Head of behavioral health hospital for kids leaving post

STAUNTON, Va. (AP) - The director of Virginia’s only behavioral health hospital for children and adolescents is leaving his post.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch (https://bit.ly/2if35O6 ) quotes Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services spokeswoman Meghan McGuire as saying that Dr. Jeffrey Aaron is no longer in charge of the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents in Staunton. McGuire says Aaron will work as a forensic programs consultant for the department.

“We value Dr. Aaron’s expertise, system knowledge and experience working with both juveniles and adults, and he has specialized in the areas of stress, trauma, forensic decision making, mitigation, and forensic evaluations,” McGuire said.

Vickie Coyner, assistant director of administration, will serve as interim acting director until Jan. 16, when Western State Hospital’s director, Dr. Mary Clare Smith, begins serving as acting director.

After the state closed units for children and adolescents at Central State Hospital near Petersburg and Southwest Virginia Mental Health Institute in Marion, the center in Staunton became the last resort for youth in need of institutional care. The 48-bed hospital has come under scrutiny because of rising admissions and falling numbers of staff. A team of specialists has been working to better align the hospital’s practices with demand that peaks in late winter and early spring.

“At Commonwealth Center they would get overwhelmed in the winter,” Interim Commissioner Jack Barber said last week. “Our goal this winter is that they not be overwhelmed.”

Part of the challenge is staffing, with high turnover among direct-care aides and nurses. The vacancy rate among aides at the facility was as high as 17.1 percent in March, according to data provided by the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. About 43 percent of registered nurse positions were vacant for most of the year, but the rate peaked in August at 52.4 percent.

The state is trying to improve practices for assessing kids, treating them and preparing them for discharge, Deputy Commissioner Daniel Herr, who is directing the state team working with the center. The center also faces special challenges because it houses youth who have been convicted of or charged with crimes. It also now admits more children with autism or on the autism spectrum, up to 30 percent of admissions, compared with 25 percent just three years ago.

“You need to get your business processes aligned with your mission,” Barber said, “and it’s got to move discharges along quicker.”

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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, https://www.timesdispatch.com