Rice Lake, Wis., clinic suspended in girl's death

Officials fail to address state's concerns about methods used at counseling center

BY KEVIN HARTER
August 1, 2006

Pioneer Press

The Rice Lake, Wis., counseling center where 7-year-old Angellika "Angie" Arndt died after being restrained will lose its state certification and be closed for at least six months.

Northwest Counseling and Guidance Clinic officials failed to adequately address shortcomings cited by the state, meaning its certification will be pulled Aug. 15 and it will lose all county and state funding.

In a letter to Northwest President Denison Tucker dated Friday, state officials said the facility failed to meet requirements outlined in a Plan of Correction and failed to address a psychiatrist's recommendations.

Northwest officials can appeal, but the suspension will remain in effect during the appeal.

Tucker said officials hadn't decided if they would appeal, but he said officials will work "to do the things we need to do to restore their trust in the Rice Lake center. … We are committed to that mission and our goal is to address their concerns as quickly and practically as possible."

Northwest operates 12 other centers, which were not affected.

Angie died May 26, the day after she was injured while being restrained at the center, according to the state report. The girl, who had attended the clinic's day treatment center five days a week for a month for behavioral problems, had been restrained on nine separate occasions, the report said.

The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by "complications of chest compression asphyxiation" leading to "cardiopulmonary arrest while restrained by another person."

A criminal investigation into her death by the Rice Lake Police Department, Barron County District Attorney and the state Justice Department is expected to conclude in the coming weeks.

The state investigated the Rice Lake center and the girl's death to see if procedures were followed. After finding they were not, the state gave Northwest officials 30 days to file a plan to correct multiple violations of state law, including the law governing physical restraint of clients.

The facility was required by the state Health and Family Services Department to submit a Plan of Correction by July 21 that addressed:

• What the agency would do to correct the violations and ensure they don't happen again.

• How the corrections would be accomplished and monitored.

• Who would implement the plan and monitor for future compliance.

• When the corrections would be completed.

The department also advised Northwest officials to incorporate the recommendations made by consultant Dr. Randall Cullen into the Plan of Correction.

Cullen recommended that that the facility be "much less strict and authoritarian" and that officials "rethink the physical hold component of the program and severely curtail its use."

The state also told Northwest to help place the current 11 youths now at the center into other facilities.

Stephanie Marquis, the department's communications director, said if Northwest officials make the required changes, its certification will be restored after six months. If they fail to, the center will remain closed.

Angie, who was born in Milwaukee, became a ward of the state after her parents relinquished their rights. She had been in and out of foster care before Donna and Daniel Pavlik took her into their Ladysmith home in early 2005.

The couple said they never restrained her and believed they were making progress with the girl, who, according to a state report, had been diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, mood disorder and attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder.

Because of the ongoing criminal investigation, Marquis said officials could make no further comments Monday.

Kevin Harter can be reached at kharter@pioneerpress.com or 800-950-9080, ext. 2149.