EDITORIAL: Transparency

Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services plays a crucial role in local mental-health care, with many patients and their families depending on its services. But as the organization has corrected problems uncovered by investigators and made plans for a psychiatric emergency department, it has been silent about a turnover in its leadership and its plans to fill several vacant positions. CenterPoint Human Services, which oversees public mental-health care in the area, should demand transparency from Old Vineyard.

Rob McCartney, the chief executive of Old Vineyard, stepped down last month because of health problems, CenterPoint said last week. But neither Old Vineyard nor its for-profit parent company, Universal Health Services Inc., would confirm that last week, despite repeated inquiries from the Journal's Richard Craver. A regional manager for Universal was in charge of Old Vineyard until yesterday, when an interim chief executive, Charlene Arnett, took over. Betty Taylor, the CenterPoint director, identified Arnett yesterday.

The public deserved timely, complete answers about the leadership changes at Old Vineyard. Such transparency is crucial to maintain public trust in Old Vineyard as it goes through a difficult period.

It has had significant staff turnover recently. Yesterday, 24 job openings were posted on its Web site, including director of nursing and several nursing positions.

And Old Vineyard Youth Services has been the subject of investigations by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and state regulators. Among regulators' findings were an ineffective response of medical staff to a patient emergency, nursing staff not being competent in the use of emergency equipment and insufficient oversight.

Last month, Medicaid said that Old Vineyard was back in good standing. Old Vineyard also seems to have corrected most of a lengthy list of deficiencies identified by state health officials.

Still, Old Vineyard's lack of transparency about plans for continued improvement has some advocates concerned. Pamela Corbett, a psychologist and former CenterPoint board member, said what most worries her "is the further deterioration and demoralization a hospitalized person will suffer."

Old Vineyard's new leader should meet the public with clear plans for how to better serve the mentally ill. Silence from a crucial player involved in the local delivery of mental-health care is unacceptable.

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