing I’ll have to take some time with is the budget estimate.”

Liz said, “If it’s about budget, I probably have a copy of Phil’s last response. You can just update the figures. Phil and Jimmy had Admin Support do all of their budget consolidations and then any later revisions or references.”

“Great. This is getting easier and easier.”

Chet asked, “Anyone else with a pressing issue? No? You’re up, Gary.”

“Okay. Two things. First one’s not a problem, just a bit different. Two nurses recently hired in Public Health, Bethany Nicoletti and Janet Swiderski, along with Emily Iverson, will be joining the crisis rotation as soon as they complete the training videos. Both of the Public Health nurses have some psych service training and-or experience. And they both intend to make copies of my crisis kit.” I put a “so-there” twist on it.

“So, a pair of suck-ups is what you’re saying,” Lydia jabbed.

“Examples to be emulated,” I replied.

“When will they start?” Nita asked.

“The current rotation runs through September, so I’ll start all of them in October.”

“Would they be available for trades before then?” Lydia wanted to know.

“As soon as they pass the test. Oh, speaking of trading, I told them that, when someone wanted a trade, that it was customary for that person to offer twenty dollars as an incentive.” That was a fabrication I’d come up with on the spot.

“Yeah, right,” Lydia said. “They’ll learn right away not to trust you.”

Greta said, “In that case, I’m raising my trade fee to twenty-five dollars.” Good ol’ Greta, jumping into the joke.

“What’s your other thing, Gary?” Chet said.

“Oddly enough, more volunteers, but for a different crisis function. Both Greta and Emily have asked to qualify for state certification as Mental Health Assessors. Right now, I’m the only one in the county, and I wouldn’t mind seeing some competent people being certified, especially those who are reluctant to send folks to Plattsburg (Plattsburg State Residential Mental Health Services, the nearest state hospital and the nearest psych inpatient unit of any kind) unless absolutely necessary. I feel confident that Emily and Greta have the same general outlook.”

“Do we need more assessors?” Nita asked.

“In general terms, no. The demand for the service in Coldwater County is effectively zilch, but that’s because of the way the crisis team responds to serious call-outs. The team’s become more effective at evaluating situations and tapping local resources.

“In the past year, there’ve been only two involuntary hospital admissions, both for the same guy, and I ordered both of them,” I shrugged

“So why do you want more help?” Nita persisted.

That was a little fuzzy in my mind. “Because it feels like too much authority for a single person to hold.”

Liz asked, “What do you mean?”

Shaking my head, my face showing my uncertainty, I said, “I’m uncomfortable with the authority to have someone taken, against their will, by the police, and placed in a seventy-two hour detention at a facility sixty or seventy miles from their home.”

Liz asked, “How would having more assessors change that?”

I didn’t have a good answer for that, since I was dealing primarily with a feeling of dread or guilt ever since my encounter with Kendal Caldwell.

A year before, I’d virtually driven the nineteen-year old Caldwell out of town, courtesy of a bus ticket back to his home base in Kingston. He’d hitchhiked to Leaufroide and was preying on some of our most vulnerable clients, beating, intimidating, raping, and robbing them, then faking symptoms of mental illness in order to get drugs and disability benefits.

I’d used my authority as a Mental Health Assessor to threaten him with six months in the state hospital if he didn’t get on the bus to Kingston. While there was a legitimate justification for my threat of an involuntary hold, I knew I’d overstated things in order to do my own brand of bullying. So I bought him the bus ticket, a bag of burgers and fries, and saw him off at the bus depot.

Later that day, after he got off the bus at Coldwater Junction, Caldwell was shot and killed after he blundered into the scene of another murder.

In answer to Liz’s question, I said, “It wouldn’t, really. I just think it would be a good idea.”

Liz asked, “It sounds to me like you need to work this through better, if you want our advice. For that matter, as I understand the law, the only person whose approval is needed is the Mental Health Administrator for the county, which is an authority that Chet holds.”

“You’re right, and I know that. There’s no urgency, I reckon, except my own impatience.”

Terry asked, “Why aren’t Doc B and Nancy certified Assessors? I thought licensed psychiatric practitioners had an automatic approval.”

“Their credentials meet the clinical requirements,” I replied, “but they still have to participate in training and pass a test on the Vinley Act, but it’s pretty much an open book quiz.”

Dr. Francis “Frank” Bartkowiak, MD, and Nancy Stoessel, MSN, PMHNP, were our psychiatric staff. Doc B was a psychiatrist and Stoessel a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Among their functions was the prescribing of psychotropic medications and overseeing the effectiveness of that treatment.

“I’m not sure why they aren’t Assessors,” I continued. “I always figured it’s because they were smarter than me and had steered clear of the whole ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ thing.” You’re on your own with the movie quotes.

“You might want to find out,” Chet said. “I have no problem with any of those folks being designated, Frank, Nancy, Greta, or Emily. But I think you meed a better utilization plan. Can we table this, for now? You can bring it back when and if you want to.”

I looked over at Greta. She shrugged. “Sure,” I said to Chet.

“What else?” he asked the group.

Nita said, “Some of our clients who are involved in the veterans group were asking why we don’t change the name of the Substance Abuse Rehab program to ‘Behavioral Health?’ I think they might have a point.

“That description has become popular in contemporary journal articles, textbooks, and clinical literature and many treatment programs are assuming that designation. I mean, I’m not one to change things just to be politically correct or trendy, but ‘substance abuse’ carries a decidedly negative aura and ‘Behavioral Health’ is more inclusive and is less likely to be stigmatizing, beside just being overall more sensible.”

Greta said, “They’d asked for that before. Phil pretty much ignored it. He said it would be too expensive.”

“Expensive? How?’ Nita asked.

“I’m not sure. The only thing he mentioned was printing and signage.”

Chet said, “Liz?”

Liz shook her head as she wrinkled her brow in mild puzzlement. “I don’t think it would be that much. Signage would only be the sign next to the sidewalk outside building three. If I remember, that was about sixty dollars for each program’s sign. Once it’s made, Chris Howard can install it. Interior directional signs we print ourselves. They’re just card stock in acrylic holders.

“The only printed stationery product we have are business cards. Everything else is printed from our digital templates as we need it. If you write a letter, it goes on our letter template and our letterhead is printed along with the letter. Changing the templates should take less an hour, the only tricky part is because the programs are listed in the left-side margin in alpha order...” she paused in thought, “but maybe even that is not such a big deal. But figure an hour of clerical staff time, max, which is just a general service, so it’s not charged to a program.”

“Why is that?” Terry asked. “Why can’t costs like that be assigned to the programs?”

“They could,” Liz said, “but you might want to keep in mind that Public Health generates more mailed paper than all the other programs combined.”

Terry looked like a raccoon caught in a garbage can. “Question withdrawn,” she quickly said.

Nita, with a sly grin, repeated Terry’s question. “Why can’t costs like that be assigned to the programs?”

Chet, obviously annoyed, said, “Because my answer will involve the formation of a committee to study the issue and make written recommendations regarding that concept and how it would relate to other shared costs and revenue. The committee members will be selected from among those in this room who are complaining. Let me also remind you that Community Mental Health’s revenue is contributing to everyone’s support.”

“Question withdrawn,” Nita responded.

“What would you estimate the real cost for the name change, Liz?” Chet asked.

“For the business cards and the outdoor sign, probably under three hundred dollars. Interior signage and letterhead and other templates, maybe an hour or two at most. I’ll assign that to Jenny Raab, she’s good at finding all the layouts.”

Lydia said, “That little Jenny is cute enough to eat.” There were a couple snickers; one was mine.

Chet sat up straight and said, “Okay, let me stop things right there.”

He looked intense. “I understand that nothing may have been meant by it, and I’m not referring to the possible double entendre. And I don’t mean this to be addressed particularly to Lydia, but to all of us. What I’m referring to is the unacceptability of any sort of personal or sexual references to any other county employee, client, patient, or citizen, at least not on company time or premises. Just don’t do it. It is too easy for such things to be misinterpreted or even to be accurately interpreted and, in either case, to be offensive, or intimidating, or have some other adverse effect. I’d recommend dropping gossip about people altogether. Its usual effect is to demean someone behind their back. As a pastime, it is nothing to be proud of.

“While you’re on the county clock, or on county property, or in county vehicles, or on county-sponsored trips, there is no place for that sort of talk. I want you to pass this on to your teams. I’ll be sending an email to everyone to the same effect.

“What we will do is show one another respect and positive regard, as colleagues and professionals, not as indifferent social objects. Believe me: I will take names and kick ass. Dismissal from service is not out of the question. I want us to be on guard against anything that would cause one of our employees or a client or county resident to have occasion to say, ‘Me too.’

“Any questions?”

“What do you mean, exactly? What can we even say to someone, now?” Lydia asked.

“You tell me. Why don’t you give me an example of something you think I’d find acceptable.”

“Saying ‘Good morning’ to another employee?” she snickered.

Chet just looked at her for several long seconds. Then, in a quiet voice, speaking slowly and deliberately as if carefully choosing his words, he said, “Lydia, any failure by anyone to take this seriously, or attempt to circumvent it, or to degrade the message to other team members, would make me question that employee’s intelligence and fitness for duty.”

Lydia’s expression turned serious. She nodded and looked down at the tabletop.

Then, in turn, he looked each of us in the eye as he continued. “What I demand is not unreasonable and is well advised in today’s social climate, and in the interest of rooting out sexism and ingrained bigotry of all sorts. One might argue that I am overreacting, but I think all of us here in this room would agree that the sort of prejudices we are up against are insidious and entrenched in our cultural traditions and will demand an extraordinary effort to overcome.”

His tone softened as he concluded. “Look, I don’t want to discourage the joking and sarcastic humor that goes on here, but I do want this message to be understood. We have an exceptional assembly of professionals in these buildings. I see no reason why we can’t accomplish extraordinary things. I’m suggesting that we start by improving the manner in which we deal with one another. Like the song says, ‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T.’

“Now, are there any questions?”

There weren’t.

After a moment, I said, “On another topic, you’ve given me an idea about what Greta might tell MHU. But I need to call Nora Galin. If she sues the county on Denny’s behalf, I want her to sue specifically Burt, Babbitt, you, me, Greta, and MHU. I want to make it too expensive for MHU to take over Community Mental Health.”

Chet said, “But her suit would have the same limits as Babbitt’s. Only the county, itself, and MHU are vulnerable. I think everyone else is protected by qualified immunity.”

“I’m not so sure,” I replied, “if it’s a question of a civil rights violation, but I’ll let the attorneys worry about that. For right now, I’ll be satisfied with throwing more dust in the air and shouting, ‘The sky is falling’ a little longer.”