Editorial #2 rough draft

There are more than 200 stories of neglect and abuse at the Beatrice State Developmental Center, but we'll focus on the most recent one.

In the month of January, four people died at BSDC. One was Olivia Manes, who was only 18 years old. Olivia was loved by her parents. They visited her three to four times a week. Nobody told them that she was taken off her seizure medication.

Olivia began to have a seizure between 11:30 and 11:45 p.m. on January 15. She was given shots twice; the first time the needle broke in her leg. Both times the nurse left the untrained staff with no instructions, except to "wait and see" if the medication worked.

Nobody did anything for Olivia until she stopped breathing at about 1:15 a.m.

Some staff members started CPR while others were sent to call 911. At the center, the switchboard must be called first. From there, the call may be made outside of campus. Yet those working on the switchboard stalled for 12 minutes before calling an ambulance. Olivia died at 2:20 a.m. at the Beatrice Community Hospital.

Some staff members did not know that Olivia had a history of seizures.

They didn’t know what signs or symptoms to watch for or what action to take.

They didn’t know how long they should wait before calling for medical help nor whom to call.

Olivia's death, along with others, have prompted Nebraska’s chief medical officer, Dr. Joann Schaefer, to order the movement of 47 "medically fragile" residents to hospitals in Lincoln and Omaha.

But these residents are not safe in community programs with a constant turnover of less trained staff. A quick move to a hospital will be emotionally disruptive to residents who do not adapt well to change.

“This is a harsh practice that can result in people with significant disabilities being moved from the only home many of them have ever known to live and die among strangers who do not understand their limited communication skills or care needs,” said John McGee, who was appointed by the U.S. District Court to monitor a settlement between the state and the Department of Justice to resolve civil rights issues.

“It slams shut the door of hope to individuals who could be supported in more intimate and personalized community homes.”

The residents and their families have the right to make the decision; not a state official who only knows the facts, not the emotions.

And it gets worse. The state is expected to lose $29 million in annual and federal funding to run the center, and it could take two years to regain federal certification.

It is not the direct care staff's fault, it is those in the administrative department who are to blame.

Staff are improperly trained.

Background checks are not through enough.

Punishment for those who abuse the residents is not harsh enough.

The center should stay open. BSDC should be kept a close eye on by the Developmental Disabilities Special Seven Committee; a group of representatives from the state.

In a December report to the Nebraska State Legislature, the special committee recommended that top state Health and Human Services and developmental center staff be removed.

BSDC needs to improve dramatically, significantly and quickly.

More needs to be done. The state needs to bring together organizations to assure that appropriate services will be provided to the residents and that staff are throughly trained.

“The lives of the residents at Beatrice are at stake,” said Senator Steve Lathrop, chairman of the special committee. “The lives of families depending on the state for services is at stake. The $29 million in federal funds is at stake. And how we treat or are perceived to treat the most vulnerable in the state is at stake.”


Sources Cited

Expert says progress made at BSDC, more needed, Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star,
Feb 10, 2009.

Beatrice center committee will continue its work,Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star
Feb 09, 2009.

The Story So Far: Beatrice State Developmental Center, Lincoln Journal Star, http://media.journalstar.com/comments/?mid=M4989d8b988a41.

Claims

Four people died at BSDC.
Olivia was loved by her parents.
They visited her three to four times a week.
Nobody told them that she was taken off her seizure medication.
Nobody did anything for Olivia until she stopped breathing at about 1:15 a.m.
Yet those working on the switchboard stalled for 12 minutes before calling an ambulance.
Olivia died at 2:20 a.m. at the Beatrice Community Hospital.
Some staff members did not know that Olivia had a history of seizures.
They didn’t know what signs or symptoms to watch for or what action to take.
They didn’t know how long they should wait before calling for medical help nor whom to call.
These residents are not safe in community programs with a constant turnover of less trained staff.
A quick move to a hospital will be emotionally disruptive to residents who do not adapt well to change.
The residents and their families have the right to make the decision; not a state official who only knows the facts, not the emotions.
The state is expected to lose $29 million in annual and federal funding to run the center, and it could take two years to regain federal certification.
It is not the direct care staff's fault, it is those in the administrative department who are to blame.
Staff are improperly trained.
Background checks are not through enough.
Punishment for those who abuse the residents is not harsh enough.
The center should stay open.
BSDC needs to improve dramatically, significantly and quickly.
More needs to be done.
The state needs to bring together organizations to assure that appropriate services will be provided to the residents and that staff are throughly trained.