CHESTER - About 60 employees of Chester Mental Health Center gathered outside the facility throughout the afternoon Monday to protest what they say are unfair management practices making their workplace unsafe.

Jay Cameron, who works at the facility and is president of the Association of State County and Municipal Workers Local 424, said new rules and disciplinary procedures protect patients more than staff.

CMHC is the state's only maximum security forensic hospital.

"Basically the problem is staff are being treated unfairly," said Cameron. "They (implemented) new policies and procedures without taking into concern the safety of the staff."

These procedures, some of which cover when a patient can be restrained or isolated, have left staff vulnerable, said Cameron.

"We have murderers, rapists, child molesters, basically any act against society you can commit we probably have somebody at Chester that committed that," he said. "We (staff) don't have any weapons to protect ourselves if they become violent."

Restraining and secluding patients are two effective tools that are used to protect patients, Cameron said, but staff is being dissuaded from using them. The result is that there is no accountability to those patients who get physically violent.

Eleven staff members have been put on administrative leave since July in incidents related to security Cameron said. That action on the part of management, he added, is having a chilling effect on the willingness of security to do their jobs and protect themselves and patients.

Security staff member Bryan Childs agreed.

"A patient can say anything and we'll get investigated," he said.

Tom Green a spokesman for Central Management Services, which oversees the hospital, said that management there is following procedures as mandated by the state.

"The policy regarding patients and staff at Chester is consistent with state policy at other state hospitals and are consistent and based on best practices," he said. "Staff administration is very concerned about safety and violence prevention and place strong emphasis on that at the facility. Certainly they will listen to any concerns that staff have regarding the regulations."

blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com

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