Horror story continues at State Operated Facilities

July 16, 2008

Hi all:

I promise this is the last thing I will post this evening...

Ellen

The Arc of Illinois

July 16, 2008

Leaders in The Arc:

The death count at Howe continues to rise. See story from the Chicago

Tribune.

Last week the Governor cut 2% from community services and continues

to fully fund Howe at $57 million in all state funding!

Tony auski

The Arc of Illinois

708-206-1930

2 more patient deaths probed at Tinley Park center for disabled

Watchdog group targets Tinley Park disabled-care facility

By Hood

Chicago Tribune reporter

11:38 PM CDT, July 15, 2008

Investigators for the non-profit group Equip for Equality said this

week that they are looking into the deaths of two more patients at

the beleaguered Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park.

Equip for Equality, a federally mandated watchdog for disabled-care

facilities, had previously said substandard care and neglect were

responsible for 21 patient deaths at Howe since 2005, allegations the

group has used to pressure Gov. Rod Blagojevich to close the state-

run center.

While the Illinois Department of Human Services, which oversees the

state's nine disabled-care centers, has begun removing patients from

Howe, Blagojevich has yet to address the concerns of advocacy groups

or to comment on the ongoing investigations into the facility's

practices.

One such investigation, by Illinois State Police, looked into claims

of patient abuse. Some of what police found was summarized in a

report by the state Office of the Inspector General, including that

one Howe employee had an outstanding warrant for his arrest stemming

from drug possession and other criminal charges.

The report also cited an incident in which two staff members were

charged after allegedly engaging in a knife fight on the Howe campus.

Police looked into a third case in which a patient who required

constant supervision broke his arm without staff being present.

An investigation by the inspector general's office found that one

disabled patient ran away from the facility despite being assigned

one-on-one care with a staff member, who complained of " fatigue. " A

second case found that a patient was treated for nicotine poisoning

after being observed with a mouthful of cigarette butts.

Tom Green, spokesman for ! the Depa rtment of Human Services, said

the employee who allowed a patient to run away got a 15-day unpaid

suspension, and the state reviewed the other case to determine if the

patient needed additional supervision. The employees involved in the

knife fight are no longer working for Howe, Green said.

More troubling, Equip for Equality officials said, is a pattern of

misconduct that has resulted in death.

In April, a male patient in his 50s died after a series of medical

mistakes, said Deborah Kennedy, director of abuse investigations at

Equip for Equality. Staff failed to monitor the patient's vital signs

after they had given him medication and did not follow up after he

suffered a head injury, Kennedy said. Howe was also blamed for not

having adequate medical equipment on hand to treat his maladies.

The organization is investigating another death earlier this month

that they suspect was caused by similar lapses in medical care,

Kennedy said.

" It's just tragic, " said Zena Naiditch, president and chief executive

of Equip for Equality. " You know in cases like these that if the

person had been living somewhere else and been receiving the proper

care that they'd still be alive. "

The Department of Justice continues to investigate other allegations

of abuse. In March 2007, the federal government rescinded Howe's

Medicaid certification, stripping the center of nearly $30 million in

funding.

But rather than close a 324-patient facility that employs about 750

people, the state chose to offset the federal cuts and now

contributes about $60 million a year to keep it open. Naiditch and

others have urged the state to pull its funding from Howe and invest

in smaller, community-based alternatives.

It's a transition that's already under way, Green said. Since 2007,

more than 60 patients have been removed from Howe and placed either

with guardians or in the community with round-the-clock care. There

are plans to move more Howe patients in 2009, he said.

jhood@...

, Chicago Tribune

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The Arc of Illinois

18207-A-Dixie Highway

Homewood, IL 60430

July 17, 2008

Interestingly, our local paper--The Southtown Star--has a story this

morning on how the Tinley Park police department has kept a lot of

these stories out of the news. The thought was, they wanted the

patients to have " dignity " and not splash this stuff in the media.

They are consulting with the town attorney as to the best thing to

do now. Stay tuned.

MArie

>

> Hi all:

> I promise this is the last thing I will post this evening...

> Ellen

>

> The Arc of Illinois

>

> July 16, 2008

>

> Leaders in The Arc:

>

> The death count at Howe continues to rise. See story from the

Chicago

> Tribune.

>

> Last week the Governor cut 2% from community services and

continues

> to fully fund Howe at $57 million in all state funding!

>

> Tony auski

>

> The Arc of Illinois

>

> 708-206-1930

>

> 2 more patient deaths probed at Tinley Park center for disabled

>

> Watchdog group targets Tinley Park disabled-care facility

>

> By Hood

>

> Chicago Tribune reporter

>

> 11:38 PM CDT, July 15, 2008

>

> Investigators for the non-profit group Equip for Equality said

this

> week that they are looking into the deaths of two more patients at

> the beleaguered Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park.

>

> Equip for Equality, a federally mandated watchdog for disabled-

care

> facilities, had previously said substandard care and neglect were

> responsible for 21 patient deaths at Howe since 2005, allegations

the

> group has used to pressure Gov. Rod Blagojevich to close the state-

> run center.

>

> While the Illinois Department of Human Services, which oversees

the

> state's nine disabled-care centers, has begun removing patients

from

> Howe, Blagojevich has yet to address the concerns of advocacy

groups

> or to comment on the ongoing investigations into the facility's

> practices.

>

> One such investigation, by Illinois State Police, looked into

claims

> of patient abuse. Some of what police found was summarized in a

> report by the state Office of the Inspector General, including

that

> one Howe employee had an outstanding warrant for his arrest

stemming

> from drug possession and other criminal charges.

>

> The report also cited an incident in which two staff members were

> charged after allegedly engaging in a knife fight on the Howe

campus.

> Police looked into a third case in which a patient who required

> constant supervision broke his arm without staff being present.

>

> An investigation by the inspector general's office found that one

> disabled patient ran away from the facility despite being assigned

> one-on-one care with a staff member, who complained of " fatigue. "

A

> second case found that a patient was treated for nicotine

poisoning

> after being observed with a mouthful of cigarette butts.

>

> Tom Green, spokesman for ! the Depa rtment of Human Services, said

> the employee who allowed a patient to run away got a 15-day unpaid

> suspension, and the state reviewed the other case to determine if

the

> patient needed additional supervision. The employees involved in

the

> knife fight are no longer working for Howe, Green said.

>

> More troubling, Equip for Equality officials said, is a pattern of

> misconduct that has resulted in death.

>

> In April, a male patient in his 50s died after a series of medical

> mistakes, said Deborah Kennedy, director of abuse investigations

at

> Equip for Equality. Staff failed to monitor the patient's vital

signs

> after they had given him medication and did not follow up after he

> suffered a head injury, Kennedy said. Howe was also blamed for not

> having adequate medical equipment on hand to treat his maladies.

>

> The organization is investigating another death earlier this month

> that they suspect was caused by similar lapses in medical care,

> Kennedy said.

>

> " It's just tragic, " said Zena Naiditch, president and chief

executive

> of Equip for Equality. " You know in cases like these that if the

> person had been living somewhere else and been receiving the

proper

> care that they'd still be alive. "

>

> The Department of Justice continues to investigate other

allegations

> of abuse. In March 2007, the federal government rescinded Howe's

> Medicaid certification, stripping the center of nearly $30 million

in

> funding.

>

> But rather than close a 324-patient facility that employs about

750

> people, the state chose to offset the federal cuts and now

> contributes about $60 million a year to keep it open. Naiditch and

> others have urged the state to pull its funding from Howe and

invest

> in smaller, community-based alternatives.

>

> It's a transition that's already under way, Green said. Since

2007,

> more than 60 patients have been removed from Howe and placed

either

> with guardians or in the community with round-the-clock care.

There

> are plans to move more Howe patients in 2009, he said.

>

> jhood@...

>

> , Chicago Tribune

>

> Please click here to be removed from our list. If you still

receive

> emails from us in the future, please ensure it was not forwarded

from

> another party or sent to an email address that is different than

the

> one asked to be removed. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Or write us

at:

> The Arc of Illinois

> 18207-A-Dixie Highway

> Homewood, IL 60430

>

July 17, 2008

I read this article and was appalled to calculate that this means that Illinois

spends approximately $176,000 per person at this institute which lost it's

federal government subsidy due to the lack of quality of care. Beside being the

mother of an individual with DD, I am appalled as a taxpayer!!!!! Gloria

July 17, 2008

If deaths were occurring in community agencies, you can bet it would be splashed

all over the news and there would be an outpouring of outrage and calls for

closure...the dignity the Tinley Park police are trying to protect is the

dignity of the institutional system and the politicians and unions that directly

benefit...obvious dead residents are not benefitting from this wonderful

system!!!

Excuse me...this is a load of crap!

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

Re: Horror story continues at State Operated Facilities

Interestingly, our local paper--The Southtown Star--has a story this

morning on how the Tinley Park police department has kept a lot of

these stories out of the news. The thought was, they wanted the

patients to have " dignity " and not splash this stuff in the media.

They are consulting with the town attorney as to the best thing to

do now. Stay tuned.

MArie

>

> Hi all:

> I promise this is the last thing I will post this evening...

> Ellen

>

> The Arc of Illinois

>

> July 16, 2008

>

> Leaders in The Arc:

>

> The death count at Howe continues to rise. See story from the

Chicago

> Tribune.

>

> Last week the Governor cut 2% from community services and

continues

> to fully fund Howe at $57 million in all state funding!

>

> Tony auski

>

> The Arc of Illinois

>

> 708-206-1930

>

> 2 more patient deaths probed at Tinley Park center for disabled

>

> Watchdog group targets Tinley Park disabled-care facility

>

> By Hood

>

> Chicago Tribune reporter

>

> 11:38 PM CDT, July 15, 2008

>

> Investigators for the non-profit group Equip for Equality said

this

> week that they are looking into the deaths of two more patients at

> the beleaguered Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park.

>

> Equip for Equality, a federally mandated watchdog for disabled-

care

> facilities, had previously said substandard care and neglect were

> responsible for 21 patient deaths at Howe since 2005, allegations

the

> group has used to pressure Gov. Rod Blagojevich to close the state-

> run center.

>

> While the Illinois Department of Human Services, which oversees

the

> state's nine disabled-care centers, has begun removing patients

from

> Howe, Blagojevich has yet to address the concerns of advocacy

groups

> or to comment on the ongoing investigations into the facility's

> practices.

>

> One such investigation, by Illinois State Police, looked into

claims

> of patient abuse. Some of what police found was summarized in a

> report by the state Office of the Inspector General, including

that

> one Howe employee had an outstanding warrant for his arrest

stemming

> from drug possession and other criminal charges.

>

> The report also cited an incident in which two staff members were

> charged after allegedly engaging in a knife fight on the Howe

campus.

> Police looked into a third case in which a patient who required

> constant supervision broke his arm without staff being present.

>

> An investigation by the inspector general's office found that one

> disabled patient ran away from the facility despite being assigned

> one-on-one care with a staff member, who complained of " fatigue. "

A

> second case found that a patient was treated for nicotine

poisoning

> after being observed with a mouthful of cigarette butts.

>

> Tom Green, spokesman for ! the Depa rtment of Human Services, said

> the employee who allowed a patient to run away got a 15-day unpaid

> suspension, and the state reviewed the other case to determine if

the

> patient needed additional supervision. The employees involved in

the

> knife fight are no longer working for Howe, Green said.

>

> More troubling, Equip for Equality officials said, is a pattern of

> misconduct that has resulted in death.

>

> In April, a male patient in his 50s died after a series of medical

> mistakes, said Deborah Kennedy, director of abuse investigations

at

> Equip for Equality. Staff failed to monitor the patient's vital

signs

> after they had given him medication and did not follow up after he

> suffered a head injury, Kennedy said. Howe was also blamed for not

> having adequate medical equipment on hand to treat his maladies.

>

> The organization is investigating another death earlier this month

> that they suspect was caused by similar lapses in medical care,

> Kennedy said.

>

> " It's just tragic, " said Zena Naiditch, president and chief

executive

> of Equip for Equality. " You know in cases like these that if the

> person had been living somewhere else and been receiving the

proper

> care that they'd still be alive. "

>

> The Department of Justice continues to investigate other

allegations

> of abuse. In March 2007, the federal government rescinded Howe's

> Medicaid certification, stripping the center of nearly $30 million

in

> funding.

>

> But rather than close a 324-patient facility that employs about

750

> people, the state chose to offset the federal cuts and now

> contributes about $60 million a year to keep it open. Naiditch and

> others have urged the state to pull its funding from Howe and

invest

> in smaller, community-based alternatives.

>

> It's a transition that's already under way, Green said. Since

2007,

> more than 60 patients have been removed from Howe and placed

either

> with guardians or in the community with round-the-clock care.

There

> are plans to move more Howe patients in 2009, he said.

>

> jhood@...

>

> , Chicago Tribune

>

> Please click here to be removed from our list. If you still

receive

> emails from us in the future, please ensure it was not forwarded

from

> another party or sent to an email address that is different than

the

> one asked to be removed. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Or write us

at:

> The Arc of Illinois

> 18207-A-Dixie Highway

> Homewood, IL 60430

>

July 17, 2008

Ellen and all IPADD ..I am wonderig when the Tribune is going to bight on

this. This is the biggest cover up and could be the tip of the iceberg. If

I had a family member in an institution because I felt they were safe I'd

crawl there to get him out. This is a coverup and the media and politicians

and the rest of us should be screaming. Cindi

July 17, 2008

I agree...I hope to get around to writing an editorial for the Trib this

evening...probably no chance it will get published, but I can at least try...

E

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

Re: Re: Horror story continues at State Operated

Facilities

Ellen and all IPADD ..I am wonderig when the Tribune is going to bight on

this. This is the biggest cover up and could be the tip of the iceberg. If

I had a family member in an institution because I felt they were safe I'd

crawl there to get him out. This is a coverup and the media and politicians

and the rest of us should be screaming. Cindi

July 17, 2008

I tend to think many of these people are long forgotten by their

families, much like my uncle was a Lincoln. It is the only reasoning I

can put in my mind why this continues. Does anyone know the average age

of residents at the developmental Centers.

>

> Ellen and all IPADD ..I am wonderig when the Tribune is going to

bight on

> this. This is the biggest cover up and could be the tip of the

iceberg. If

> I had a family member in an institution because I felt they were

safe I'd

> crawl there to get him out. This is a coverup and the media and

politicians

> and the rest of us should be screaming. Cindi

>

July 17, 2008

often when we approach lawmakers to move money out of the institutions and

into community based support lawmakers will say they hear from families who

have loved ones in institutions and they feel they are sage and the parents

want to die knowing their child is safe y . The lawmakers also hear

loudly from the unions that make a living off the state ops, as well as the

local towns who make their livlihood off the state ops. There is a

contingent, but it is clearly a voting contingent. And if union and

townsfolk threaten the local politician and his job, he is going to stick

with the institution...unless we and our young adults WHO CAN vote, go to

the polls and get these people out. Every time I talk to my senator, or

his aide , I am told how awful this is and how he does not like the pay

raise. However I have not heard a soundbite yet from any senator showing

the nerve/guts to stand up and say this in Springfield. Frustrating. Cindi

July 17, 2008

Interesting question, Rhonda...

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

Re: Horror story continues at State Operated Facilities

I tend to think many of these people are long forgotten by their

families, much like my uncle was a Lincoln. It is the only reasoning I

can put in my mind why this continues. Does anyone know the average age

of residents at the developmental Centers.

>

> Ellen and all IPADD ..I am wonderig when the Tribune is going to

bight on

> this. This is the biggest cover up and could be the tip of the

iceberg. If

> I had a family member in an institution because I felt they were

safe I'd

> crawl there to get him out. This is a coverup and the media and

politicians

> and the rest of us should be screaming. Cindi

>

July 17, 2008

, I live one town over from Howe and my husband goes there once

a month to take care of the ENT needs of the patients (Chuck feels

he has to look out for them because no one else seems to be). I

have spoken AT LENGTH to my state rep about Howe and his arguments

as just as you describe them-- families come to him with exactly the

concerns you state, there is the employee faction (C gets so little

from going there--he could make five times as much if he continued

office hours that afternoon, so it is not monetary on our end). I

don't know what Tinley Park gets out of having Howe there and I

worked for their Park district for 8 years and I'm sure I would have

heard something. Anyway, you forgot the most important part--since I

have a DD son, there must be something " wrong " with me and that's

why I'm not listened to. My state rep (can I tell 'em who it is,

Ellen and Laurie?)is always in our local paper since he

regularly " saves " Howe, with his big mug, smiling, with a bunch of

staff members and parents. The man sees me and runs and hubby is on

our local symphony board with him , too, so I see him at functions

all the time. I think he has much to answer for and am not sure I

am able to be even civil at this point. He's up for election and my

family won't be voting for him. I just wish I knew who the

republican running against him is---I'd be wearing their button at

the next function we have to go to--perhaps then he will listen to

me.

Marie

>

> often when we approach lawmakers to move money out of the

institutions and

> into community based support lawmakers will say they hear from

families who

> have loved ones in institutions and they feel they are sage and

the parents

> want to die knowing their child is safe y . The lawmakers

also hear

> loudly from the unions that make a living off the state ops, as

well as the

> local towns who make their livlihood off the state ops. There is

a

> contingent, but it is clearly a voting contingent. And if union

and

> townsfolk threaten the local politician and his job, he is going

to stick

> with the institution...unless we and our young adults WHO CAN

vote, go to

> the polls and get these people out. Every time I talk to my

senator, or

> his aide , I am told how awful this is and how he does not like

the pay

> raise. However I have not heard a soundbite yet from any senator

showing

> the nerve/guts to stand up and say this in Springfield.

Frustrating. Cindi

>

July 17, 2008

Senator Garrett in the northern suburbs did indeed stand up and make a

statement about the inappropriateness of taking a pay raise at this time. She

was shot down by Senator Rickey Hendon (I think) and definitely by Senate

President Emil .

It made the news...