Schafer picked as state mental health director

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Mental Health Commission returned to its past to pick a new director for an agency undergoing a makeover as a result of recent abuse and neglect allegations at mental health facilities.

Keith Schafer, 59, of Jefferson City, was announced Wednesday as director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. He also served as director from 1986 to 1994.

If confirmed by the Senate, Schafer would take over Feb. 1 as the department implements recommendations from a pair of task forces.

Gov. Matt Blunt formed a task force in June after a St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigation found 21 deaths, 323 injuries and almost 2,000 other incidents tied to abuse or neglect by caregivers at mental health facilities from 2000 through 2005. The report also found the state didn't always follow its laws and policies in responding to the abuse and neglect cases.

The Missouri Mental Health Task Force released 25 recommendations last month, including tougher penalties for facilities, improved training to spot problems and less secrecy surrounding state investigations. The recommendations generally mirrored suggestions made by a separate panel appointed by the Mental Health Commission, which governs the department.

Schafer said he wants to ensure mental health patients receive "the best possible care in a safe environment," while giving them and their families a greater voice in the design of department programs and greater control over their services.

"The issue of consumer safety is just a fundamental expectation for any state agency serving vulnerable people, and particularly for the Department of Mental Health," Schafer said in a telephone interview. "We'll never be perfect, but we always have to strive to get better, and I frankly think that we can make some improvements."

Schafer said he was concerned that people receiving mental health services tend to die much younger than the general population. Their deaths are not necessarily linked to their mental health disorders but often to other medical conditions, Schafer said, adding that he wants to better coordinate patients' mental and physical health care.

Schafer said he also wants the department to make greater use of data in decision-making and to take a hard look at who is being served in state-run habilitation centers for the developmentally disabled and how well they are being served.

Blunt has proposed to close the Bellefountaine Habilitation Center in north St. Louis County, citing questions about patient mistreatment and excessive cost.

The Mental Health Commission said it chose Schafer largely because of his commitment to people with mental health disorders, developmental disabilities and substance abuse problems.

"Keith not only possesses the commitment, but also the administrative and technical skills that will help to make positive changes in the mental health system," said Mental Health Commission chairman John Constantino.

Schafer works for Comprehensive NeuroScience Inc., where he is director of program development and a senior account manager for its behavioral pharmacy management program and medical risk management program.

Department Director Dorn Schuffman resigned July 1. Since then, former longtime department employee and mental health commissioner Ron Dittemore has served as the interim director. Dittemore is expected to remain at the department until Feb. 1, said department spokesman Bob Bax.

---

On the Net:

Mental Health: http://www.dmh.mo.gov