Issue of the Week: Rescuing the Mental Health Complex

Theongoing crisis at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex is still coming tolight and the revelations continue to be disturbing. The most recent stateinspection found that the facilities endanger patient safety and need seriousupgrades, patient records aren’t properly maintained and the food service, nowrun by the private vendor A’viands, has questionable sanitary conditions. Andalthough Supervisor Lynne De Bruin is being criticized for writing up adisturbing conversation with Behavioral Health Division administrator JohnChianelli during a closed-door meeting on the sexual assault of patients, DeBruin, government investigators and patient advocates are just shedding lighton problems that have lingered on for too long in the background. Thoseproblems include sexual assault, death, staffing shortages and inadequatetreatment plans for patients.

We’relooking forward to seeing how Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker willrespond to the growing revelations. He can’t solve them with a promise and apress release. Walker must fix what has beenbroken on his watch before another vulnerable Milwaukee Countyresident suffers when placed in the care of the county.

Hero of the Week

Bilal Markis

In August 2009, twovehicles struck Rasheed Markis while he was riding his bicycle on the city’sSouth Side. In addition to a broken pelvis and crushed lung, Markis sufferedthe loss of a kidney, his spleen and part of his liver, and lost large amountsof blood in emergency surgery. Incredibly, he survived, earning the aptnickname “Miracle Comeback Kid.”

Inspired by thegenerosity of strangers who helped to save his son’s life, Bilal Markis wantedto give back to others and raise awareness of the importance of blood donors byorganizing the “Miracle Comeback” blood drive. Now in its second year, thedrive will take place Friday, June 25, at CORE/El Centro (611 W. National Ave., fourth floor) from9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those interested in taking a few minutes to make a potentiallylife-saving donation can call Markis at (414) 578-0735, or register online todonate blood at www.bcw.edu/miraclecomeback.

Jerk of the Week

Congressman JimSensenbrenner

Fewwould accuse the Obama administration of being too tough on BP after itsdisaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But among thisunenlightened minority is Menomonee Falls Republican Jim Sensenbrenner, amultimillionaire who just happens to own more than 3,000 shares in BP (andthose shares just happened to have lost a healthy chunk of value since thespill, shrinking to the paltry sum of roughly $114,000 as of this writing).“How is the president publicly chastising and threatening BP with criminalactions…helping to stop the oil?” Sensenbrenner whined. Worse still, the longtimeincumbent has no plans to recuse himself from a congressional investigationinto the spill.