Letter to Senator Cornyn

September 25, 2009

United States Senator John Cornyn

5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1150

Dallas, Texas 752444

Dear Senator Cornyn,

My last letter to you was a letter of appreciation dated April 3, 2008.  My husband, Morris Trent Phipps, was in attendance at Jan Werner Adult Day Care in Amarillo, Texas, until August 24, 2009.  On that date he suffered a grand mal seizure and was transported to Baptist Saint Anthony’s Hospital by ambulance.  He was admitted and spent 7 days in ICU there.  Trent was in soft restraint for 5 of the 7 days that he was hospitalized.  When he was stable and the seizures were controlled, the process of looking for long term care became our goal.

Our journey to find a long term healthcare facility that has space, will take Trent, and keeps him in his community is still not satisfied.  Upon discharge, he was allowed to become a resident at the Seville Estates on a 30 day trial.  Although the staff spoke positively about his adjustment, at the end of 2 weeks, I received a call that he would be placed elsewhere at the end of that day because he had been displaying aggressive behavior.  At that time, the staff at the Seville, which is in Randall County, indicated that when the medical management was complete, Trent might be able to return to the Seville.  Trent was then court ordered by Judge Houdashel into Northwest Texas Healthcare’s psychiatric hospital, The Pavillion, for an 8 day stay for medication management. 

The psychiatrist determined that he was easier to redirect, less restless, and no longer exhibiting aggressive behavior.  Discharged to what facility?  The Seville evaluated and observed again and refused to take Trent.  The Cottages and Ware agreed to take Trent and had a bed.  By 9:30 the next morning, Ware had refused him.  The Cottages agreed to take Trent at that point and I began filling out the paperwork.  The director spent a great deal of time with me and led me to believe that they had such specialized training, a smaller staff to patient ratio, and a history of taking difficult patients and making it work.  With some sense of relief and a belief that knowing Trent had had a great number of changes in a brief period time, they would provide him time to adjust.  I left feeling that this place would use that “special training” and patience to give him time to adjust.  Again, by 10:30 the next morning, The Cottages had called and Trent was being moved yet again.  The Cottages called the police to pick Trent up and he literally had no place to go.  The emergency room was not appropriate for admission. Trent was not physically ill.  The Cottages had not gotten a court order to place him the psychiatric hospital.  We, the policemen, myself, the hospital chaplain, and Trent sat under the awning at the Pavillion while it rained for an hour.  The Pavillion finally allowed us into the waiting room area and hospital security came to help us while we had no place for Trent.  The Potter County Judge, Judge Ware, feels that if a person cannot sign themselves in, they are not appropriate for the Pavillion.  So there would be no court ordered placement into the Pavillion.  At 4:30, with all the CEO’s of the hospital being notified, Trent was given a medical emergency admission for the weekend through his psychiatrist.  Trent will be released on Monday.  At this point, he may be going to a nursing home in Pampa because they have a psychiatric hospital and a judge that will court order into the facility for treatment.  I can not get the psychiatric medical management through Potter County’s jurisdiction. 

At this time, Trent is responding to the treatment.  He has assistance available.  He recognized me for the first time in two weeks.  He needs a nursing home placement, preferably within his community.  I do not know what Monday holds for either of us.

If you have avenues that we have not exhausted, please let me know.  I need my husband to be safe and cared for in order to continue this journey.  I again appreciate your concern for my husband, Morris Trent Phipps. 

Sincerely,

Donna Phipps