NORTHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A teacher who exposed what children were going through inside a state-run hospital said she is experiencing harassment for speaking out.
She spoke out to protect the children. They were patients at Hawthorn Center in Northville Township who were moved to the Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital in Westland in June 2023.
Christal Bonner worked for the state for eight years as a special education teacher at the state’s only child psychiatric hospital. In 2023, she reached out to Local 4 with concerns about how the children were treated inside the Walter Reuther. At the time, Bonner said the windows were covered and children were not allowed outside for fresh air for months.
Read: Hear from employee who says kids at psychiatric hospital weren’t allowed outside for months
“They have forgotten it’s a health care facility, not a correctional facility,” she said at the time.
Bonner quit her job a few weeks ago because of how she was treated. She said after she spoke with Local 4, managers came after her with conduct violations -- one after another -- and just two weeks after the 2023 interview aired, she had her first investigatory conference.
“I was being investigated,” Bonner said. “One of the issues, I talked to the media.”
Karen Drew reached out to the state the day the interview aired and was told the children were now able to get outside and shortly after, the window coverings came down. But it was just the beginning for Bonner.
Soon, there were violations, concerns and meetings on her performance all documented. The documentation was negative.
“I even got an email from the principal saying ‘You could face disciplinary action if you don’t take your hat and sunglasses off as soon as you enter the building,’” Bonner recalled.
Her performance evaluation just a year prior listed her as high-performing with positive remarks on category after category.
“You expose the kids need to get outside, right? And then all of a sudden, you get this the very next year -- Sheet after sheet of how you’re failing,” Bonner said. “It was just too much. It was just thing after thing after thing.”
She said she left her job because she didn’t see the trend changing. Her last day was July 19.
“I felt the attacks will still keep coming,” Bonner said.
She said not enough has changed and that Hawthorn is still run like a prison.
State Sen. Michael Webber is also concerned about the Hawthorn Center.
“Whistleblowers internally, they have contacted our office to tell their story of what’s really going on in there, and it’s given us a better picture,” Webber said. “But I think the concern is every time we try to get them to testify in a committee or this or that, it gets shut down because, I think fear of retaliatory measures.”
It’s not the first time he’s expressed concerns about the Hawthorn Center. Earlier this year, he pushed for state hearings.
Webber said the system Michigan has in place to protect patients, especially children, is failing -- starting with the Office of Recipient Rights, where complaints can be filed.
“They have five days to investigate complaints and due to staffing, due to a lot of different things, it’s not happening,” Webber said. “Sometimes there’s not camera footage on certain incidents.”
Read more: State Senator criticizes care at Michigan psychiatric hospital
Cameras were working the day a child chased and beat another. Staff appeared to watch before stopping the attack. A lawsuit has been filed.
“We have a responsibility with these kids in our care and adults in our in our care too at Walter Reuther,” Webber said. “I think they’re trying to kind of protect themselves more so than trying to get the system better.”
Webber said he’s waiting on an audit of the department, which is expected to be completed in 2025, but he remains concerned about what will happen to patients as he waits.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released the following statement:
“The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ mission is to provide opportunities, services and programs that promote a healthy, safe and stable environment for residents to be self-sufficient. We are committed to ensuring a work environment whereby all employees are treated with dignity, respect and fairness.
MDHHS recognizes the key role our staff play in keeping kids safe, particularly when it comes to children in need of behavioral health services. MDHHS has a policy prohibiting retaliation and strives to create a collaborative work environment where all employees can have a fulfilling career experience.”
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services