Lakewood, Wash.-based Western State Hospital has had a rough year.
In early April, two patients deemed "dangerous" escaped from the facility. Although one was found the same day and the other was located the next day, their escape was just one incident in a string of problems at the 800-plus-bed psychiatric hospital. In addition to severe staffing shortages, Washington state officials have amped up safety and security measures at Western State.
Less than a week after the patients' escape, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) fired Western State Hospital CEO Ron Adler and replaced him with Cheryl Strange, who formerly headed up Washington's public mental health system.
The Seattle Times recently checked in with Ms. Strange to uncover how she was chosen for the job and discuss her turnaround plan for Western State Hospital, which is currently at risk of losing both its accreditation and its yearly $64 million in federal funding.
Ms. Strange wasn't looking to take the position as Western State CEO — in fact, she had multiple friends tell her not to take the job. Instead, she was hoping to become secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
But her prior experience — mental health nurse, assistant director of DSHS' mental health division, deputy secretary at the Washington Department of Corrections — and administrative and advocate skills led her to be tapped for the top executive position.
She took the position with enthusiasm and hasn't looked back since. A few of her turnaround plans are already in the works. Ms. Strange and a few other top administrators are each adopting a patient ward — "Like adopt-a-highway," she said — and visiting with patients and staff.
Others will take longer to implement. Ms. Strange wants to create better relations between administrators and employees; upgrade security and training; update the facilities; improve patients' overall quality of life; and let senior-level managers have more authority. "I would like to see a nimble management team that feels like they can engage in debate without fear of retaliation," said Ms. Strange, according to the report. "I think the management team, for whatever reason, did not feel empowered to make decisions."
Since beginning her tenure earlier this year, Ms. Strange has had to face her fair share of challenges at the hospital, which, in 2011, The Seattle Times called "the single most violent workplace in the state" of Washington. Just last month, she had to deal with yet another patient escape.
But Ms. Strange hasn't given up hope on what Western State Hospital can become. "I walk these wards. I watch the patients and the interaction and the humanity that I see on those floors, regardless of the chaos of the operating environment, [and it] is really astounding," she said, according to the report.