New hospital chief has eye on safety

Addressing staff shortages and safety are among the top priorities for the new administrator of the Hawaii State Hospital, the state’s predominant mental institution.

William May, 57, who has more than 30 years of experience overseeing operations at psychiatric hospitals on the mainland, started his new position July 7, replacing William Elliott, who had served as acting administrator.

"It’s paramount that we minimize the number of vacancies so we can staff the positions adequately with full-time staff as opposed to relying heavily on overtime or agency staff," he said in an interview Monday.

May said he plans to look into recruitment and ways to expedite the hiring process to fill vacant positions. Currently there are 639 state-approved positions at the hospital, 88 of which are vacant.

Of assaults, May said he plans to assess the training programs, specifically the staff’s techniques to reduce tensions.

"We do train staff on how to defend themselves in an assault situation, which is great, which is necessary," he said. "But again, more important is training staff on how to avoid getting into that situation to begin with."

May said knowing the patient is a factor in reducing assaults.

"Every staff member has to have detailed knowledge of the patient," he said.

That includes information on the patient’s therapeutic history, what indicators the patient displays that could lead to a potential violent situation, and any significant anniversary dates that could trigger some type of adverse behavior.

"The staff needs to know this so they can take the necessary steps well in advance of the potential violent situation so that they never get to that point," said May.

For the past two years, May worked as superintendent of the Colo­rado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo before he was offered the administrator position at the Kane­ohe facility. At the 451-bed psychiatric hospital in Colo­rado, May said, he reduced the waiting time for hospital services and admission, decreased the use of seclusion and restraint, improved the patient discharge process and redesigned clinical operations to focus on patient needs.

He previously served as chief executive officer at three sites in New Jersey. Originally from Philadelphia, May earned a master’s degree in public administration from Rutgers University.

Routinely asking patients how they are doing is also equally important to help deter a violent situation from occurring. In Colo­rado, May said, staff proactively conducted half-hour rounds during which they asked each patient whether he was OK.

"It’s just that simple. ‘Are you OK?’" he said. The practice, May said, was effective in decreasing bad situations at the Colo­rado facility.

The Hawaii State Hospital defines assault as any overt act upon a person that might or does result in physical injury and/or emotional distress. That includes hits, spits, kicks, sexual assaults or any physical injury intentionally inflicted upon another person.

Of 138 assaults at the hospital in 2013, 61 resulted in staff injuries, according to the Health Department. As of April 1, 20 assaults have occurred at the hospital, and eight resulted in staff injuries.