Inclusion Daily Express -- Rats, Cockroaches, Raw Sewage, And Neglect Lead To New Ban On Rosewood Admissions

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Rats, Cockroaches, Raw Sewage, And Neglect Lead To New Ban On Rosewood Admissions
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
September 13, 2007

OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND--For the third time this year, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has placed a ban on new admissions to Rosewood Center, the state's largest institution housing people with developmental disabilities, after inspectors found conditions threatened the health and safety of its 170 or so residents.

In a 180-page annual report released Wednesday, health officials said that during their visit last month they found the facility was unsanitary, and cited examples of black mold on some walls, dead cockroaches and rat feces in a cafeteria area, and raw sewage leaking from pipes onto medical equipment. Outside the cottages they found a razor blade, batteries, cigarette butts, rubber gloves, nails and screws on the ground, even though some residents have an eating disorder that compels them to eat non-food items.

Inspectors found that one resident had up to 13 broken ribs from staff repeatedly using the Heimlich maneuver to prevent choking. Even though X-rays showed the broken bones, Rosewood officials failed to treat the resident or to report the injuries to the resident's family or guardian.

Surveyors found that nine out of 14 people who were tube fed were not receiving adequate nutrition -- sometimes for days.

They also found that some residents did not have quick access to their own money, that their money was spent on things the residents did not choose, and that residents were sometimes made to pay for items -- such as wheelchairs -- that the facility was required to provide.

Health Secretary John Colmers said the conditions at Rosewood were "unacceptable" and that his department is "committed to an immediate plan of correction."

For years, community advocates have pushed for the state to close Rosewood and move its residents into the community. Some noted that conditions there seem to be getting worse, despite threats that federal Medicaid funds could be pulled if problems continue.

"A pattern of life threatening deficiencies and noncompliance with state and federal laws exists at Rosewood," said Nancy Pineles, managing attorney with the Maryland Disabilities Law Center and a member of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Coalition, in a press release.

"Aside from the horrid conditions these people are forced to live in and the inadequate care they are receiving, I am appalled at the fact that the government spends nearly $200,000 per resident and the state cannot provide the most basic services such as food and nutrition."

Four years ago, then-Governor Robert Ehrlich called for a plan to start closing institutions. The next year, the Department of Health recommended shutting the facility down.

Related:
"State health center faulted" (Baltimore Sun)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/07/red/0913c.htm
"'Life-Threatening' Conditions Lead State to Ban Admissions to Rosewood" (Capital News Service)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/07/red/0913d.htm
Maryland Disability Law Center
http://www.mdlcbalto.org

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