This is my two cents regarding the July 2014 issue of The Advocate, which did an incredible and throrough job of investigative reporting on their lead story "Could CSB have prevented Deeds family tragedy?"
By far and away, this was one of the best pieces I read on this issue. I read everything I could find...from any source I could find. Stories such as this interest me on a personal level. If you have ever had to ECO/TDO another person, someone close to you, for being a danger to themselves or others, you are/were already well aware of the cracks and shortcomings that are system-wide. This sort of thing is not solely a failing of the Rockbridge CSB.......it is a failing of the state and federal governments whose first priority seems to be cuts to mental health services at every whipstitch. Could the CSB have done a better job here? Yes, they could have. The problem seems to be the lack of clearly defined and up-to-date policies, procedures, and protocols....but that seems to be evident in most localities whose services are under continuous slash and burn legislation. I have encountered similar problems within the system here in the Roanoke Valley on more than one occasion. It is frustrating and maddening to a point that defies description. I can personally feel the pain of the Deeds family over the outcome of this situation.
Now then, it seems the CSB is highly pissed at The Advocate for running the July story. From where I sit, they shouldn't be. They should be grabbing at the opportunities for improvement that were highlighted in this story. In other words, they should be taking the ball and running with it toward the goal of improved policies, procedures, and protocols. They should be embracing this opportunity to make things better for the communities they serve. People who work in healthcare (any of it, not just mental health) know that the outcomes of sentinel events always lead to changes and improvements in protocols and procedures. Now, it shouldn't take the death or serious harm to a patient for that to happen.......but it often does.
The CSB can sit and play their victim card here and threaten to pull their ad revenue from The Advocate, or they can man up, own their errors, and work toward improved outcomes for all ECO/TDO cases. The choice is theirs and I, for one, hope they choose the high road in the interest of the communities they serve.
Before I close this, I just want to express gratitutde to The Advocate for running this story in July. It lets people like me know that there are people in the area who are interested and who care deeply about this issue and the need for major improvement to the system. Thanks for shining the light in area where a lot of folks don't even know its dark.

Ever looked at someone and thought "the wheel is turning but the hamster is dead"?