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RPC home > Message from the Superintendent (February 03, 2006)

Riverview Psychiatric Center

Message from the Superintendent (February 03, 2006)

"We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don’t know where you’re aiming, you don’t have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, she cared". - Mary Kay Ash

Two summers ago, this hospital, along with several members of the community, past AMHI clients, family members and friends, celebrated both the permanent closing of AMHI, and the 11,526 clients who passed away while at AMHI, from 1841 to 2002. At that time, the celebration committee requested the names of those clients be memorialized in a book, prominently displayed in the hospital. Terry O'Neal has been working diligently on this project and has entered in a nicely bound leather book, all the names of the clients who died from 1841 to 2002 A display case has been built and we are in the final stages of putting this all together and finally and respectfully, displaying it sometime next week. The initial area set aside for the display is in the hospital's waiting area for the clinic, just inside the main entrance area. I know some of you are rightfully concerned about confidentiality, however, the Celebration Committee Members, worked with deceased clients’ families, peer groups, past AMHI clients, Department officials and the Maine State Legislature, and passed a law specifically covering this display. Family members of the diseased were notified (if possible) and given the option to have their names removed/and or not displayed. It will provide all of us an opportunity to reflect daily, on the lives of people this hospital has touched cared for over the past 166 years. Thanks for everyone who participated in this.

On a lighter note, a reminder to staff that the free bowling and pizza night scheduled for last Monday was cancelled due to weather and rescheduled for this coming Monday night. Charlotte Lalime has the details. I and several of the senior staff will be attending and we hope to see you there as well. Please let Charlotte know if you can attend so the bowling alley can plan for enough pizza. Jamie Morrill has reported that he is an accomplished player and is hopeful to show off his skill, ("yea, sure you are").

The Quarterly Performance Review Report for October November and December 2005 has been completed and is posted for all on our web site http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/riverview/index.shtml. We completed a Role Recovery and Psychiatric Rehabilitation training session for the community yesterday. It was very rewarding to hear people excited for our accomplishments and the direction we are pursuing. Riverview is and will be an important partner with the community system.

Finally, as always, I want to thank all of you for your work this past week.

David Proffitt
Superintendent

"Not all who wander are lost." - J. R. R. Tolkien