On June 24th Senator Jolie Justus visited Western Missouri Mental Health Center to see first hand the working conditions of AFSCME Council 72 members. The tour was lead by AFSCME member Gwen Williams. Senator Justus toured most of the facility including dietary facilities, the recreation area, and two direct care units. The Senator was also interested in touring the Emergency Room that was recently taken over by Truman Medical Center. Unfortunately the tour was not allowed to tour the E.R. housed at WMMHC.
During her visit the Senator spoke with many AFSCME members who expressed concerns with issues such as short staffing and mandated overtime. Senator Justice was concerned that the typical staffing ratio at WMMHC is 4:1 while an ideal ratio for clients and staff would be 6:1.
After seeing AFSCME Council 72 members’ working conditions Senator Justus committed to urging Governor Nixon to work with AFSCME Council 72 in upcoming contract negations to address these problems, and to look into the Emergency Room operated by Truman Medical Center.