Inclusion Daily Express -- Watchdog Group Says It's Time To End Indifference Over "Chaos And Violence" At Institution

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Watchdog Group Says It's Time To End Indifference Over "Chaos And Violence" At Institution
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
December 12, 2007

BEATRICE, NEBRASKA--The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this week notified Nebraska officials that the federal government would withhold about $28 million from the state if conditions are not improved by the end of February for residents at the Beatrice State Developmental Center.

That amounts to more than one-half of the institution's budget.

The announcement came after federal inspectors, who visited the state-run institution last month, said they found the facility had failed to protect some the 329 people with developmental disabilities that are housed there. One reason for this, the inspectors determined, was that there was not enough staff available.

One state official told the Associated Press that there are about 100 vacancies at the facility, which employs about 740 workers. Those vacancies have been there for some time.

The state responded to the federal study by announcing that the facility would be downsized, and that is some of the residents would be moved to nursing homes and community-based settings. John Wyvill of the state Department of Health and Human Services declined to say exactly how many would leave.

Last week, the state's protection and advocacy system released a 68-page report detailing scores of confirmed cases of abuse.

Nebraska Advocacy Services found that the facility investigated 220 allegations of abuse, 86th of which were later substantiated, in the first nine months of this year. Those included twenty-two cases in which residents were found to have had broken bones, such as a broken finger, broken leg, fractured knee, broken hip and a broken arm.

The investigations resulted in more than 100 staff suspensions.

In October of 2006, advocates with the Arc of Nebraska called for the state to shut down the 120-year-old facility after federal inspectors at that time found that facility officials had failed to follow up on a claim by a female resident that a male resident -- who was supposed to be closely supervised because of a history of "inappropriate sexual behavior" -- raped her. Investigators also found that the facility failed to look into its restraint procedures after a resident was injured during an improper restraint.

In May of this year, the state came to within two days of losing $25.6 million in federal funds after federal surveyors visited and found that the facility had again failed to properly investigate and respond to reports of abuse, neglect and mistreatment.

In a press release last week, Timothy Shaw, chief executive officer of NAS, said: "It is time for the public to say, 'Enough! Enough of this relentless cycle of chaos and violence! Enough promises!'"

"It's time to put an end to the indifference."

Wyvill responded that Shaw's use of the word "indifference" was "totally inaccurate and inflammatory". He added that the number of suspensions "shows our zero tolerance for abuse and neglect."

Related:
"An Indictment of Indifference" (Nebraska Advocacy Services)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/07/red/1212b.htm
"NAS report blasts State of Nebraska" (Nebraska State Paper)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/07/red/1212c.htm
"Feds: Fix problems at Beatrice center or lose millions" (Hays Daily News)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/07/red/1212d.htm
Beatrice State Developmental Center (Inclusion Daily Express Archives)
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/institutions/neb/bsdc.htm

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