Patsy Christian has a new job.
Christian was forced to step down as director of a state mental hospital in June 2008 after reports that she spent government money intended to help patients to commission an oil painting of herself.
But she landed softly. Dempsey Benton, then secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services created a new job especially for Christian, where she was tasked with improving "overall quality management in the area of nurse training across the system and compliance with regulatory requirements," according to a department spokesman.
The job paid $114,056, a cut of just 5 percent from the $119,759 she was paid as hospital director.
Now Christian has been assigned as a "special executive" at the Division of Health Service Regulation, the state agency that oversees health care facilities and investigates complaints of patient abuse and neglect.
Renee McCoy, spokeswoman for DHHS, said Christian's new responsibilities include developing disaster readiness plans for state mental hospitals.
She is paid $117,193 a year, according to state records.
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Re: From gilded frame to golden parachute
From the May 29th Dome report (hat tip to Gigglebox, a fine gentleman indeed, for the reference):
"""...……In a statement attributed to Harris and released by the Department of Health and Human Services, the artist said the painting was a gift to the people of North Carolina and that the payment she received barely covered the cost of materials. "Her unconventional beauty, her sense of humor and her blinding intelligence are engraved in my mind," Harris said of her boss. "I knew that with my skill and desire, I would create a painting to be enjoyed by many and become engaged with this historic moment." …….........."""
This quote about her unconventional beauty……isn’t that what’s written on the Statue of Liberty? It was really getting deep. I agree with the historic moment part. This whole situation would make a great comedy script for Larry David.
But this story might serve a purpose. Reading this story makes me think that we might need to take a look at who is doing the treating and who is being treated. Might need to reverse the roles?
And it probably fits in with healthcare reform. Imagine walking out of the doctor’s office and the nurse whispering, “I also do oil portraits. You have an unconventional beauty....you are blinding me with your intelligence....and you obviously have a sense of humor as you are laughing in my face.”
You don’t need the comedy channel as long as you have NC politics. You just can't make this stuff up. God bless America!