Saturday, January 08, 2000
Group homes found lacking
Officials: Issues less severe in Hamilton Co.
BY SPENCER HUNT
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS — A state program that places mentally retarded residents in group homes fails to make sure they are adequately cared for or are safe from abuse, according to a new federal audit.
A draft copy of the report, released Friday by the state, is the result of visits federal inspectors paid last summer to group homes in Cleveland, Toledo and the Columbus area. Though it covers about 1 percent of the 2,800 people living in group homes, Ohio health officials say they won't dispute the audit's findings. Those findings state:
• County agencies that regulate the homes often failed to report what steps, if any, they took to investigate abuse and neglect accusations.
• The homes' medical records didn't explain why some residents were taking behavior-altering drugs, or why others were not receiving counseling called for in their care plans.
• Auditors also had “seri ous concerns” about the potential for abuse in using restraints and “time-out rooms” to manage hard-to-handle residents.
Inspectors did not visit any of the 76 licensed Hamilton County homes, or the 325 retarded or developmentally disabled residents they care for. Hamilton County has more residents in group homes than any other county in the state.
Hamilton County officials say the safety concerns are less severe here. But Ken Ritchey, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, says problems exist statewide.
“Things that they found, both good or bad, could be found in other counties,” Mr. Ritchey said. The agency is responsible for licensing group homes and keeping track of how county agencies regulate them.
“We have an obligation to protect people and we need to do a better job at that,” Mr. Ritchey said.
Thomas Kidd, superintendent of the Hamilton County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, said local group homes don't have as many problems as those in other counties.
“I feel we're a lot better than average, but that doesn't mean we're perfect,” Mr. Kidd said.
Mr. Kidd said every accusation of abuse or neglect in Hamilton County homes has been investigated. Tom Eamoe, director of Arc of Hamilton County, said yearly audits of each home conducted by his agency also have helped ease safety concerns.
“A lot of the problems mentioned in that report do exist. In a large part I think they exist elsewhere,” Mr. Eamoe said.
Mr. Eamoe said the Hamilton County board pays Arc $300,000 a year to inspect group homes, which is rare among Ohio counties. Arc is an advocacy group representing mentally challenged people and their families.
Mr. Eamoe, Mr. Kidd and Mr. Ritchey agree the report should spur serious changes in the way the state and all counties manage group homes. They are intended to let mentally disabled residents live outside an institution.
A memo supplied by Mr. Ritchey says the state will install a new system to track reports of abuse and make sure they are investigated. Those investigations also would be conducted by “an unbiased third party” instead of the county boards.
The state also would require more extensive training for group home staff and managers. Where restraints are concerned, the memo said the state should review its policies to make sure they safeguard residents.
Mr. Ritchey said the state is making those changes now, even though the federal Health Care Financing Administration is months away from issuing its final report. He also said that none of the state's homes will be shut down as a result of the audit.
Although some paperwork problems could be cleared up in a matter of months, Mr. Ritchey said it may take more than a year to ease all safety concerns. Jacqueline Romer-Sensky, director of the Ohio Department of Human Services, said the state is committed to reforming the system.
“This is a very sobering report,” Ms. Romer-Sensky said. “We have to correct these problems, and I think we can.”
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