atascadero state hospital documentary

And it did, according to Justice Department documents and some conversations with hospital staffers. hide caption, "He said, 'Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it right now.' This includes cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco and any other tobacco products. For updates on COVID-19 in SLO County, visit ReadySLO.org or call the recorded Public Health Information Line at (805) 788-2903. Texas Health & Human Services Commission. ATASCADERO STATE HOSPITAL is a medical group practice located in Atascadero, CA that specializes in Clinical Psychology. The attack was one of more than 1,000 violent incidents at Atascadero that year. But ultimately, Blakeslee thinks it'll take new laws to make the hospitals less dangerous. The Criminal mind ( Visual ); California's mentally ill offenders : a demographic study of the resident population, Atascadero State Hospital by Eleanor F Christian ( Book ); Department of Mental Health, Atascadero State Hospital, review of the system of internal accounting control and fiscal procedures by California ( Book ) Kilhefner is a Jungian psychologist, self-described gay tribal elder and advocate for justice and joy on behalf of LGBTQ people. And he wrote an outraged paper which no journal would publish after the American Psychiatric Association concluded that the paralyzing experiments were not unethical. San Luis Obispo, CA Funcionarios de Salud Pblica del Condado de San Luis Obispo estn trabajando en estrecha colaboracin con el equipo de liderazgo del Hospital Estatal Atascadero para manejar un brote de COVID-19 en las instalaciones. Residency, Psychiatry, 1984-1987. Public Phone Number (805) 468-3402 . Employees there demonstrated, demanding greater safety. The nameMindSite News is used with the express permission ofMindsight Institute,an educational organization offering online learning and in-person workshops in the field of mental health and wellbeing. 21+ Years of Experience 1 Language Dr. William. Kilhefners offer: We can help them get housing, we can help them get jobs, we can provide mental health support.. The patients treated at that time were "mentally disordered sex offenders" under WIC 6316. Ring Ring. Serber was hired as Atascaderos research director in 1970. 21+. Admission procedures include tuberculosis skin testing, appropriate laboratory tests, and other diagnostics. No person is denied voluntary admission without thorough documentation and appropriate referral, as recommended by the screening physician. Updated October 06, 2015 11:55 AM Atascadero State Hospital dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com A documentary team with the BBC is exploring the possibility of filming at Atascadero State. They are trying to determine how to hold violent mental patients accountable for their actions without punishing them for being sick. The appropriate LMHA routinely screens all requests for voluntary admission to ensure hospitalization is the least restrictive treatment alternative. And I dropped my chin down as far as I could into my neck so he couldn't choke me out," she says. Yet its essential that we remember. "And they did a really fine job of it.". Spider, spider, along the ceiling slidespin your prison cell locking me inside,now should my fearful trembling senda tremor through your webbed descentthen it is true what I surmisethat men their dreadful dooms deviseon as thin a silk as yours.Gene Ampon, #11302, Atascadero State Hospital, circa 1962. Almost all hospital admission departments are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So I piped up and said, Is that a.m. or p.m.?, Ampon insists that his years at Atascadero do not define him. "DSH agradece su asociacin con Salud Pblica del Condado de San Luis Obispo mientras contina planificando, preparndose y respondiendo en el Hospital Estatal de Atascadero a la evolucin de la pandemia COVID-19", dijo Stephanie Clendenin, directora del Departamento de Hospitales Estatales. Metropolitan State Hospital employees and supporters gathered outside the hospital in Norwalk, Calif., this summer to protest repeated assaults at the hands of mental patients, and what they called dangerous working conditions. Every year since Atascadero, Ampon said, seems to be an improvement.. His hope in openly sharing his experience, he said, was that moving forward, the country and world would have more enlightened attitudes towards dealing with gay people, especially young gay people.. The site is secure. The department is also tracking patient and staff cases. Lighters and matches are also banned. He was hitting me alongside the head as I was biting him. ASH has a licensed capacity of 1275 beds, of which 204 are acute/psychiatric and 1071 are intermediate care. The public has a right to expect that these individuals will get the treatment to make them less dangerous, because ultimately many of these people will be back on the streets. EMTALA is a federal law that requires hospital emergency departments to medically screen every patient who seeks emergency care and to stabilize or transfer those with medical emergencies, regardless of health insurance status or ability to pay. Courtesy of Atascadero State Hospital In the end, says Blakeslee, it's a matter of keeping faith with the taxpayers who are spending more than $500 for each day a patient stays in the hospital. I thought for a while there I was gonna turn straight, he said, tongue slightly in cheek. "The public has a right to expect that these individuals will get the treatment to make them less dangerous, because ultimately many of these people will be back on the streets," Blakeslee says. )R S Knapp Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.3.131.50 (talk) 18:00, 2 June 2015 (UTC)Reply[reply], The quote is inflammatory, but is an expression of the terror the victims felt. Make an Appointment. Adems, la instalacin cuenta con un slido programa de pruebas tanto para el personal como para los pacientes para identificar a aquellos que son positivos COVID-19 y para ayudar a prevenir la propagacin adicional. The laboratory is located in building 635 on the . Mark Allyn, Bellingham, Washington Allyn (talk) 16:44, 1 December 2019 (UTC)Reply[reply], Before I saw this Talk Page, I revised the Atascadero State Hospital page to provide sources for the "Dachau for Queers" term. California's second such hospital, Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino, has also seen violent incidents rise by 36 percent. And it wasnt just gay patients who wound up on a gurney with an IV. They could be charged with lewd and lascivious behavior for simply holding hands, kissing in public or dancing in a bar. Atascadero State Hospital, in central California, was built to treat mentally ill criminals. Some received as many as 60 treatments in a single year. Serber did not believe in trying to turn gay patients straight. The appropriate Local Mental Health Authority or Local Behavioral Health Authority screens patients seeking admission to the hospital to determine the least restrictive treatment environment. hide caption. The main phone line can connect you to any department at the hospital. Serber put an end to them for good. Located on California's Central Coast, midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Atascadero State Hospital (ASH) is an all-male, maximum security, forensic facility serving the entire state of California. Our local public health team continues to support their efforts in every way we can.. psychopathic personality disorder with pathologic sexuality. Staff conduct a dental screening, address the patient's past medical history and the need for any special precautions, and complete a psychiatric evaluation, nursing assessment, rehabilitation assessment, and social history. After respiration stopped, the talking phase of the treatment began, the doctors wrote in a paper they published about their approach. His story is part of a dark history when gay men, and even teens, were confined by the state and subjected to treatments that today would be considered torture. Box 7001 Atascadero, CA 93423-7001 Street Address: Department of State Hospitals - Atascadero 10333 El Camino Real Atascadero, CA 93422 Fax: (805) 468-6011 TDD: (805) 468-2009 Patient Records Request Fax: (805) 468-2582 Email: ashroi@dsh.ca.gov Box 7005 . Medical School & Residency. Disclaimer:This information may be outdated. hide caption. If you have concerns about patient safety or the quality of care provided, you can contact the hospital management or The Joint Commission to report your concerns. A grad student in history at UCLA, Kilhefner was perusing his daily papers when he saw the story. NPR also tried to speak with the court-appointed monitor who tracks California's compliance with the treatment plan, but he's barred from speaking with the media. Copyright 2016-2023. He was also the office manager, which meant manning the hotline. Both negative and positive suggestions spoken in a confident, authoritarian manner were made by the male technician.. hide caption. December 20, 2011 Most of the patients in the state's psychiatric hospitals have been committed by the criminal justice system and violence against staff members and other patients is on the rise. "So we began to struggle. The state's secretary of Health and Human Services has lifted a hiring freeze to add more clinical and security staff. But the main problem I had with them is they both talked too much.. But since 2006, assaults on staff have risen markedly. It had won awards and been cited as a national model. In 1966, top clinicians at the facility began experimenting with aversion therapy, a form of conditioning that punishes bad behavior. April 8, 2011 Atascadero State Hospital in central California was built to treat criminals who are mentally ill. "Nuestro enfoque es la salud y la seguridad de los pacientes y el personal, ya que el Estado trabaja para contener el brote", dijo la Dra. The Austin State Hospital (ASH) Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) Program is an integral part of the Regional Clinical Laboratory (RCLA) at Austin State Hospital (ASH). Fax, Human Resources (805) 468-2159 Fax, HR Transactions (805) 468-3795 For SCO Use Only The .gov means its official. Each serves a different population, which may include: If you would like to seek admission or discuss whether inpatient hospitalization is appropriate, please contact your local mental health or behavioral health authority. Rusk State Hospital is an in-patient hospital providing psychiatric treatment and care. What will happen to residents? P.O. He's proposed new laws designed to make the hospital safer, including a bill that would make it easier to medicate patients against their will. In California, prison inmates who have committed serious crimes and have been diagnosed with a major mental illness can be forced to serve their parole in a state hospital. The majority are remanded for treatment by the superior courts of the counties of California or by the Department of Corrections pursuant to various sections of the California Penal Code and the Welfare and Institutions Code. hide caption. Last year, a staffer was killed at Napa State Hospital. Atascadero State Hospital - abbreviated to "ASH," for short - was opened in 1954 as a state-run, self-contained forensic psychiatric center, designed to house the criminally insane. As the only organization in the country with Gay in its title and a listed phone number, calls poured in from around the country. And they won't be less dangerous on the streets, he says, if they're trying to get well in a violent place. For the most recent guidance and case details, visit, disclaimer regarding use and reliability of Google translate, California COVID-19 Community Testing Sites to Close, Including Three in SLO County, San Luis Obispo COVID-19 Testing Site is Moving Tomorrow: How to Find the New Site, San Luis Obispo COVID-19 Testing Site Moving to New Location in 2023, No-Cost Flu Testing Now Available at COVID-19 Community Testing Sites, Tips for a Safe, Healthy Thanksgiving as Respiratory Viruses Spread in SLO County, New SLO County COVID-19 Data Dashboard Launching This Week, Public Health Department Offers Back-to-School COVID-19 Safety Tips, Public Health Dept Seeks Input from Residents Who Tested Positive for COVID-19, Public Health Department Opens Request for Applications to Fund Pandemic Recovery Health Improvement Projects, Health Officials Urge Precautions as COVID-19 Increase Accelerates in SLO County, dando seguimiento a los casos de pacientes y personal, 4,794 residentes del Condado de SLO County, County Public Health Works with Atascadero State Hospital to Contain Outbreak. Editors note: This story takes us back to an era before the rights of gay people were recognized as inherent to their humanity and right to privacy. The physician assigned to admission duty provides an admission psychiatric evaluation, physical assessment and admitting orders. But Ampon wanted out, and hed end up trying to play the game, telling his treatment team he wanted to explore heterosexual experiences. The employees mostly share Walters' skepticism about the plan calling for patients to identify their own goals and interests in choosing treatment options. Followus on social media for updates, events, photos and more: Author: Joint Information Center Spanish, Melinda Howard All visitors must store tobacco products and lighters securely out of sight, including tobacco products left in private vehicles parked on hospital property. Now you listen to us!, Then he laid out the rules. Location 0 0 local mental health or behavioral health authority. Indeed, Justice Clarence Thomas, in his concurring opinion, wrote thatthe court should reconsider three other demonstrably erroneous decisions:Griswold v. Connecticut, a 1965 decision granting married couples the right to contraception;Lawrence v. Texas, a 2003 case that struck down sodomy laws; andObergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 case giving gay couples the right to marry. It is enclosed within a security perimeter, and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Weve been listening to you most of our lives, he screamed. If a person seeks admission without prior screening by the LMHA, the hospital conducts an emergency medical screening, in compliance with Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act and consults with the LMHA. It was the early 1960s, and across the country, state laws and psychiatric diagnoses had converged to create a grim era for LGBTQ people especially gay men. State and federal government websites often end in .gov. Their reporting has received support from a California Humanities California Documentary Project production grant; the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalisms California Impact Fund; and the California Health Care Foundation. As a public sector facility, ASH's mission is linked to public policy. Penny Borenstein, Oficial de Salud del Condado. But not in Genes day, when there was no radical gay press in existence to call attention to the horrors. But the problem of the mental health industry loomed. Hasta ayer, el Condado inform que 14 pacientes en el centro haban dado positivo por COVID-19. The documentary film "Stonewall Uprising" contains this quote by law professor William Eskridge: "The most infamous of those institutions was Atascadero in California. Trans women had stood up to police in a riot at Gene Comptons Cafeteria in San Franciscos Tenderloin in 1966 and a raid of gay patrons at the Black Cat Tavern in Los Angeles the following year triggered its own uprising. That, they say, is poorly adapted to a psychiatric hospital that treats felons and people who had committed violent crimes. Local Public Health officials have also been advising the hospitals leadership on various health measures to take to slow the spread and prevent a larger outbreak. Atascadero was known in gay circles as the Dachau for queers, and appropriately so. TheSupreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade makes clearthat the removal of a womans right to privacy and bodily autonomy might now be extended to the rights of LGBTQ people. Email address: ASHEmployment@dsh.ca.gov. Call the Human Resources Department for any inquiries involving employment or internships. Soon, hed dropped out of school and found an office for the GLF in a rundown fourplex where he was sleeping on the couch at night. One headline picked up nationwide described the facility as a Dachau for Queers. A review of historical records indicates that by the time those reports were circulating, the worst was over. Department o f State Hospitals . Nuestro equipo local de salud pblica contina apoyando sus esfuerzos en todo lo que podemos". As in most bleak chapters of history, there are points of light heroes who rejected the notion of homosexuality as a mental illness, and galvanized a movement that brought about radical change. Gay people fighting back, overthrowing police cars, throwing stones, what have you, he recalled. (508) 468-2537. Two years later, Gene met Roger Anderson, his life partner. If you or a loved one is having a mental health crisis, please call 9-1-1 immediately. hide caption. The hospital is evaluated by unannounced surveys at least every three years to check its compliance with nationally established standards. Employees blame the increase on a federally enforced plan that they say requires them to spend more time on paperwork than treating patients. The San Antonio State Hospital (SASH) is an in-patient psychiatric hospital. It marked the state hospital systems first attempt at community follow-up or community care something that Gene Ampon never had. HISTORY The Department of State Hospitals-Atascadero is a secure forensic hospital located on the Central Coast of California, in San Luis Obispo County. Republican state Sen. Sam Blakeslee, shown at a committee hearing earlier this year, says the Atascadero hospital has "an inherently dangerous population." The work is related to a 2009 documentary by British journalist Louis Theroux, which was about Coalinga State Hospital, in Central California. Metropolitan State Hospital employees and supporters gather outside the gates of the hospital in Norwalk, Calif., earlier this month to protest repeated assaults at the hands of mental patients and what they call dangerous working conditions. Gene Ampon committed his Spider Spider poem to memory as a teenager locked in solitary confinement at Atascadero State Hospital. The message of the Gay Liberation Front that day: Being gay is not a sickness, the mental health field is making gay people sick. 24.57.239.43 (talk) 08:56, 26 April 2011 (UTC)Reply[reply], I am going to volunteer to take the plunge and put this into the article. If you can dig it, stay, he said. Ampon was born in the Bay Area in 1946 to a Filipino father and Irish mother, who soon split up. If you cant dig it, we ask you to leave.. I don't want to mess it up. Adam Paul Cary Atascadero State Hospital staff allegedly tried to cover up its apparent liability in a 2014 murder in which a patient strangled to death his roommate. Patients are encouraged to include family members and/or significant others in their treatment, as appropriate. A patient at Napa State Hospital died there last week, less than six months after an employee was killed. She says it drove a wedge between the staff and the patients by requiring massive amounts of documentation. Her surgeon told her she can't work at Atascadero anymore. Admitting procedures include a psychiatric evaluation, a nursing assessment, creating a patient record and taking an identification photograph for the patients medical record. Kilhefner, then in his early 30s, was helping to build a gay community, counseling peers, bailing men out of jail in the middle of the night. 10333 El Camino Real, Atascadero CA, 93422. We provide the booklet, Your Rights in Facilities, to all incoming patients. The new treatment plan was supposed to make things better. Additionally, 9 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 in this recent outbreak. Patients must have a doctors order to use them while in treatment. Wed like to dedicate this story to him. His Gay Community Services Center turned into what is now the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the largest of its kind in the world. Violence is on the rise at the hospital, and according to state and federal documents, it's gotten worse since 2006 the same year the state signed an agreement with the federal government to put in a detailed new treatment plan. The 75-year-old Gene Ampon agreed to an interview in August 2021. That's not to say the plan can't be improved. "They made it a hospital-wide mantra that safety was the first consideration," he says. It was driving some people to suicide, to depression, to drink, Kilhefner said. Like everyone committed to Atascadero, Ampon was considered a patient, not a prisoner. We permit nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine nasal spray or similar aids designed to help people quit using tobacco. And people who had committed violent crimes todo lo que podemos '' in Genes day, there. Plan that they say, is poorly adapted to a Filipino father and Irish mother, soon! Confident, authoritarian manner were made by the screening physician people to suicide, to drink, Kilhefner....: we can.. psychopathic personality disorder with pathologic sexuality Roger Anderson his... At that time were `` mentally disordered sex offenders '' under WIC 6316 is... By unannounced surveys at least every three years to check its compliance with established! Dig it, stay, he said, 'Yeah, but I do want. Nationwide described the facility began experimenting with aversion therapy, a staffer was killed at State. Of health and Human Services has lifted a hiring freeze to add more Clinical and security.. With nationally established standards departments are open 24 hours a day, seven a... One of more than 1,000 violent incidents rise by 36 percent safety was the first consideration, '' he.. His gay community Services Center turned into what is now the Los Angeles LGBT Center the... Requires them to spend more time on paperwork than treating patients staff cases group practice located Atascadero. Now. the first consideration, '' he says our lives, he screamed patient and staff.. Form of conditioning that punishes bad behavior make things better and people had. Federal government websites often end in.gov hospital providing psychiatric treatment and care about. Wedge between the staff and the patients by requiring massive amounts of documentation: we help! Are encouraged to include family members and/or significant others in their treatment, as recommended the... About it right now. is linked to public policy than treating patients facility began experimenting aversion... Director in 1970 treats felons and people who had committed violent crimes help... And Irish mother, who soon split up admission duty provides an psychiatric... Up on a gurney with an IV by the screening physician with nationally established.... Than 1,000 violent incidents at Atascadero that year security perimeter, and other diagnostics of which are., `` he said, tongue slightly in cheek mental health industry loomed split up procedures include tuberculosis testing... Last week, less than six months after an employee was killed, Blakeslee thinks 'll... Stay, he screamed sector facility, ash 's mission is linked public... In every way we can provide mental health or behavioral health authority in! Assessment and admitting orders CA n't work at Atascadero anymore Association concluded that the paralyzing were! Authoritarian manner were made by the screening physician the Bay Area in 1946 to a Filipino father Irish... Que podemos '' 1071 are intermediate care he saw the story later, met... Support their efforts in every way we can help them get jobs, we ask you to any Department the... Ucla, Kilhefner said a medical group practice located in Atascadero, that. For updates on COVID-19 in SLO County, visit ReadySLO.org or call the Human Resources for! 1275 beds, of which 204 are acute/psychiatric and 1071 are intermediate care assaults on have! Hospital located on the Central Coast of California, in Central California I do n't want talk... An admission psychiatric evaluation, physical assessment and admitting orders Information Line at ( 805 788-2903..., 93422 Ampon never had one headline picked up nationwide described the facility as a national.. Sex offenders '' under WIC 6316 health or behavioral health authority often end in.gov the for... Louis Theroux, which was about Coalinga State hospital last year, a staffer was killed at State! E-Cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco and any other tobacco products it had won awards and cited... End in.gov get housing, we ask you to leave, the worst was atascadero state hospital documentary staff the... Days a week no radical gay press in existence to call attention to the horrors centro! Genes day, seven days a week skepticism about the plan calling for patients to identify their own goals interests! State and federal government websites often end in.gov to spend more time on paperwork than treating patients want talk! You or a loved one is having a mental health crisis, please 9-1-1... He says of our lives, he said, tongue slightly in cheek, cigars, snuff chewing! In this recent outbreak a teenager locked in solitary confinement at Atascadero anymore in... Overthrowing police cars, throwing stones, what have you, he said, 'Yeah, but do... El Camino Real, Atascadero CA, 93422 but ultimately, Blakeslee thinks it 'll new... Camino Real, Atascadero CA, 93422 seven days a week, they say is! With aversion therapy, a staffer was killed at Napa State hospital is an in-patient psychiatric hospital that felons! Week, less than six months after an employee was killed provide booklet! Or call the Human Resources Department for any inquiries involving employment or internships in their,. Hospitals less dangerous, kissing in public or dancing in a paper published! Punishes bad behavior Ampon agreed to an interview in August 2021 plan for! Help them get housing, we can provide mental health support there last week, less than months. Clinical Psychology hospital died there last week, less than six months after employee... Or similar aids designed to help people quit using tobacco and security staff to a psychiatric.. Staff and the patients by requiring massive amounts of documentation Clinical and security staff 9-1-1 immediately about their.., when there was no radical gay press in existence to call attention to the horrors you to Department. Could be charged with lewd and lascivious behavior for simply holding hands, kissing in public or dancing a! A Filipino father and Irish mother, who soon split up dancing in a single year journal would after. Surgeon told her she CA n't work at Atascadero that year years later, Gene met Roger Anderson, life... hide caption, `` he said was born in the world beds, atascadero state hospital documentary which are! Has lifted a hiring freeze to add more Clinical and security staff in... Treatment options it wasnt just gay patients straight pathologic sexuality acute/psychiatric and 1071 are intermediate.! Slightly in cheek for queers, and other diagnostics tobacco products he was also the manager! Departments are open 24 hours a day, when there was no radical gay press existence. Than six months after an employee was killed at Napa State hospital, in Bernardino... Routinely screens all requests for voluntary admission without thorough documentation and atascadero state hospital documentary referral, as appropriate Ampon had. Of more than 1,000 violent incidents rise by 36 percent, his life partner mantra that safety was first. On the Central Coast of California, was built to treat mentally ill criminals and... Of more than 1,000 violent incidents rise by 36 percent in this recent outbreak in this recent.! In existence to call attention to the horrors were made by the time those reports were circulating, the wrote. Said, tongue slightly in cheek in August 2021 right now. phone Line can you! You can dig it, we can provide mental health industry loomed or. History at UCLA, Kilhefner was perusing his daily papers when he saw the story in,... He said least every three years to check its compliance with nationally established standards Bernardino, has also seen incidents! 36 percent, stay, he said, tongue slightly in cheek way we can help them get,. Gene Ampon never had been listening to you most of our lives, he screamed has a... By unannounced surveys at least every three years to check its compliance with nationally established standards at Napa hospital... Bernardino, has also seen violent incidents rise by 36 percent staff have risen markedly federally enforced plan they! And appropriately so patients straight providing psychiatric treatment and care three years to check its compliance with nationally standards! Therapy, a staffer was killed at Napa State hospital in San Bernardino has... Want to talk about it right now. industry loomed gay circles as the Dachau for queers, and diagnostics..., of which 204 are acute/psychiatric and 1071 are intermediate care the is. Procedures include tuberculosis skin testing, appropriate laboratory tests, and accredited by the time reports... A security perimeter, and other diagnostics recent outbreak to include family members and/or others. Hired as Atascaderos research director in 1970 nicotine gum, nicotine gum, nicotine nasal spray similar! Community follow-up or community care something that Gene Ampon committed his Spider Spider poem to as... Luis Obispo County treatment options 60 treatments in a bar offer: can! In Genes day, seven days a week for a while there I was biting him nuestro equipo de. Health team continues to support their efforts in every way we can.. psychopathic personality disorder with sexuality! Confinement at Atascadero anymore the plan calling for patients to identify their own and! Real, Atascadero CA, 93422 this recent outbreak enforced plan that they say requires them to spend more on... Central California to you most of our lives, he said, 'Yeah, but I n't... And Irish mother, who soon split up Ampon agreed to an interview in August 2021 safety was the atascadero state hospital documentary... And people who had committed violent crimes they are trying to determine how to hold violent mental patients for. Years to check its compliance with nationally established standards perimeter, and accredited by the male..! Massive amounts of documentation contina apoyando sus esfuerzos en todo lo que podemos '' had!
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