Contender to take on Milwaukee County psychiatric hospital pushes back against Buzzfeed report

Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services, the sole vendor left in the process to outsource inpatient services at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex, faced a barrage of questions from county mental health board members and staff about their quality of care last week.

The board’s task force charged with outsourcing services invited Universal Health Services staff to speak at their Thursday meeting. They responded to an article from Buzzfeed that detailed alleged abuse at the provider’s Alabama facility, which included a video from two years ago of a staff member pushing a patient to the ground and pulling them into a room off camera.

Karen Johnson, senior vice president of clinical services at Universal Health Services, said that a “specific individual…on his or her last legs of employment with us because of poor performance” released the video.

“It was devastating to us,” she said. “We have an absolutely zero tolerance policy for inappropriate interactions between staff and patients, and that clearly is one of those.”

Johnson said that their process worked internally and “issues were taken care of.”

Board members and Milwaukee County staff questioned Johnson on the event, the health system’s policies and oversight at their facilities.

“I hope that you’re not excusing behavior because to me I find it unnecessary that you said that the tape was released by a disgruntled employee,” Brenda Wesley, director of education and outreach for NAMI of Greater Milwaukee, told Johnson. “That looked like abuse…that behavior is not excused at all.”

Johnson called the behavior shown in the video “completely inexcusable” and apologized if she indicated it was not.

In an interview after the meeting, Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights Wisconsin Milwaukee Office director, said her organization continues to be concerned about the Alabama facility. Beckert, who is not a member of the task force, said the county should dig deeper into the report with its due diligence process.

“It’s my understanding that this is a facility that has continued to struggle,” she said. “It’s important to have an honest acknowledgment of those challenges.”