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State to terminate juvenile services contract
Saturday, Nov 4, 2006

By Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services on Friday announced plans to terminate its contract with the company that operates the 143-bed Alexander Youth Services Center in Saline County.

DHHS said it made the decision after an investigation by the department's Division of Youth Services found that staff at the facility may have inappropriately given children psychotropic drugs, failed to follow policy and failed to properly document medical care.

Cornell Companies Inc. was ordered by DHHS to stop using the psychotropic drugs as medical restraints and to report suspected maltreatment to the state Child Abuse Hotline.

DHHS spokeswoman Julie Munsell said that Cornell employees will remain at the facility and Sid Thompson, deputy director of the Division of Youth Services, will take over as manager until a new company can be hired.

Christine Parker, spokeswoman for Cornell, said Friday afternoon that the company was "pretty surprised by the report."

"These allegations are inconsistent with the way we do business," Parker said, adding Cornell plans to conduct its own investigation into the allegations to find out what happened.

Cornell, which took over operations at Alexander on Sept. 1, 2001, was ordered last year to revamp many of its medical polices in response to the death of 17-year-old Lakeisha Brown, who died at the facility in April 9, 2005.

Brown died from a blood clot in her lungs. The girl had complained for two days before her death about a shortness of breath and not feeling well.

The state Board of Nursing conducted an investigation and concluded that nurses at the center did not give the girl adequate medical care in the days before her death. DYS also investigated and concluded that management was negligent in failing to make sure the girl was provided the medical care she needed.

"Although we hired a nationally reputable contractor to provide these services, this appears to be a second major breakdown in the facility's medical system," DHHS Director John Selig said Friday.

"Cornell has agreed to work with the department to provide an orderly transition to ensure the client services will not be disrupted," Selig said.

Gov. Mike Huckabee said in a statement that the "the decision to make this change has been carefully weighed and I believe immediate action is in the best interest of those children entrusted to our care."

The governor ordered a complete review of the practices by Cornell and directed DHHS to request the assistance of the state police in conducting a thorough review based on the report.

Before Cornell was hired, the facility had been run by the state and experienced problems of abuse, neglect, escapes and the apparent suicide of an incarcerated youth.

 

 

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