Group seeks more penalties,
training in mental health centers
November 29, 2006
David A. Lieb
A state task force looking into
abuse and neglect allegations at Missouri's mental health centers on
Wednesday recommended tougher penalties for facilities, improved
training to spot problems and less secrecy surrounding state
investigations.
The 25 recommendations by Gov. Matt
Blunt's Missouri Mental Health Task Force focus both on state-owned
and state-contracted facilities. They generally mirror suggestions
made recently by a separate panel appointed by the Department of
Mental Health's governing commission.
Some proposals can be implemented
by the department, but others require legislative action and some
could take more money.
Blunt formed the task force in June
after a St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigation found 21 deaths, 323
injuries and almost 2,000 other incidents tied to abuse or neglect
by caregivers at mental health facilities from 2000 through 2005.
The report also found the state didn't always follow its laws and
policies in responding to the abuse and neglect cases.
"Abuse and neglect of our state's
vulnerable citizens is unacceptable, and my expectation is that this
report will lead to real change," the commission's chairman, Lt.
Gov. Peter Kinder, said in a written statement.
The task force held six public
hearings around the state and heard from 271 people, either in
person or through written comments.
The report concluded that there
have been inconsistencies in the investigation of abuse at mental
health facilities and that the state's system of protecting patients
was inadequate.
It recommended better training for
patients, relatives and staff members to identify and report abuse
or neglect - something it said could require more money in the state
budget. The report also said higher salaries for direct-care staff
could improve the quality of care people receive in both
state-operated and community-based mental health facilities.
Another recommendation said fines
and penalties such as a probationary status could be assessed
against facilities based upon "organizational misconduct" for
failing to report abuse or neglect. Holding the facility, not just
an individual, responsible could be a catalyst for an improved
environment at mental health centers, the report said.
The task force also recommended
legislation creating a board of experts to review all deaths of
adults in the care and custody of the Department of Mental Health. A
similar entity, the Child Fatality Review Board, already exists in
the Department of Social Services.
"There is a perception of secrecy
about investigation of abuse and neglect," the report said. "The
proposed legislation would create an open process of review."
The task force also recommended
legislation granting the public access to nonconfidential
information in final reports of substantiated abuse and neglect.
The fate of Bellefontaine
Habilitation Center in north St. Louis County remains unknown. Blunt
has proposed closing it, citing questions about patient mistreatment
and excessive cost. But he later said he would reconsider it if the
task force said so.
The task force did not name
Bellefontaine specifically, and did not advocate closing or keeping
open any particular habilitation center.
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