Jonathan
Vernick and his team of enablers continue to control the Department of Public
Health (DPH) in San Francisco. In his latest iteration, his team is having 41
permanent treatment beds closed for mental health patients at San Francisco
General Hospital (SFGH). Then he is transferring the funds saved to his own
group, PRC (formerly Positive Resource Center) for two-week respite services at
SFGH for psych patients.
Last week dozens of protestors
gathered at SFGH to demand that the 41 beds remain open to those with various
mental health challenges. Under the proposed plan, the patients will be
transferred the Hummingbird center for two-week stays. After this period, one
assumes they will roam the streets of San Francisco causing distress to all who
come in contact with them. Please see last Sunday’s San Francisco Examiner’s article, “Cuts to mental health beds
prompt protest,” by Laura Waxmann and
See: Protestors Rally Against City Plan to Close Mental Health Beds
.
Analysis: There are several
problems here: First why is 120 Page Street, historically known as West Side Lodge, not being used as it
had been from about 1980 to 2005: Accepting psych patients from SFGH for 90-day
periods before they are referred to other resources? This would cost the
taxpayers of San Francisco nothing as the building, worth an estimated value of
$3.4 million, was donated to Baker Places, Inc. Then medical and/or medicare
would be billed for the services they received. Instead, the taxpayers are
paying millions of dollars to house patients for two-week stays. This appears to be theft of public funds.
The second
problem is it appears as though the Vernick team is going to sell the building
at 120 Page Street. While the building was emptied as of April 4, 2019 as the
Baker Places new building is at 170 9th Street, and accepted clients
from SFGH psych ward for a few weeks, it now appears that 120 Page will be sold
for $3.4 million. This appears to be
theft of public funds.
A third
problem concerns the dishonesty of Brett Andrews, the CEO of PRC. Please note
that while to the media Mr. Andrews claims to be in charge of Baker Places,
Inc. and PRC, insiders have informed me that, in fact, Jonathan Vernick is in
complete charge. There are two disturbing issues of lying:
1) On PRC website there is a press release, issued by Jonathan Vernick on March
30, 2017, claiming that he was stepping down as the Executive Director of Baker
Places, Inc. as of March 31, 2017. Please see: PDF] Jonathan Vernick Steps Down as Executive Director ... - San Fra
Mr.
Andrews must know that this is a lie since both he and Vernick work in the same
building, 170 9th Street, and thus he would know Vernick has not
retired or otherwise left.
Why would
Mr. Andrews lie for Vernick? It impossible to say for sure, but one assumes
that this has to do with their friendship for the past 20 years and the fact
that Vernick has served as a mentor to Mr. Andrews. In my view, to be mentored
by Vernick is to be guided by darkness. Please note that there have been
several reports that both Vernick and Mr. Andrews have misused the funds from
the Ryan White Act (this is to help
those with HIV) as they recently received grants totaling over $3 million. This appears to be theft of public funds.
2) In his
fortnightly column in the San Francisco Bay Times,
“From the Frontlines,” Mr. Andrews now claims to have an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George
Washington University. Yet, in the same paper, in the February 25-March 9, 2016
issue, Mr. Andrews claims to gone to college at Pennsylvania State University.
It is my understanding that he has a degree in English.
Please see: Brett Andrews Exemplifies Compassionate Leadership - San ...
Also, please
note that Vernick has claimed to have the same degree, a M.A. from George
Washington University! While it is possible that they might have earned a
degree via on-line, I am skeptical and thus would invite investigators to
validate their claims.
Summary: It
appears as though the Jonathan Vernick Team continues to be in complete control
of DPH in San Francisco. Also, it appears as though the Director of Public
Health, Dr. Grant Colfax, is doing what his predecessor, Barbara Garcia did:
close down beds at SFGH psych ward and then shifting the funds to the Vernick
team. This appears to be theft of public
funds.
Note to Dr.
Grant Colfax: I invite you to reverse your course with the closing down of
psych beds at SFGH and what appears support of theft of public funds. Also, I
invite you to see that 120 Page Street is used for its intended purpose—housing
psych patients for 90-days—and not allow it to be sold for $3.4 million.
Finally, I invite you to get rid of both Jonathan Vernick and Brett Andrews as
they appear to be actively involved in the theft of tens of millions of dollars
of taxpayer’s money. I wish to remind
Dr. Colfax that his predecessor was forced to resign amid a corruption probe of
her theft of a public funds.
Note to
Readers: Please contact Dr. Colfax, the members of the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors, and Mayor London Breed’s office regarding the theft of public
funds. Also, demand that both Jonathan Vernick and Brett Andrews be removed. I
would recommend Masami Endo, a long-term case manager for Baker Places, Inc.
who now works for PRC as the new director of the combined nonprofits.
This editorial is protected by the First Amendment
to the United States Constitution.
