news-record.com

Given Cherry Hospital's abominable record on patient abuse, neglect and staff misbehavior, its new policy of punishing employees for speaking out defies explanation.

Last month, new rules went into effect that discourage workers at the sprawling facility near Goldsboro from "making degrading, demeaning, or belittling comments" about the hospital, criticizing staff or the quality of care, and "demeaning other staff, especially in public settings."

What happens if they do isn't clear. The new code is vague about penalties. However, it does say that discipline will be governed by state personnel policies, which run the gamut from reprimands to termination.

Instead, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the hospital, want them to "go through channels that would bring corrective action."

Except that isn't always the answer, particularly at Cherry Hospital, where a code of silence has concealed egregious problems in the past. A litany of serious violations has been enough for the federal government to at least temporarily withhold accreditation.

A hospital spokesperson noted, "We don't want employees to misinterpret the document to think that we are inhibiting their free speech."

But how else can it be taken? Going through proper channels doesn't work if employees sense their superiors won't act fairly on complaints. In fact, they could be the problem.

Cover-ups abound at Cherry. A 2008 investigation by The News & Observer of Raleigh revealed that internal investigations of 192 cases of patient abuse resulted in employees being charged less than 13 percent of the time. Some offenders inexplicably were allowed to transfer to other state agencies as police officers or prison guards.

With that track record, encouraging openness, not discouraging it, should have been the goal. And speaking out publicly can make a difference.

Cherry's employment two years ago of a convicted child molester as acting medical director came to light only after a nurse tipped off newspapers.

Attorney General Roy Cooper is on record saying that state mental facilities should "err on the side of public disclosure." His staff is taking a more active role in investigating reports of state hospital abuse and deaths, which now must be reported to the state medical examiner's office.

Gov. Bev Perdue, a self-proclaimed advocate for government openness, needs to reverse what amounts to a gag order setting an ominous precedent other agencies might be tempted to emulate.

Rather than clamping down, state policymakers should encourage workers to voice their concerns.