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Article: MENTAL HEALTH TOOTHLESS WATCHDOGS HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORS DESERVE INDEPENDENCE.(LOCAL)(Editorial)
- Article from:
- The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
- Article date:
- September 15, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Dr. Anita Everett, the Gilmore administration's inspector general for mental health, believes in working cooperatively with state mental health officials.
In theory, there's nothing wrong with that good-faith approach.
In practice, however, cordial relations between those running the state human rights system for the mentally ill and retarded and those watchdogging it have had a dim history in Virginia.
Too often, ``cooperation'' has proved a euphemism for turning a blind eye to abuse. In some instances, the result has been catastrophic for those who matter most: patients.
One consequence of the cozy past has been five federal ...