Murray Developmental Center in Centralia continues to hire registered nurses and mental health technicians as the population of Murray Center heads towards 280 with the transfer of residents from the Choate Mental Health Facility in Anna.  Around 35 have already moved with more to come in the next few weeks.

The new Director of the Murray Center Robert Mason explained to the Murray Center Parents Association on Sunday the effort to add staff as the number of residents increases.

“We have 21 new nurse positions that are being posted, new RNs, so we’re happy about that,” Mason said. “Of course, there’s a constant hiring currently of MHTs. We have an open contract, more or less, to hire whoever can come on. We’re trying to reach out to some appropriate places that give us maybe some folks that have a little more training, a little more educational background and things like that, and try to get us some more permanency on our MHTs and things like that, who are doing a wonderful job.”

Mason says one of their problems is those accepting the Mental Health Tech jobs not understanding the type of individual work with residents that leads to about a third leaving in their first month.

So far this year, Mason says 30 techs have been hired along with 11 nurses.  The number of employees is now at around 600.

He reports the transfer of Choate residents to Murray has gone well.

“There was a lot of apprehension about that, but the people who have transferred from Choate have melded in very seamlessly to Murray Center. That has been a blessing, to have a change of environment for these folks and be able to have them come in and be a part of the grouping. They’ve adapted very quickly. Some of them have had rocky starts as far as sickness and things like that, but thank goodness for a medical staff that cares.”

Mason also has plans to improve the outside looks of the center and to bring back a small farm with chickens that can be used for work training of Murray Center residents who may eventually be transferred to a more independent living arrangements.

While Mason is just starting as Director at Murray he has been working at the facility about a year following a career at the Kaskaskia Special Education District.  But Mason says his relationship at Murray goes back to his childhood when he came to the facility as a student.  His father had a 40 year career at Murray.