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Facility Charged With Largest Fine Ever, State Says

By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express

July 11, 2002

HADDONFIELD, NEW JERSEY--Officials at the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services have fined Bancroft NeuroHealth of Haddonfield $127,000 for violating laws meant to protect the residents housed in the institution.

Department officials said Monday that this was the largest fine ever assessed against a long-term care facility.

Bancroft is a 66-bed facility housing people with developmental disabilities and brain injuries.

The violations included two cases of physical abuse and three cases of sexual abuse. Officials said Bancroft staff failed to properly administer medications, to call for emergency medical personnel in a medical emergency and to report allegations of abuse and neglect. The state also claimed staff members were poorly trained, that some did not even have licenses to practice in the state, and failed to follow treatment plans, or to provide residents with nutritious food.

"The violations are very serious and they are quite numerous," Human Services spokeswoman Pam Ronan said.

Ronan added that many of the problems were documented in Bancroft's files, but had not been reported to the state as required by law.

The health department will hold a hearing on August 1. Bancroft spokesman Paul Healy said the facility will makes its case at that time.

Camden County prosecutors are investigating the death of 14-year-old Matthew Goodman, a resident of Bancroft that had autism. Goodman, who was from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, died February 6 from pneumonia, respiratory distress and blood poisoning.

Last month the Department of Human Services announced it would not allow children to be placed at Bancroft, after staff took 10 minutes to evacuate the facility during an unannounced fire drill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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