New Jersey mental patient says she was "treated like an animal"

A former patient at a New Jersey mental hosptial says a mental health worker stomped on her face.

According to Meghan Boland, "I was treated like I was just an animal. And I wasn't. I was sick, and I needed help. I needed to learn about my mental illness."

Also, says Boland, the responsible staff worker was not fired, "They move them and give people back their jobs because they're in a union. They should only hire people who have experience and education in the field, not just people coming off the street looking for work."

Responding to Ms. Boland's accusations, union leader Robert Ruffin said, "We're not saying that all of our staff are perfect. But we are saying that we have excellent staff here . . . What we get as a union is whatever they've hired and whatever they've made full-time. Hell, we've had managers mistreat patients."

References

(1) Guenther,Alan. "Former patient claims abuse by staff member." The Daily Journal 18 January 2008. 10 February 2008 <http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080118/NEWS01/801180352/1002/NEWS01>.

(2) Guenther,Alan. "New facts emerge in Ancora suicide." The Daily Journal 18 January 2008. 10 February 2008 <http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080118/NEWS01/801180353/1002/NEWS01>.