Sorry for exposing you to the corruption in our state government, but it's too painful to ignore. You're talking about PEOPLE'S LIVES being ruined by decisions made by others. Rep. Linda Flores is taking steps to get to the bottom of what's been going on with the Oregon Youth Authority. Hopefully, the Governor will cooperate in setting up a thorough investigation. From Salem News.com...
August 01
State Representative Requests Investigation of Oregon Youth Authority - Salem-News.Com
State Representative Linda Flores (R-Clackamas) says recent situations involving misconduct and mismanagement at the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) prompted her to call for a special outside investigation of the agency. "I sent a request to Governor Kulongoski today urging him to appoint someone who can look into these allegations," said Flores.
"There have been many troubling news reports about OYA in recent months and it’s high time someone higher up take action."
OYA Director Bob Jester resigned this week after the Department of Corrections conducted an investigation into the RiverBend Youth Transitional Program in La Grande.
Flores says earlier this month, an OYA parole supervisor from Clackamas County was arrested on allegations of attempted prostitution. And an Assistant Director at the agency was also recently forced to resign over accusations that he had an inappropriate romantic relationship with an employee.
"I appreciate the work OYA has done to clean up any wrongdoing," noted Flores, "but clearly there needs to be more oversight."
Flores says that as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, she received a report from Jester at the Committee’s meeting last month which pointed out "the vast majority of OYA staff…produce outstanding results for youth offenders in our custody and the people of Oregon."
The investigation at RiverBend began over a year ago over allegations that former Director Darrin Humphreys stole state property, tampered with witnesses, and abused mileage and cell phone privileges. Humphreys was promoted to Superintendent at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility but resigned last spring.
Several staff at RiverBend were disciplined but there are lingering questions about a cover-up by top level managers, Flores said. She also says she is not the first legislator to call for a special investigation of OYA.
"State Representative Dennis Richardson (R-Central Point) had similar concerns a few years back when Michael Boyles, an OYA parole and probation officer, was convicted of sexually molesting several young men in state custody dating back over a decade."
Representative Flores says she sees a similarity to the situation in 1989 after Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Michael Francke was murdered.
"20-years ago the Governor set up an independent investigation into corruption in the state prison system," explained Flores.
"Expertise from the outside could now provide an objective review of what’s happened at OYA and recommend necessary reforms."
After the 1989 probe DOC established an Office of the Inspector General to handle suspected misconduct. The Legislature established the Professional Standards Office at OYA to address youth safety issues following the Boyles case. Anytime an agency head leaves their post the State Audits Division does a routine review and Flores acknowledged the efforts made so far to address problems at OYA. However, she still wants to see the Governor take action to hold the agency accountable. Flores said, "we want to assure taxpayers that government resources are not being used inappropriately."
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Abandonment For All The Disabled
What about abandonment? I read all these stories about "abuse" and "neglect", but never read anything about abandonement. Imagine for a moment that you are a parent of a 14 year old girl with cerebral palsy. You refuse to touch her. You won't feed her. You can't bring yourself to change her. You place her with strangers to care for her, but they don't. Who is responsible for her death?
From the Associated Press...
Aug 1, 9:27 PM EDT
Starved, disabled girl was failed at every turn
By KATHY MATHESON
Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- For days before Danieal Kelly died in a fetid, airless room - made stifling hot by a midsummer heat wave - the bedridden teenager begged for something to drink until she could muster only one word: water.
Unable to help herself because of her cerebral palsy, she wasted away from malnutrition and maggot-infested bedsores that ate her flesh. She died alone on a putrid mattress in her mother's home, the floor covered in feces. She was 14 but weighed just 42 pounds.
The nightmare of forced starvation and infection that killed Danieal while she was under the protection of the city's human services agency is documented in a 258-page grand jury report released this week that charges nine people - her parents, four social workers and three family friends - in her ghastly death.
The report describes a mother, Andrea Kelly, who was embarrassed by her disabled daughter and didn't want to touch her, take her out in public, change her diapers or make sure she had enough fluids. It portrays Daniel Kelly, the father who once had custody of Danieal, as having no interest in raising her.
And it accuses the city Department of Human Services of being "uncaring and incompetent."
"It was this indifference that helped kill Danieal Kelly," an angry District Attorney Lynne Abraham said. "How is it possible for this to have happened?"
The report should "outrage the entire Philadelphia community" and bring about "earth-shattering, cataclysmic changes" at the Department of Human Services, Abraham said.
Andrea Kelly, 39, the only defendant charged with murder, was ordered held Friday without bail. The social workers - suspected of falsifying home visits and progress reports in the case - face charges ranging from child endangerment to involuntary manslaughter. The family friends are accused of lying to the grand jury about the girl's condition before her death.
None of the lawyers for any of the defendants had any immediate comment.
Human Services Commissioner Anne Marie Ambrose, in office only a month, said Thursday that she is intent on improving child safety and worker accountability in an agency that has repeatedly been accused of failing to protect children.
Late Friday, the city announced the resignation of Assistant Health Commissioner Carmen Paris. The grand jury had accused Paris of interfering in the investigation of the girl's death while she was acting health commissioner, but found insufficient evidence to charge her with obstruction of justice.
The report on Danieal's death in August 2006 documents a downward spiral from the early years that she spent in Arizona with her father and his girlfriend.
Though Danieal attended special-needs classes only sporadically, a school report described her as an active learner and "one of the sweetest students ever enrolled in this program." But allegations of parental neglect soon surfaced, and following Daniel Kelly's breakup with his girlfriend in 2001, Danieal never again attended school.
Daniel Kelly and his children moved to Philadelphia in 2003. He eventually asked his estranged wife to move in, even though she had several other children and he knew she was incapable of caring for Danieal, authorities say. He then moved out.
"Daniel Kelly was well aware what deserting his daughter meant to her safety and welfare," the grand jury report said. "He just did not care."
The Department of Human Services received at least five reports of Danieal being mistreated between 2003 and 2005. All described a "helpless child sitting unattended, unkempt and unwashed, in a small stroller in her own urine and feces," her screams ignored by her mother, the grand jury report said. The stroller, which served as a wheelchair, apparently never left the house.
Agency employee Dana Poindexter, assigned to investigate, also ignored Danieal, authorities say. Already having been suspended after a 3-week-old baby died on his watch in 2002, Poindexter continued his "slovenly, neglectful and dangerously reckless work habits" after being assigned the Kelly case, the grand jury said. He did not file a single report, authorities said.
The Kellys finally were assigned help from a private agency in 2005. Employee Julius Murray was required to visit the family twice a week, but authorities believe he may have come to the house only once - to have Andrea Kelly sign predated forms attesting to future visits.
The grand jury report said Laura Sommerer, a city social worker, failed to hold the now-defunct company accountable when, months later, Danieal still was not enrolled in school or receiving medical care.
And after Danieal died, authorities say, company director Mickal Kamuvaka held a "forgery fest" in her office where she had employees "concoct almost a year's worth of false progress reports."
But authorities say Andrea Kelly, whose other children are now in foster care, is primarily responsible for her daughter's death.
The report said she was confronted repeatedly by her own mother, uncle, friends and even two of her sons about Danieal's deteriorating health. She would lie or put them off by saying she would seek help, or banish them from the house, authorities say.
In the meantime, the report said, she entertained friends, attended classes and fed her other children.
"This behavior indicates that Andrea Kelly did not merely allow Danieal to die," the report said. "She may have even wanted her disabled daughter to die."
When an ambulance responded to a 911 call for Danieal on Aug. 4, 2006, the girl had been dead for several hours. Authorities said she was so emaciated she looked like the victim of a concentration camp.
She had been lying on the filthy mattress for so long that her body outline was imprinted on it.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
From the Associated Press...
Aug 1, 9:27 PM EDT
Starved, disabled girl was failed at every turn
By KATHY MATHESON
Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- For days before Danieal Kelly died in a fetid, airless room - made stifling hot by a midsummer heat wave - the bedridden teenager begged for something to drink until she could muster only one word: water.
Unable to help herself because of her cerebral palsy, she wasted away from malnutrition and maggot-infested bedsores that ate her flesh. She died alone on a putrid mattress in her mother's home, the floor covered in feces. She was 14 but weighed just 42 pounds.
The nightmare of forced starvation and infection that killed Danieal while she was under the protection of the city's human services agency is documented in a 258-page grand jury report released this week that charges nine people - her parents, four social workers and three family friends - in her ghastly death.
The report describes a mother, Andrea Kelly, who was embarrassed by her disabled daughter and didn't want to touch her, take her out in public, change her diapers or make sure she had enough fluids. It portrays Daniel Kelly, the father who once had custody of Danieal, as having no interest in raising her.
And it accuses the city Department of Human Services of being "uncaring and incompetent."
"It was this indifference that helped kill Danieal Kelly," an angry District Attorney Lynne Abraham said. "How is it possible for this to have happened?"
The report should "outrage the entire Philadelphia community" and bring about "earth-shattering, cataclysmic changes" at the Department of Human Services, Abraham said.
Andrea Kelly, 39, the only defendant charged with murder, was ordered held Friday without bail. The social workers - suspected of falsifying home visits and progress reports in the case - face charges ranging from child endangerment to involuntary manslaughter. The family friends are accused of lying to the grand jury about the girl's condition before her death.
None of the lawyers for any of the defendants had any immediate comment.
Human Services Commissioner Anne Marie Ambrose, in office only a month, said Thursday that she is intent on improving child safety and worker accountability in an agency that has repeatedly been accused of failing to protect children.
Late Friday, the city announced the resignation of Assistant Health Commissioner Carmen Paris. The grand jury had accused Paris of interfering in the investigation of the girl's death while she was acting health commissioner, but found insufficient evidence to charge her with obstruction of justice.
The report on Danieal's death in August 2006 documents a downward spiral from the early years that she spent in Arizona with her father and his girlfriend.
Though Danieal attended special-needs classes only sporadically, a school report described her as an active learner and "one of the sweetest students ever enrolled in this program." But allegations of parental neglect soon surfaced, and following Daniel Kelly's breakup with his girlfriend in 2001, Danieal never again attended school.
Daniel Kelly and his children moved to Philadelphia in 2003. He eventually asked his estranged wife to move in, even though she had several other children and he knew she was incapable of caring for Danieal, authorities say. He then moved out.
"Daniel Kelly was well aware what deserting his daughter meant to her safety and welfare," the grand jury report said. "He just did not care."
The Department of Human Services received at least five reports of Danieal being mistreated between 2003 and 2005. All described a "helpless child sitting unattended, unkempt and unwashed, in a small stroller in her own urine and feces," her screams ignored by her mother, the grand jury report said. The stroller, which served as a wheelchair, apparently never left the house.
Agency employee Dana Poindexter, assigned to investigate, also ignored Danieal, authorities say. Already having been suspended after a 3-week-old baby died on his watch in 2002, Poindexter continued his "slovenly, neglectful and dangerously reckless work habits" after being assigned the Kelly case, the grand jury said. He did not file a single report, authorities said.
The Kellys finally were assigned help from a private agency in 2005. Employee Julius Murray was required to visit the family twice a week, but authorities believe he may have come to the house only once - to have Andrea Kelly sign predated forms attesting to future visits.
The grand jury report said Laura Sommerer, a city social worker, failed to hold the now-defunct company accountable when, months later, Danieal still was not enrolled in school or receiving medical care.
And after Danieal died, authorities say, company director Mickal Kamuvaka held a "forgery fest" in her office where she had employees "concoct almost a year's worth of false progress reports."
But authorities say Andrea Kelly, whose other children are now in foster care, is primarily responsible for her daughter's death.
The report said she was confronted repeatedly by her own mother, uncle, friends and even two of her sons about Danieal's deteriorating health. She would lie or put them off by saying she would seek help, or banish them from the house, authorities say.
In the meantime, the report said, she entertained friends, attended classes and fed her other children.
"This behavior indicates that Andrea Kelly did not merely allow Danieal to die," the report said. "She may have even wanted her disabled daughter to die."
When an ambulance responded to a 911 call for Danieal on Aug. 4, 2006, the girl had been dead for several hours. Authorities said she was so emaciated she looked like the victim of a concentration camp.
She had been lying on the filthy mattress for so long that her body outline was imprinted on it.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
What about abandonment? You read these stories about "neglect" and "abuse" of people with developmental disabilities, but you never hear about them being abandoned. Imagine if you can, being the parent of a 14 year old girl who has cerebral palsy. Imagine never wanting to touch her or feed her or change her.
I can't think of any situation more sorrowful than the case of death to a girl with cerebral palsy in Philedelphia, Pa. From the Associated Press...
I can't think of any situation more sorrowful than the case of death to a girl with cerebral palsy in Philedelphia, Pa. From the Associated Press...
Thursday, July 31, 2008
McDonalds and Disability
Looks like McDonald's is in trouble in the Bay Area. Some new owner took over a few months back and fired 3 women with disabilities because they have disabilities. Folks aren't taking this move too lightly. They've protested the fast food retaurant, slowing down business. I say good for ya's!
Disabled Criticize Restaurant’s Alleged Discrimination Against Employees
By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday July 31, 2008
By Riya Bhattacharjee
Disability rights advocates in wheelchairs held a protest Tuesday in front of the downtown Berkeley McDonald’s at University and Shattuck avenues, against what they said was unlawful discrimination against three of its disabled employees.
The protest came a week after the Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center of San Francisco filed charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that their client Lisa Craib, 43, was unfairly dismissed from the restaurant along with her two co-workers because of their developmental disabilities.
Craib, diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome—a form of autism—worked the 7:30-10 a.m. morning crew, cleaning tables, preparing salads and bussing for almost 21 years
Craib said that shortly after the franchise was sold to a new owner in March, she and two other workers with disabilities—Susan Hanks and Alice McGill—were abruptly fired.
McDonald’s released a statement on behalf of Nick Verghis, the new owner of the McDonald’s franchise, Tuesday, which was similar to the one issued in response to the charges filed last week.
“I have a strict policy prohibiting any form of discrimination in hiring, termination, or any other aspect of employment,” the statement said. “I comply with all applicable laws—including the American Disabilities Act—and continually strive to maintain an environment in which everyone feels valued and accepted. Beyond that, it would be inappropriate to further comment or speculate.”
Calls to Verghis for comment were not returned by press time.
Michael Pachovas, one of about 75 protesters, said he had helped organize the protest to speak out about the plight of the three disabled workers who were fired when the new owner took over the franchise.
“I’m very angry,” he said, carrying a “MacDonald’s Unfair to Labor” placard as he demonstrated in his wheelchair. “It’s such an obvious discriminatory action and for this to happen in a city with its history of civil rights movements is even worse. We want to get a meeting with the manager and find out what this is about.”
Pachovas said Verghis reportedly owned as many as six McDonald’s franchises in the Bay Area.
“I also want to know if, as the parent company, McDonald’s, has anything to say about this,” he said, “if they have any programs to help people with disabilities.”
Calls to Evelyn Sanchez, director of operations for McDonald’s, were not returned by press time.
“Shop somewhere else,” Pachovas called out to customers approaching the restaurant during lunch time. “I eat here on rare occasions, but I won’t come here anymore. I hope no one with a conscience will.”
Peter Mendoza, a Berkeley resident diagnosed with cerebral palsy, sat in front of the restaurant’s glass doors handing out flyers.
“I think what happened in this case was a travesty,” he said. “Lisa was a good employee. She always assisted me and carried my food over to the table. She unwrapped my hamburger so that I could eat it. They deserve to get their jobs back and an apology from the owner. People who own McDonald’s have a lot of money and should comply with the law. I am boycotting McDonald’s and encourage the entire Berkeley community to join the disability community to boycott it as well.”
Inside the fast-food chain Tuesday afternoon, business was slow.
“I think we had a huge impact,” said Chris Mullin of the Center for Independent Living. “This place usually has big lines around lunch.”
“I am definitely boycotting this McDonald’s,” said Michael Diehl, a mental health commissioner for the city. “Frankly, I could give up on the cheeseburger.”
Jan Garrett, the center’s executive director, waved a sign with “People with disabilities make great employees” written boldly on it.
“People with disabilities have clear employment rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act,” she said. “We want this McDonald’s to know that and all businesses nationally to know that.”
Susan Hanks, one of the disabled workers fired along with Lisa on March 18, stood outside the restaurant talking to family and friends.
Hanks, who has cerebral palsy, was the first disabled worker to be hired by the downtown McDonald’s.
“I have been here since 1982,” Hanks, 65, said. “I don’t want my job back, but I want them to know that they fired me and they shouldn’t have done that.”
Hanks said she was considering joining in the federal charges filed by the Legal Aid Society.
Lisa Gordon, one of the executive directors of Easy Does it, which provides emergency services to the disability community, watched the action from her wheelchair. Gordon expressed her thoughts through her assistant Alejandra Ortiz.
“This is just wrong,” Ortiz said, translating for Gordon. “Lisa worked here for 21 years because she was able to. She knew how to do a good job. It is not fair that they fired them because they have disabilities.”
“We are appalled by this,” said Gina Sasso, who co-directs the organization with Gordon, adding that more than 70 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed. “We are going to continue the struggle.”
Some protesters said they missed councilmember Dona Spring’s presence at the demonstration. Spring, an avid supporter of disability rights, died two weeks ago. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis.
“There was only one Dona, but we as a community must stop the injustice,” Mendoza said. “She’s here in spirit.”
Disabled Criticize Restaurant’s Alleged Discrimination Against Employees
By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday July 31, 2008
By Riya Bhattacharjee
Disability rights advocates in wheelchairs held a protest Tuesday in front of the downtown Berkeley McDonald’s at University and Shattuck avenues, against what they said was unlawful discrimination against three of its disabled employees.
The protest came a week after the Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center of San Francisco filed charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that their client Lisa Craib, 43, was unfairly dismissed from the restaurant along with her two co-workers because of their developmental disabilities.
Craib, diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome—a form of autism—worked the 7:30-10 a.m. morning crew, cleaning tables, preparing salads and bussing for almost 21 years
Craib said that shortly after the franchise was sold to a new owner in March, she and two other workers with disabilities—Susan Hanks and Alice McGill—were abruptly fired.
McDonald’s released a statement on behalf of Nick Verghis, the new owner of the McDonald’s franchise, Tuesday, which was similar to the one issued in response to the charges filed last week.
“I have a strict policy prohibiting any form of discrimination in hiring, termination, or any other aspect of employment,” the statement said. “I comply with all applicable laws—including the American Disabilities Act—and continually strive to maintain an environment in which everyone feels valued and accepted. Beyond that, it would be inappropriate to further comment or speculate.”
Calls to Verghis for comment were not returned by press time.
Michael Pachovas, one of about 75 protesters, said he had helped organize the protest to speak out about the plight of the three disabled workers who were fired when the new owner took over the franchise.
“I’m very angry,” he said, carrying a “MacDonald’s Unfair to Labor” placard as he demonstrated in his wheelchair. “It’s such an obvious discriminatory action and for this to happen in a city with its history of civil rights movements is even worse. We want to get a meeting with the manager and find out what this is about.”
Pachovas said Verghis reportedly owned as many as six McDonald’s franchises in the Bay Area.
“I also want to know if, as the parent company, McDonald’s, has anything to say about this,” he said, “if they have any programs to help people with disabilities.”
Calls to Evelyn Sanchez, director of operations for McDonald’s, were not returned by press time.
“Shop somewhere else,” Pachovas called out to customers approaching the restaurant during lunch time. “I eat here on rare occasions, but I won’t come here anymore. I hope no one with a conscience will.”
Peter Mendoza, a Berkeley resident diagnosed with cerebral palsy, sat in front of the restaurant’s glass doors handing out flyers.
“I think what happened in this case was a travesty,” he said. “Lisa was a good employee. She always assisted me and carried my food over to the table. She unwrapped my hamburger so that I could eat it. They deserve to get their jobs back and an apology from the owner. People who own McDonald’s have a lot of money and should comply with the law. I am boycotting McDonald’s and encourage the entire Berkeley community to join the disability community to boycott it as well.”
Inside the fast-food chain Tuesday afternoon, business was slow.
“I think we had a huge impact,” said Chris Mullin of the Center for Independent Living. “This place usually has big lines around lunch.”
“I am definitely boycotting this McDonald’s,” said Michael Diehl, a mental health commissioner for the city. “Frankly, I could give up on the cheeseburger.”
Jan Garrett, the center’s executive director, waved a sign with “People with disabilities make great employees” written boldly on it.
“People with disabilities have clear employment rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act,” she said. “We want this McDonald’s to know that and all businesses nationally to know that.”
Susan Hanks, one of the disabled workers fired along with Lisa on March 18, stood outside the restaurant talking to family and friends.
Hanks, who has cerebral palsy, was the first disabled worker to be hired by the downtown McDonald’s.
“I have been here since 1982,” Hanks, 65, said. “I don’t want my job back, but I want them to know that they fired me and they shouldn’t have done that.”
Hanks said she was considering joining in the federal charges filed by the Legal Aid Society.
Lisa Gordon, one of the executive directors of Easy Does it, which provides emergency services to the disability community, watched the action from her wheelchair. Gordon expressed her thoughts through her assistant Alejandra Ortiz.
“This is just wrong,” Ortiz said, translating for Gordon. “Lisa worked here for 21 years because she was able to. She knew how to do a good job. It is not fair that they fired them because they have disabilities.”
“We are appalled by this,” said Gina Sasso, who co-directs the organization with Gordon, adding that more than 70 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed. “We are going to continue the struggle.”
Some protesters said they missed councilmember Dona Spring’s presence at the demonstration. Spring, an avid supporter of disability rights, died two weeks ago. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis.
“There was only one Dona, but we as a community must stop the injustice,” Mendoza said. “She’s here in spirit.”
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
You Saw This Coming... Right??
The disability community has always expressed that they believe Oregon's Assisted Suicide law is flawed. They've often been quoted as saying "a right to die will eventually become a duty to die". Well, it's looking more and more like they are correct in that assumption. From Fox News...
Oregon Offers Terminal Patients Doctor-Assisted Suicide Instead of Medical Care
Monday, July 28, 2008
By Dan Springer
________________________________________
PORTLAND, Ore. — Some terminally ill patients in Oregon who turned to their state for health care were denied treatment and offered doctor-assisted suicide instead, a proposal some experts have called a "chilling" corruption of medical ethics.
Since the spread of his prostate cancer, 53-year-old Randy Stroup of Dexter, Ore., has been in a fight for his life. Uninsured and unable to pay for expensive chemotherapy, he applied to Oregon's state-run health plan for help.
Lane Individual Practice Association (LIPA), which administers the Oregon Health Plan in Lane County, responded to Stroup's request with a letter saying the state would not cover Stroup's pricey treatment, but would pay for the cost of physician-assisted suicide.
"It dropped my chin to the floor," Stroup told FOX News. "[How could they] not pay for medication that would help my life, and yet offer to pay to end my life?"
The letter, which has been sent to other terminal patients throughout Oregon, follows guidelines established by the state legislature.
Oregon doesn't cover life-prolonging treatment unless there is better than a 5 percent chance it will help the patients live for five more years — but it covers doctor-assisted suicide, defining it as a means of providing comfort, no different from hospice care or pain medication.
"It's chilling when you think about it," said Dr. William Toffler, a professor of family medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. "It absolutely conveys to the patient that continued living isn't worthwhile."
In issuing their latest Prioritized List of Health Services, state officials reported a new emphasis on preventive care and cost effectiveness. Dr. John Sattenspiel, LIPA's senior medical director, defended the measures.
"I have had patients who would consider knowing that this is part of that range of comfort care or palliative care services that are still available to them, they would be comforted by that," Sattenspiel said. "It really depends on the individual patient."
Toffler called it a callous practice that went against medical convention. "It corrupts the consistent medical ethic that has been in place for 2,000 years," he said. "It's absolutely breathtaking."
Oregon is the only state to legalize doctor-assisted suicide, which came into effect in 1997. Since that time, there have been 341 reported cases where doctors provided lethal doses of medicine to patients to end their lives.
Oregon voters have upheld the "Death with Dignity" law three times, and Sattenspiel says it is the state's duty to inform patients of all their legal options.
For Stroup, however, suicide was never an option. He fought back, and the Oregon Health Plan eventually reversed its decision and is now paying for his chemotherapy, giving him hope he'll be around a little longer for his 80 year old mother and 5 grandchildren.
Oregon Offers Terminal Patients Doctor-Assisted Suicide Instead of Medical Care
Monday, July 28, 2008
By Dan Springer
________________________________________
PORTLAND, Ore. — Some terminally ill patients in Oregon who turned to their state for health care were denied treatment and offered doctor-assisted suicide instead, a proposal some experts have called a "chilling" corruption of medical ethics.
Since the spread of his prostate cancer, 53-year-old Randy Stroup of Dexter, Ore., has been in a fight for his life. Uninsured and unable to pay for expensive chemotherapy, he applied to Oregon's state-run health plan for help.
Lane Individual Practice Association (LIPA), which administers the Oregon Health Plan in Lane County, responded to Stroup's request with a letter saying the state would not cover Stroup's pricey treatment, but would pay for the cost of physician-assisted suicide.
"It dropped my chin to the floor," Stroup told FOX News. "[How could they] not pay for medication that would help my life, and yet offer to pay to end my life?"
The letter, which has been sent to other terminal patients throughout Oregon, follows guidelines established by the state legislature.
Oregon doesn't cover life-prolonging treatment unless there is better than a 5 percent chance it will help the patients live for five more years — but it covers doctor-assisted suicide, defining it as a means of providing comfort, no different from hospice care or pain medication.
"It's chilling when you think about it," said Dr. William Toffler, a professor of family medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. "It absolutely conveys to the patient that continued living isn't worthwhile."
In issuing their latest Prioritized List of Health Services, state officials reported a new emphasis on preventive care and cost effectiveness. Dr. John Sattenspiel, LIPA's senior medical director, defended the measures.
"I have had patients who would consider knowing that this is part of that range of comfort care or palliative care services that are still available to them, they would be comforted by that," Sattenspiel said. "It really depends on the individual patient."
Toffler called it a callous practice that went against medical convention. "It corrupts the consistent medical ethic that has been in place for 2,000 years," he said. "It's absolutely breathtaking."
Oregon is the only state to legalize doctor-assisted suicide, which came into effect in 1997. Since that time, there have been 341 reported cases where doctors provided lethal doses of medicine to patients to end their lives.
Oregon voters have upheld the "Death with Dignity" law three times, and Sattenspiel says it is the state's duty to inform patients of all their legal options.
For Stroup, however, suicide was never an option. He fought back, and the Oregon Health Plan eventually reversed its decision and is now paying for his chemotherapy, giving him hope he'll be around a little longer for his 80 year old mother and 5 grandchildren.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
This Aint Gonna Work (I Can Assure You)
Table 1
7/25/2008 8:14:00 AM
MRDD allows privatization of adult services
Plan said to provide higher level of care, more choices
Waylon Strickland
Staff Writer
The Pickaway County MRDD board plans to let a portion of its services convert to a private, non-profit organization in a move that aims to let consumers have more choice in getting services they require and provide a higher level of individualized care.
The MRDD board, which provides support and services for individuals with development disabilities through its Brooks-Yates Center, voted Thursday night to allow the Brooks-Yates Center Diversified Opportunities adult services operation to convert from a government entity to a private, non-profit organization.
Privatization of the adult services program will cut down on the board's administrative costs, freeing up more money to be used for direct care, according to MRDD Superintendent Randy Beach.
"We continually look at ways we can impact peoples lives on a more regular basis," Beach said. "We want people with developmental disabilities working in the community."
MRDD still will be responsible for paying for a specified amount of care for individuals based on the level of disability who decide to get services from the new operation, which will be called Pickaway Diversified, Inc., just as the board already has to pay to other private care providers, such as Goodwill and Good Hands.
"Our new role in adult services will be arranging funding and assuring responsibility and compliance of private providers," Beach said.
The diversified operation already is governed by a separate, non-profit board, which will take over the entire operation. Diversified has facilities on Lancaster Pike and Mill Street in Circleville providing employment opportunities and also provides day habilitation and community employment services, according to Kim McPeek, the operation's executive director.
There will be no day-to-day changes in services provided because of the conversion, McPeek said, although it may eventually let the operation offer new or different services that aren't currently available.
"We hope to serve more individuals and do more programs for the people of Pickaway County," she said. "We work with over 50 individuals with disabilities. For some of the people we serve, this is their only option to help increase their independence. Without us, some people wouldn't participate or have an opportunity to be involved in the community."
Diversified's Mill Street operation is part of its already existing non-profit operation, but it will have to lease the Lancaster Pike facility from the MRDD, which owns it, for $20,000 a year. About 18 MRDD employees are effected by the change and all will be retained by the new PDI operation.
MRDD is taking the action because in the last four years it has changed its philosophy of providing care to consumers, moving from program-based care to more focus on individual choice and attention, according to Beach.
"The buzzword in the MRDD field is the concept of individual budgets," Beach said. "Within our available resources, we'll create and craft services to meet each individual's needs."
The new PDI will be entirely self-funded from the enrollment fees and costs it charges to consumers. MRDD will retain oversight of the operation after it goes private, and it will fully fund PDI for up to two years during the transition process. After two years, PDI will be independent and have to depend on its own budget to operate.
7/25/2008 8:14:00 AM
MRDD allows privatization of adult services
Plan said to provide higher level of care, more choices
Waylon Strickland
Staff Writer
The Pickaway County MRDD board plans to let a portion of its services convert to a private, non-profit organization in a move that aims to let consumers have more choice in getting services they require and provide a higher level of individualized care.
The MRDD board, which provides support and services for individuals with development disabilities through its Brooks-Yates Center, voted Thursday night to allow the Brooks-Yates Center Diversified Opportunities adult services operation to convert from a government entity to a private, non-profit organization.
Privatization of the adult services program will cut down on the board's administrative costs, freeing up more money to be used for direct care, according to MRDD Superintendent Randy Beach.
"We continually look at ways we can impact peoples lives on a more regular basis," Beach said. "We want people with developmental disabilities working in the community."
MRDD still will be responsible for paying for a specified amount of care for individuals based on the level of disability who decide to get services from the new operation, which will be called Pickaway Diversified, Inc., just as the board already has to pay to other private care providers, such as Goodwill and Good Hands.
"Our new role in adult services will be arranging funding and assuring responsibility and compliance of private providers," Beach said.
The diversified operation already is governed by a separate, non-profit board, which will take over the entire operation. Diversified has facilities on Lancaster Pike and Mill Street in Circleville providing employment opportunities and also provides day habilitation and community employment services, according to Kim McPeek, the operation's executive director.
There will be no day-to-day changes in services provided because of the conversion, McPeek said, although it may eventually let the operation offer new or different services that aren't currently available.
"We hope to serve more individuals and do more programs for the people of Pickaway County," she said. "We work with over 50 individuals with disabilities. For some of the people we serve, this is their only option to help increase their independence. Without us, some people wouldn't participate or have an opportunity to be involved in the community."
Diversified's Mill Street operation is part of its already existing non-profit operation, but it will have to lease the Lancaster Pike facility from the MRDD, which owns it, for $20,000 a year. About 18 MRDD employees are effected by the change and all will be retained by the new PDI operation.
MRDD is taking the action because in the last four years it has changed its philosophy of providing care to consumers, moving from program-based care to more focus on individual choice and attention, according to Beach.
"The buzzword in the MRDD field is the concept of individual budgets," Beach said. "Within our available resources, we'll create and craft services to meet each individual's needs."
The new PDI will be entirely self-funded from the enrollment fees and costs it charges to consumers. MRDD will retain oversight of the operation after it goes private, and it will fully fund PDI for up to two years during the transition process. After two years, PDI will be independent and have to depend on its own budget to operate.
Savage Attacks
Here's some strong language used to describe feelings about Michael Savage... from Roanoke.com...
Stand up to those who bully the disabled
Teresa Lavinder
Lavinder, of Vinton, is a former employee of a local disability service agency. She is a native of Roanoke.
Where is our conscience? It continues to be socially OK to discriminate and bully a particular protected class: people with disabilities.
In Roanoke, we have an Architectural Review Board that has approved a chain-link fence for a possible dog park. I'm not against the park, just the board's hypocrisy that led to an Old Southwest resident being criminally convicted and fined because she dared to make her doorway and porch accessible to her seriously ill mother. We seem to care more about our pets than our citizens.
In Gretna, it is socially acceptable to go to town council meetings and, before the media, rant against two mentally challenged adults who want to be allowed to live in their caregiver's home.
Heaven forbid you live next door to these people and give birth to a child with Down's syndrome or spina bifida. Heaven forbid you need a wheelchair ramp for your aging parent, or you're a police officer disabled by a criminal's attack. Would this community shun you, too?
Disappointingly, Gretna's town council cannot do the right thing without the Department of Justice intervening.
Finally, the citizens and media in Roanoke are standing by while a local radio station, WFIR, airs the Michael Savage show. Savage refers to people with autism as "frauds" and then uses terms for these children that are reserved for the asylum dwellers of the previous centuries.
These words are considered hate speech and are words most intelligent people do not allow their children to use.
He states kids with autism are just poorly parented and are from single-parent families. He also insinuates that the parents are somehow financially benefiting from one of the most financially devastating disabilities that can occur in a family.
Savage erroneously suggests that there is no medical diagnosis of autism as a developmental disability. Nationally, children with autism are even banned from churches, preventing families from receiving the spiritual support they desperately need.
This discrimination occurs because we aren't stopping it. Why aren't local listeners standing up for our most vulnerable, sensitive citizens? Savage also regularly attacks people with various other disabilities using the same sort of language that cost Don Imus his job.
Where is the public outcry and outrage? Free speech stops at hate speech. If Savage were attacking any other group, there would be a huge public outcry.
Is it socially acceptable to treat people with disabilities this way because they scare us so much? If we don't see them, their affliction could never invade our lives. It just ceases to exist.
If we think disability can never happen to us or to someone we love, we feel no empathy for the fate of others. Disability is the one protected class that everyone joins, unless you die instantly in an accident or sudden onset illness. Socioeconomic group, age, ethnicity and race won't protect you.
These hateful, unjust behaviors happen because some people have a significant capacity to be mean and hate-filled. They were probably the ones we all knew as the schoolyard bullies, but where are the rest of us? Why are we allowing this to happen in our communities without speaking out and standing as tall as Dr. Martin Luther King's inspiring statue?
I didn't think, as a healthy, 30-year-old professional, that disability would happen to me, but it did. In one instant, my life would never be the same. But I have learned one thing over these challenging years. I have obstacles due to my impairment and illness, but my disability lies in my environment and the minds of others.
Don't disable me or anyone else from participating fully in this community and making my own choices about my life. Don't disable me with your apathy. Don't sit by and watch our community be less than it can be.
Stand up to those who bully the disabled
Teresa Lavinder
Lavinder, of Vinton, is a former employee of a local disability service agency. She is a native of Roanoke.
Where is our conscience? It continues to be socially OK to discriminate and bully a particular protected class: people with disabilities.
In Roanoke, we have an Architectural Review Board that has approved a chain-link fence for a possible dog park. I'm not against the park, just the board's hypocrisy that led to an Old Southwest resident being criminally convicted and fined because she dared to make her doorway and porch accessible to her seriously ill mother. We seem to care more about our pets than our citizens.
In Gretna, it is socially acceptable to go to town council meetings and, before the media, rant against two mentally challenged adults who want to be allowed to live in their caregiver's home.
Heaven forbid you live next door to these people and give birth to a child with Down's syndrome or spina bifida. Heaven forbid you need a wheelchair ramp for your aging parent, or you're a police officer disabled by a criminal's attack. Would this community shun you, too?
Disappointingly, Gretna's town council cannot do the right thing without the Department of Justice intervening.
Finally, the citizens and media in Roanoke are standing by while a local radio station, WFIR, airs the Michael Savage show. Savage refers to people with autism as "frauds" and then uses terms for these children that are reserved for the asylum dwellers of the previous centuries.
These words are considered hate speech and are words most intelligent people do not allow their children to use.
He states kids with autism are just poorly parented and are from single-parent families. He also insinuates that the parents are somehow financially benefiting from one of the most financially devastating disabilities that can occur in a family.
Savage erroneously suggests that there is no medical diagnosis of autism as a developmental disability. Nationally, children with autism are even banned from churches, preventing families from receiving the spiritual support they desperately need.
This discrimination occurs because we aren't stopping it. Why aren't local listeners standing up for our most vulnerable, sensitive citizens? Savage also regularly attacks people with various other disabilities using the same sort of language that cost Don Imus his job.
Where is the public outcry and outrage? Free speech stops at hate speech. If Savage were attacking any other group, there would be a huge public outcry.
Is it socially acceptable to treat people with disabilities this way because they scare us so much? If we don't see them, their affliction could never invade our lives. It just ceases to exist.
If we think disability can never happen to us or to someone we love, we feel no empathy for the fate of others. Disability is the one protected class that everyone joins, unless you die instantly in an accident or sudden onset illness. Socioeconomic group, age, ethnicity and race won't protect you.
These hateful, unjust behaviors happen because some people have a significant capacity to be mean and hate-filled. They were probably the ones we all knew as the schoolyard bullies, but where are the rest of us? Why are we allowing this to happen in our communities without speaking out and standing as tall as Dr. Martin Luther King's inspiring statue?
I didn't think, as a healthy, 30-year-old professional, that disability would happen to me, but it did. In one instant, my life would never be the same. But I have learned one thing over these challenging years. I have obstacles due to my impairment and illness, but my disability lies in my environment and the minds of others.
Don't disable me or anyone else from participating fully in this community and making my own choices about my life. Don't disable me with your apathy. Don't sit by and watch our community be less than it can be.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
We'll See What We See
The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) is going to be doing things differently. They now will be deciding who gets what based on a measuring tool of need. This makes me nervous as hell.
Does DHS believe they have the best grasp on where the money needs to go? Having experienced their haphazardness and seeing some of their mistakes, one needs to wonder if they are in fact, qualified to take this on. From the Lake Oswego Review...
Seeking a better way to aid those in need
DHS seeks a measuring device to determine how different funding levels affect services
The Lake Oswego Review, Jul 17, 2008
The state Department of Human Services is talking with ordinary Oregonians about how it spends money and delivers services. This is not merely a bureaucratic exercise, but a commendable effort to quantify the human needs of this state and develop better ways of meeting those needs. In the end, if this process led by DHS Director Dr. Bruce Goldberg is successful, it will have turned the tables on how the department prepares its budget for the 2009-11 biennium.
Rather than ask for traditional across-the-board increases in funding, the DHS will have a measuring device – similar to the Quality Education Model developed for school funding – that allows the governor and legislators to see just how far different levels of funding will carry them toward meeting health and human-service needs.
To begin to create this model, the DHS, which is one of the largest state agencies and serves some of the most vulnerable Oregonians, has held a series of seven community forums to determine what services will be most in demand in coming years.
Money will be tight in short term
The willingness to listen and to prioritize service delivery based upon need versus budget availability is a new and significant concept, as Oregon enters another period when state revenues are likely to drop due to the downturn in the economy and employment.
Preparing a prioritized, needs-based budget also is important due to the complexity of DHS, an agency that has a total budget exceeding $11 billion – including federal funds – and that receives more than $3.3 billion from the state’s general fund.
But dollars only tell part of the immense tale of DHS, which provides general health-care services and a vast range of programs that include senior and disabled services, mental health counseling, drug treatment and food-stamp programs. The department also is responsible for foster home services, food-service inspection and water-testing programs, and it runs the Oregon State Hospital in Salem and a variety of community-based mental health programs.
By building a case for priority programs, DHS will be able to evaluate not only the needs of Oregonians but the order in which programs should be funded fully, partially or not at all.
That type of assessment will be invaluable to Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who will prepare a final DHS budget to submit to the 2009 Legislature, and for state legislators who ultimately will decide the level of funding the agency receives.
Without a prioritized needs assessment, the department’s funding and services may remain in a status quo mode, where programs continue to be funded or emphasized based upon what has been done in the past.
Goal is to help even more people
We don’t think that is what’s best for Oregon or its citizens in the future – even if funding were no object.
But given that funds likely will be short, it is most appropriate that DHS is listening to Oregonians and reexamining how it delivers services to get the best results for people in need.
Eventually, better and more targeted service delivery will result in an improved quality of life for those who require health and human services.
By becoming as efficient as possible, DHS will be able to serve even more Oregonians than it has in the past at a cheaper cost than before – and that will mean even more people can be helped in the future.
We therefore believe the DHS budget strategy is a twofold winner: It prioritizes needs and it focuses on programs that get results.
Does DHS believe they have the best grasp on where the money needs to go? Having experienced their haphazardness and seeing some of their mistakes, one needs to wonder if they are in fact, qualified to take this on. From the Lake Oswego Review...
Seeking a better way to aid those in need
DHS seeks a measuring device to determine how different funding levels affect services
The Lake Oswego Review, Jul 17, 2008
The state Department of Human Services is talking with ordinary Oregonians about how it spends money and delivers services. This is not merely a bureaucratic exercise, but a commendable effort to quantify the human needs of this state and develop better ways of meeting those needs. In the end, if this process led by DHS Director Dr. Bruce Goldberg is successful, it will have turned the tables on how the department prepares its budget for the 2009-11 biennium.
Rather than ask for traditional across-the-board increases in funding, the DHS will have a measuring device – similar to the Quality Education Model developed for school funding – that allows the governor and legislators to see just how far different levels of funding will carry them toward meeting health and human-service needs.
To begin to create this model, the DHS, which is one of the largest state agencies and serves some of the most vulnerable Oregonians, has held a series of seven community forums to determine what services will be most in demand in coming years.
Money will be tight in short term
The willingness to listen and to prioritize service delivery based upon need versus budget availability is a new and significant concept, as Oregon enters another period when state revenues are likely to drop due to the downturn in the economy and employment.
Preparing a prioritized, needs-based budget also is important due to the complexity of DHS, an agency that has a total budget exceeding $11 billion – including federal funds – and that receives more than $3.3 billion from the state’s general fund.
But dollars only tell part of the immense tale of DHS, which provides general health-care services and a vast range of programs that include senior and disabled services, mental health counseling, drug treatment and food-stamp programs. The department also is responsible for foster home services, food-service inspection and water-testing programs, and it runs the Oregon State Hospital in Salem and a variety of community-based mental health programs.
By building a case for priority programs, DHS will be able to evaluate not only the needs of Oregonians but the order in which programs should be funded fully, partially or not at all.
That type of assessment will be invaluable to Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who will prepare a final DHS budget to submit to the 2009 Legislature, and for state legislators who ultimately will decide the level of funding the agency receives.
Without a prioritized needs assessment, the department’s funding and services may remain in a status quo mode, where programs continue to be funded or emphasized based upon what has been done in the past.
Goal is to help even more people
We don’t think that is what’s best for Oregon or its citizens in the future – even if funding were no object.
But given that funds likely will be short, it is most appropriate that DHS is listening to Oregonians and reexamining how it delivers services to get the best results for people in need.
Eventually, better and more targeted service delivery will result in an improved quality of life for those who require health and human services.
By becoming as efficient as possible, DHS will be able to serve even more Oregonians than it has in the past at a cheaper cost than before – and that will mean even more people can be helped in the future.
We therefore believe the DHS budget strategy is a twofold winner: It prioritizes needs and it focuses on programs that get results.
Death With Dignity?
In the whole assisted suicide debate, there is an ever looming question. If you can fill out an advanced directive on how you want to be treated as you near death, why is there a need for assisted suicide? They are having a discussion in Washington as they prepare to vote for this in November. Many from the disability community see this as a slippery slope, which will be extremely dangerous for them. I definitely see their point. How about you? From the Seattle Times...
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - Page updated at 06:39 AM
Guest columnist
Providing an end-of-life path that rejects pain or poison
By Paul Malley
Special to The Times
COURTESY OF PAUL MALLEY
Aging with Dignity President Paul Malley
There's an old story about how Abraham Lincoln would quiz visitors to the White House. Lincoln would ask, "How many legs does a sheep have if you call its tail a leg?" "Five," most visitors would reply. "You are mistaken," Lincoln would say, "because calling a tail a leg does not make it so." They didn't call him "Honest Abe" for nothing.
The citizens of Washington deserve similar straight talk as they consider the consequences of Initiative 1000 and the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. Instead, I-1000 would ban further use of the term, presumably in favor of euphemisms such as "death with dignity," "self-deliverance," "a life-affirming choice," "aid in dying" and " 'self'-preservation," which are among several of the more flowery terms already in use. Meanwhile, the dreary old Hemlock Society has itself undergone a beauty makeover, re-branded as "Compassion and Choices." Who can be against choice and compassion?
On the merits of the issue, both sides already have dug in. The I-1000 proponents argue the decision is a personal one, while church and pro-life groups point out that life is God-given and that physician-assisted suicide is not compassionate and is morally wrong. Medical groups claim physician-assisted suicide will ultimately corrupt the entire health-care system by undermining the doctor-patient relationship. Disability-rights groups have long warned that any "right to die" will soon morph into a "duty to die" for them.
Oddly, both sides in the debate cite the Oregon experience. One side boasts it has worked well for 10 years, while the other argues it has resulted in the state's taxpayer-funded health-care system denying payment for cancer-treatment drugs but approving payment for suicide drugs.
Both sides could be missing what is often at the root of the argument in the first place. People rightly worry about being in pain and losing control in their lives when seriously ill. They fear being placed on an impersonal medical "conveyor belt," surrounded by strangers and hooked up to tubes. They especially fear losing their individuality and human dignity at the very time it's most important to them.
This could explain why more Americans are completing detailed advance directives, such as the Five Wishes living will, which is legally sufficient in Washington and distributed by more than 350 organizations statewide. It allows those who complete it to clearly state in their own words, not in medical or legal jargon, what kind of treatment they would or wouldn't want in the event they become seriously ill and can't speak for themselves.
This "third path" rejects the false choice of pain or poison, and instead empowers users to take control over how they wish to be treated.
The citizens of Washington deserve an open and honest debate over I-1000, one that doesn't employ verbal sleight of hand to obscure the very real life-and-death issues at stake.
Paul Malley is president of Aging with Dignity, a national nonprofit organization and creator of the Five Wishes living will.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - Page updated at 06:39 AM
Guest columnist
Providing an end-of-life path that rejects pain or poison
By Paul Malley
Special to The Times
COURTESY OF PAUL MALLEY
Aging with Dignity President Paul Malley
There's an old story about how Abraham Lincoln would quiz visitors to the White House. Lincoln would ask, "How many legs does a sheep have if you call its tail a leg?" "Five," most visitors would reply. "You are mistaken," Lincoln would say, "because calling a tail a leg does not make it so." They didn't call him "Honest Abe" for nothing.
The citizens of Washington deserve similar straight talk as they consider the consequences of Initiative 1000 and the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. Instead, I-1000 would ban further use of the term, presumably in favor of euphemisms such as "death with dignity," "self-deliverance," "a life-affirming choice," "aid in dying" and " 'self'-preservation," which are among several of the more flowery terms already in use. Meanwhile, the dreary old Hemlock Society has itself undergone a beauty makeover, re-branded as "Compassion and Choices." Who can be against choice and compassion?
On the merits of the issue, both sides already have dug in. The I-1000 proponents argue the decision is a personal one, while church and pro-life groups point out that life is God-given and that physician-assisted suicide is not compassionate and is morally wrong. Medical groups claim physician-assisted suicide will ultimately corrupt the entire health-care system by undermining the doctor-patient relationship. Disability-rights groups have long warned that any "right to die" will soon morph into a "duty to die" for them.
Oddly, both sides in the debate cite the Oregon experience. One side boasts it has worked well for 10 years, while the other argues it has resulted in the state's taxpayer-funded health-care system denying payment for cancer-treatment drugs but approving payment for suicide drugs.
Both sides could be missing what is often at the root of the argument in the first place. People rightly worry about being in pain and losing control in their lives when seriously ill. They fear being placed on an impersonal medical "conveyor belt," surrounded by strangers and hooked up to tubes. They especially fear losing their individuality and human dignity at the very time it's most important to them.
This could explain why more Americans are completing detailed advance directives, such as the Five Wishes living will, which is legally sufficient in Washington and distributed by more than 350 organizations statewide. It allows those who complete it to clearly state in their own words, not in medical or legal jargon, what kind of treatment they would or wouldn't want in the event they become seriously ill and can't speak for themselves.
This "third path" rejects the false choice of pain or poison, and instead empowers users to take control over how they wish to be treated.
The citizens of Washington deserve an open and honest debate over I-1000, one that doesn't employ verbal sleight of hand to obscure the very real life-and-death issues at stake.
Paul Malley is president of Aging with Dignity, a national nonprofit organization and creator of the Five Wishes living will.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Monday, July 21, 2008
Fire the SOB!
There are some peolple in this world who shouldn't be allowed to take to the air waves. One of these such people goes by the name of Michael Savage. He is bad news on several fronts, but now he's taking to calling names at people with disabilities. there are many who want to see him fired, and I happen to be one. Free speech only goes so far. Here's an article from the web that I'm posting.
July 21, 2008
Talk Radio Network Should Fire Michael Savage
The leader of a national coalition of disability, civil rights and social justice organizations called on Talk Radio Network to fire talk radio host, Michael Savage for his hateful attacks on children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. Jim Ward, founder and president of ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR), stated:
"ADA Watch/NCDR calls on Talk Radio Network to fire Michael Savage. As America prepares to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) on July 26th, people with disabilities, parents, family members, friends and advocates across the nation are outraged over Savage's latest attack on people with disabilities.
On the July 17. 2008 edition of his radio show, Savage labeled autism a "fraud" and prescribed tough love for autistic children: "I'll tell you what autism is. In 99% of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out." He went on to say:
"That’s what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, ‘Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot."
Savage concluded,
“[I]f I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, ‘Don’t behave like a fool.’ The worst thing he said — ‘Don’t behave like a fool. Don’t be anybody’s dummy. Don’t sound like an idiot. Don’t act like a girl. Don’t cry.’ That’s what I was raised with. That’s what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You’re turning your son into a girl, and you’re turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men.”[His despicable assault on children with autism - calling them "frauds" and "brats" - is rightly being condemned as hateful and bigoted. But it is just the latest of Savage's numerous and painful attempts to demean and disenfranchise people with disabilities."
In 2003, Savage was fired from MSNBC for his ant-Gay comments, including "You should only get AIDS and die."
Savage has also used his bully-pulpit to declare that:
•High levels of asthma impacting minority children was because "the children got extra welfare if they were disabled." (July 2008)
•The "handicapped" workers at the Phoenix Café would "drool" and put dung in diners food. He made up names for the food on the menu, such as "nutburger." (July 2002)
•Members of the disability rights community are the "Wheelchair Mafia."
•The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the world's first civil rights law for people with disabilities, should be called the "Lawyers' Improvement Act."
•His political opponents are "degenerate slime bags" with "mental disorders" and have a "virus like leukemia."
•When he was younger, he "touched the hand of a midget [Dwarf]," it really "freaked him out" and, since that episode, he doesn't like public places. (June 2004)
•The "autism lobby of devastated parents is just a scam to get more money."
Michael Alan Weiner, better known by his pseudonym Michael Savage, is a radio host, author, and political commentator. His nationally-syndicated talk show, The Savage Nation, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network. His radio show reaches more than 10 million listeners on 410 stations throughout the United States, ranking third in number of stations syndicated nationwide and third in nationwide audience behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.
ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) is a coalition of national, state and local disability, civil rights and social justice organizations united to protect and promote the human rights of children and adults with physical and mental disabilities.
ADA Watch/NCDR encourages individuals and organizations to contact:
Talk Radio Network
P.O. Box 3755
Central Point, Oregon 97502
Phone: 541-664-8827
Fax: 541-664-6250
July 21, 2008
Talk Radio Network Should Fire Michael Savage
The leader of a national coalition of disability, civil rights and social justice organizations called on Talk Radio Network to fire talk radio host, Michael Savage for his hateful attacks on children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. Jim Ward, founder and president of ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR), stated:
"ADA Watch/NCDR calls on Talk Radio Network to fire Michael Savage. As America prepares to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) on July 26th, people with disabilities, parents, family members, friends and advocates across the nation are outraged over Savage's latest attack on people with disabilities.
On the July 17. 2008 edition of his radio show, Savage labeled autism a "fraud" and prescribed tough love for autistic children: "I'll tell you what autism is. In 99% of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out." He went on to say:
"That’s what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, ‘Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot."
Savage concluded,
“[I]f I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, ‘Don’t behave like a fool.’ The worst thing he said — ‘Don’t behave like a fool. Don’t be anybody’s dummy. Don’t sound like an idiot. Don’t act like a girl. Don’t cry.’ That’s what I was raised with. That’s what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You’re turning your son into a girl, and you’re turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men.”[His despicable assault on children with autism - calling them "frauds" and "brats" - is rightly being condemned as hateful and bigoted. But it is just the latest of Savage's numerous and painful attempts to demean and disenfranchise people with disabilities."
In 2003, Savage was fired from MSNBC for his ant-Gay comments, including "You should only get AIDS and die."
Savage has also used his bully-pulpit to declare that:
•High levels of asthma impacting minority children was because "the children got extra welfare if they were disabled." (July 2008)
•The "handicapped" workers at the Phoenix Café would "drool" and put dung in diners food. He made up names for the food on the menu, such as "nutburger." (July 2002)
•Members of the disability rights community are the "Wheelchair Mafia."
•The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the world's first civil rights law for people with disabilities, should be called the "Lawyers' Improvement Act."
•His political opponents are "degenerate slime bags" with "mental disorders" and have a "virus like leukemia."
•When he was younger, he "touched the hand of a midget [Dwarf]," it really "freaked him out" and, since that episode, he doesn't like public places. (June 2004)
•The "autism lobby of devastated parents is just a scam to get more money."
Michael Alan Weiner, better known by his pseudonym Michael Savage, is a radio host, author, and political commentator. His nationally-syndicated talk show, The Savage Nation, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network. His radio show reaches more than 10 million listeners on 410 stations throughout the United States, ranking third in number of stations syndicated nationwide and third in nationwide audience behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.
ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) is a coalition of national, state and local disability, civil rights and social justice organizations united to protect and promote the human rights of children and adults with physical and mental disabilities.
ADA Watch/NCDR encourages individuals and organizations to contact:
Talk Radio Network
P.O. Box 3755
Central Point, Oregon 97502
Phone: 541-664-8827
Fax: 541-664-6250
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Ok; I'll Give Ya Green
13 phone books at 2.5 Lbs. = 33.5 Lbs. That, and I NEVER asked for ANY of those damned things. How much cost and trees went into making these phone books? You'd think that someone would come up with the idea of not placing these phone books on people's porches, but apparently that's not the case. I took these phone books down to the recycling center around the corner from my house. As I was looking for where to put them, the guy who works there says; "What are you looking for?" I say back to him; "phone books, I got 13 of 'em". He points to where they go, and says "we all get 'em".
Thursday, July 17, 2008
An Apology Gone Wrong
It's widely known that Governor John Kitzhaber apologized to the developmental disability community for the forced sterilization of hundreds of people back in the year 2002. What has been kept a secret is who destroyed the paperwork that went along with his apology. PHC, or Portland Habilitation (which hires folks with developmental disabilities) was responsible for shredding the documents. Isn't that kind of like the parents shredding their child's birth record?
Somebody at PHC HAD to know what they were doing. I believe it was the upper management, but I guess we'll never really know...
Somebody at PHC HAD to know what they were doing. I believe it was the upper management, but I guess we'll never really know...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Is Abuse a Crime?
Perhaps someone can tell me why it is that when a person with a disability has a crime committed against them it's called "abuse", but when a person without a disability has a crime committed against them it's called a "crime". This doesn't make sense to me at all. When are we as a society going to pull our heads out of our collective bottom and realize that crime is crime. "Abuse" seems to lessen the significance of what has happened, which makes it more likely to occur.
This is out of the Massachusetts based Patriot newspaper...
SPEAK OUT: Checking on the caretakers
A hole in the law lets out-of-state crimes fly under the radar
________________________________________
By Maureen Gallagher, Daniel Shannon And Joshua Komyerov
Posted Jul 12, 2008 @ 01:48 AM
________________________________________
WEYMOUTH —
As reported in your pages recently, Derek Marcia was operating carnival rides in Weymouth when he was arrested in April on kidnapping and armed robbery warrants out of Florida.
The notion of Marcia interacting with children and families at carnivals in Massachusetts and elsewhere is nothing less than frightening.
But imagine if instead of landing a job with the traveling carnival, Marcia had found work in one of the state’s hundreds of group homes serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At the carnival, we can at least hope that crowds and caretakers will deter criminals from trying anything too brazen. But in group homes and other settings where many of our state’s 180,000 people with disabilities are served, there are no such deterrents.
Even with safeguards in place at group homes including supervision and state monitoring, someone with illicit intentions could be in a position that should make everyone feel uncomfortable. After all, working in a group home with some of the state’s most vulnerable individuals includes some serious responsibilities such as having access to money and prescription medication.
Scenarios like this are not outside the realm of possibility. Like carnival workers, employees hired to work with people with disabilities are required to undergo state criminal background checks, but not national checks. That means people with warrants (or a criminal record) outside Massachusetts but nothing in-state, could be working across the commonwealth in direct contact with people with disabilities.
Fortunately, a bill filed by Rep. Martin Walsh of Dorchester and co-sponsored by Rep. Louis Kafka of Stoughton would plug this gaping loophole. The National Criminal Background Check Bill (H144) would require candidates who apply for positions working with individuals served by the Department of Mental Retardation to undergo a national criminal check in addition to the statewide Criminal Offense Registry Information (CORI ) check.
This bill has the overwhelming support of disability groups, including The Arc of Massachusetts, The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress and Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change, as well as DMR Commissioner Elin Howe, among others. Similar legislation has already been implemented successfully in other states, including New York and Idaho.
Opponents of the bill have tried to peg it as an expansion of the CORI law, but it is no such thing. It would not have any effect on the current CORI system or on any CORI reform. It would simply require employers to conduct a national record check on top of the state check, thereby ensuring an additional level of protection.
What evidence is available underscores the need for such a law. According to the Massachusetts Disabled Persons Protection Commission, in the last decade in Massachusetts there have been more than 2,000 documented cases in which people with disabilities were victims of abuse at the hands of staff ostensibly providing care and supervision. In about 300 of those cases, the alleged abuser resided (at the time of the abuse) outside Massachusetts in a neighboring state. (This number does not even include employees who previously lived out of state.)
Because of current law, no national background check was conducted in these cases and any out-of-state criminal records went unseen. Had this law been in place, dozens of instances of abuse may have been prevented.
This law, if enacted, will give provider agencies the most basic tools to properly screen for employees who will first and foremost ensure the safety of their disabled and most vulnerable clients.
Maureen Gallagher is executive director of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress; Daniel Shannon is executive director of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council; and Joshua Komyerov is director of government affairs of the Arc of Massachusetts.
This is out of the Massachusetts based Patriot newspaper...
SPEAK OUT: Checking on the caretakers
A hole in the law lets out-of-state crimes fly under the radar
________________________________________
By Maureen Gallagher, Daniel Shannon And Joshua Komyerov
Posted Jul 12, 2008 @ 01:48 AM
________________________________________
WEYMOUTH —
As reported in your pages recently, Derek Marcia was operating carnival rides in Weymouth when he was arrested in April on kidnapping and armed robbery warrants out of Florida.
The notion of Marcia interacting with children and families at carnivals in Massachusetts and elsewhere is nothing less than frightening.
But imagine if instead of landing a job with the traveling carnival, Marcia had found work in one of the state’s hundreds of group homes serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At the carnival, we can at least hope that crowds and caretakers will deter criminals from trying anything too brazen. But in group homes and other settings where many of our state’s 180,000 people with disabilities are served, there are no such deterrents.
Even with safeguards in place at group homes including supervision and state monitoring, someone with illicit intentions could be in a position that should make everyone feel uncomfortable. After all, working in a group home with some of the state’s most vulnerable individuals includes some serious responsibilities such as having access to money and prescription medication.
Scenarios like this are not outside the realm of possibility. Like carnival workers, employees hired to work with people with disabilities are required to undergo state criminal background checks, but not national checks. That means people with warrants (or a criminal record) outside Massachusetts but nothing in-state, could be working across the commonwealth in direct contact with people with disabilities.
Fortunately, a bill filed by Rep. Martin Walsh of Dorchester and co-sponsored by Rep. Louis Kafka of Stoughton would plug this gaping loophole. The National Criminal Background Check Bill (H144) would require candidates who apply for positions working with individuals served by the Department of Mental Retardation to undergo a national criminal check in addition to the statewide Criminal Offense Registry Information (CORI ) check.
This bill has the overwhelming support of disability groups, including The Arc of Massachusetts, The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress and Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change, as well as DMR Commissioner Elin Howe, among others. Similar legislation has already been implemented successfully in other states, including New York and Idaho.
Opponents of the bill have tried to peg it as an expansion of the CORI law, but it is no such thing. It would not have any effect on the current CORI system or on any CORI reform. It would simply require employers to conduct a national record check on top of the state check, thereby ensuring an additional level of protection.
What evidence is available underscores the need for such a law. According to the Massachusetts Disabled Persons Protection Commission, in the last decade in Massachusetts there have been more than 2,000 documented cases in which people with disabilities were victims of abuse at the hands of staff ostensibly providing care and supervision. In about 300 of those cases, the alleged abuser resided (at the time of the abuse) outside Massachusetts in a neighboring state. (This number does not even include employees who previously lived out of state.)
Because of current law, no national background check was conducted in these cases and any out-of-state criminal records went unseen. Had this law been in place, dozens of instances of abuse may have been prevented.
This law, if enacted, will give provider agencies the most basic tools to properly screen for employees who will first and foremost ensure the safety of their disabled and most vulnerable clients.
Maureen Gallagher is executive director of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress; Daniel Shannon is executive director of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council; and Joshua Komyerov is director of government affairs of the Arc of Massachusetts.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
You Name This Post
There's a loud buzz going on in Oregon right now about notifying the public when a new secure group home is about to open. Many people believe they have a right to know if people having mental illness along with a criminal history move into their neighborhood. I have a strong desire to weigh in on this topic, and I'm choosing to do so here, on my blog.
I haven't heard virtually any discussion of people wanting to know when folks who DON'T have mental illness but have a criminal history move into their neighborhoods. As far as I know, a criminal is a criminal whether or not they have an accompanying disability. So what is the deal about the mental illness label? I believe it's prejudice holding hands with discrimination.
You still hear "God loving Americans" calling each other names (jokingly) like "retard", "nut case", and "psycho" on a regular basis. This demonstrates a blatant lack of understanding regarding disability. At the same time these same people who know nothing about disability are up in arms about criminals with disabilities moving in next door. To me, that is perpetuating the myth that there is something inherently WRONG with people who have disabilities. That's discrimination in its' purest form.
When people begin to cry out their demand to know of ALL the people in their community who have a criminal history, the playing field will be level. That will never happen. Why? Because that would be prejudicial and discriminatory, and we won't stand for that; right?
I haven't heard virtually any discussion of people wanting to know when folks who DON'T have mental illness but have a criminal history move into their neighborhoods. As far as I know, a criminal is a criminal whether or not they have an accompanying disability. So what is the deal about the mental illness label? I believe it's prejudice holding hands with discrimination.
You still hear "God loving Americans" calling each other names (jokingly) like "retard", "nut case", and "psycho" on a regular basis. This demonstrates a blatant lack of understanding regarding disability. At the same time these same people who know nothing about disability are up in arms about criminals with disabilities moving in next door. To me, that is perpetuating the myth that there is something inherently WRONG with people who have disabilities. That's discrimination in its' purest form.
When people begin to cry out their demand to know of ALL the people in their community who have a criminal history, the playing field will be level. That will never happen. Why? Because that would be prejudicial and discriminatory, and we won't stand for that; right?
Friday, July 04, 2008
Oregon's Hate Crime Law
Today I was talking with my wife regarding Oregon law which states that crimes committed on a person with a disability can be considered a hate crime. Although the term "handicap" creeps me out to no end, it's there... clearly stated. This being the case, the obvious question is how many of the crimes I and others have been writing about have been prosecuted as hate crimes? I'm thinking that the answer is prbably "none".
ORS § 181.642
Mandates training on the investigation, identification and reporting of crimes "motivated by prejudice based on the perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, political affliliation or beliefs, membership or activity in or on behalf of a labor organization or against a labor organization, physical or mental handicap, age, economic or social status or citizenship of the victim."
ORS § 181.550
Mandates the reporting of crimes "motivated by prejudice based on the perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation or beliefs, membership or activity in or on behalf of a labor organization or against a labor organization, physical or mental handicap, age, economic or social status or citizenship of the victim."
In Ohio a bill is being carried to have hate crime status for people with disabilities...
Bill Adds Disability to Hate Crime Law
Expansion spurred by recent attack
By Alex Shebar • ashebar@enquirer.com • June 28, 2008
State Sen. Eric Kearney (D-Cincinnati) is introducing a bill that would grant people with disabilities protection under Ohio's hate crime law.
Senate Bill 349 was prompted by February's attack of Ashley Clark, a mentally disabled Talawanda High School senior.
"Anyone can become disabled ... I think people realize that it's a great equalizer," Kearney said Friday.
"Most families have somebody, a relative, who is disabled and people will empathize with that."
Hate crime laws provide additional punishment for criminal offenses if the crime can be shown to be motivated by race or animosity toward specific groups of people.
If the bill is passed, it would put disability in the same category as race, color, religion, and national origin.
"This will put people on notice that the state of Ohio views those actions with the same severity as they do crimes against any other group," said Lin Laing, executive director for Center for Independent Living Options in Cincinnati.
Kearney is a member of the center's board of directors.
Ohio is one of 23 states that do not include disability as part of their hate crimes legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
If the proposed law were already in place, Kearney contends that the attack against Ashley Clark would qualify as a hate crime because her disability appears to be a key reason why she was targeted.
In February, Clark was violently attacked in her Hanover Township home allegedly by Cheyenne Blanton, 17, and Joseph Nagle, 16, both of Hamilton.
Prosecutors say the pair tied Clark up, beat her with a baseball bat, robbed her, cut off her hair and destroyed her prom dress.
The court has ruled that Blanton and Nagle should be tried as adults.
The proposed law would have no bearing on their trials.
The Clark family was not available for comment Friday. Kearney said he has not spoken with Clark or her family, but is pushing the bill to prevent such an attack from happening again.
While the proposed bill would be a good protective measure, the public should not view all people with disabilities as defenseless, said Suzanne Hopkins, director of programs for Independent Living Options.
Hopkins has a congenial disability that caused her to be born without limbs.
"I don't want the disability community to be looked upon as vulnerable, because not all disabilities are vulnerable," she said. "It's dependent on the disability that the individual has and any protective measures they have."
Kearney said he hopes to see the bill assigned to a committee when the legislature returns to session in September.
He said it could come up for a vote as early as December.
ORS § 181.642
Mandates training on the investigation, identification and reporting of crimes "motivated by prejudice based on the perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, political affliliation or beliefs, membership or activity in or on behalf of a labor organization or against a labor organization, physical or mental handicap, age, economic or social status or citizenship of the victim."
ORS § 181.550
Mandates the reporting of crimes "motivated by prejudice based on the perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation or beliefs, membership or activity in or on behalf of a labor organization or against a labor organization, physical or mental handicap, age, economic or social status or citizenship of the victim."
In Ohio a bill is being carried to have hate crime status for people with disabilities...
Bill Adds Disability to Hate Crime Law
Expansion spurred by recent attack
By Alex Shebar • ashebar@enquirer.com • June 28, 2008
State Sen. Eric Kearney (D-Cincinnati) is introducing a bill that would grant people with disabilities protection under Ohio's hate crime law.
Senate Bill 349 was prompted by February's attack of Ashley Clark, a mentally disabled Talawanda High School senior.
"Anyone can become disabled ... I think people realize that it's a great equalizer," Kearney said Friday.
"Most families have somebody, a relative, who is disabled and people will empathize with that."
Hate crime laws provide additional punishment for criminal offenses if the crime can be shown to be motivated by race or animosity toward specific groups of people.
If the bill is passed, it would put disability in the same category as race, color, religion, and national origin.
"This will put people on notice that the state of Ohio views those actions with the same severity as they do crimes against any other group," said Lin Laing, executive director for Center for Independent Living Options in Cincinnati.
Kearney is a member of the center's board of directors.
Ohio is one of 23 states that do not include disability as part of their hate crimes legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
If the proposed law were already in place, Kearney contends that the attack against Ashley Clark would qualify as a hate crime because her disability appears to be a key reason why she was targeted.
In February, Clark was violently attacked in her Hanover Township home allegedly by Cheyenne Blanton, 17, and Joseph Nagle, 16, both of Hamilton.
Prosecutors say the pair tied Clark up, beat her with a baseball bat, robbed her, cut off her hair and destroyed her prom dress.
The court has ruled that Blanton and Nagle should be tried as adults.
The proposed law would have no bearing on their trials.
The Clark family was not available for comment Friday. Kearney said he has not spoken with Clark or her family, but is pushing the bill to prevent such an attack from happening again.
While the proposed bill would be a good protective measure, the public should not view all people with disabilities as defenseless, said Suzanne Hopkins, director of programs for Independent Living Options.
Hopkins has a congenial disability that caused her to be born without limbs.
"I don't want the disability community to be looked upon as vulnerable, because not all disabilities are vulnerable," she said. "It's dependent on the disability that the individual has and any protective measures they have."
Kearney said he hopes to see the bill assigned to a committee when the legislature returns to session in September.
He said it could come up for a vote as early as December.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Punk Music and Activism
Back on the 21st I wrote about a punk band that has 3 members who have developmental disabilities. There is a documentary film about them titled Heavy Load (which is also their band's name) which I highly recommend.
Anyway, I've been in contact with the band through email regarding an idea I have. I want to use their film as an educational tool for the community at large. There's a good deal of information about these 3 individuals lives which would give folks an inside look into some of the challenges people in their shoes face all around the world.
They have agreed to allow me to use their film in this manner, and I'm very excited about the opportunity this presents. I've come to a place where I believe the lack of meaningful exposure to people with developmental disabilities by the broader community is actually harmful to both groups.
I hope to soon (probably this Fall) be instumental in bringing these folks out of the shadows and into the light of real community. We'll see...
Anyway, I've been in contact with the band through email regarding an idea I have. I want to use their film as an educational tool for the community at large. There's a good deal of information about these 3 individuals lives which would give folks an inside look into some of the challenges people in their shoes face all around the world.
They have agreed to allow me to use their film in this manner, and I'm very excited about the opportunity this presents. I've come to a place where I believe the lack of meaningful exposure to people with developmental disabilities by the broader community is actually harmful to both groups.
I hope to soon (probably this Fall) be instumental in bringing these folks out of the shadows and into the light of real community. We'll see...
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Glad You Live At Home?
Put simply, there is a lot of bad stuff happening within the service system vulnerable people live in here in Oregon.
Senior care center faulted
Investigation, verdict expose wider problems at Avamere and other for-profit elder care facilities in tri-county area
BY LEE VAN DER VOO AND CHRISTIAN GASTON
The Forest Grove News-Times, Jun 25, 2008
An unprecedented verdict against a Lake Oswego senior care facility last month levied more than $900,000 in damages for an incident that left an 86-year-old woman bruised and in handcuffs.
The woman’s son says he hopes the verdict puts for-profit care companies on notice to improve senior care in Oregon. And a Pamplin Media Group analysis shows there is plenty of room for improvement.
The analysis showed that three for-profit senior care groups with a large presence in the Portland area are being cited for problems more often than their nonprofit counterparts.
Two of those senior care groups, Alterra and Marquis, have facilities in Forest Grove.
The analysis also showed that one for-profit group, Avamere Health Services – which owns and runs the Lake Oswego facility where the woman was injured – has been cited far more frequently than the others.
A Multnomah County jury awarded a landmark penalty against The Pearl at Kruse Way, an Avamere Health Services facility, in a civil trial last month. The $904,200 verdict is believed to be the most money an Oregon jury has ever levied against a care facility for endangering an elderly person and compromising his or her dignity.
The woman, Elvera Stephan, died during the trial from unrelated health problems. The sum was awarded to her estate for injuries she suffered in an incident April 13, 2006.
That night, Stephan, who suffered from dementia, was handcuffed and restrained by police after becoming confused and accusing a caregiver of taking her car keys.
While Stephan’s injuries were caused by police putting her in handcuffs and keeping her on the floor, the jury arrived at the verdict after testimony showed that nurses and caregivers at The Pearl did nothing to intervene.
Testimony also showed that while Avamere marketed The Pearl as providing top-of-the-line care for dementia patients, workers there did not provide the care or have the training or medication that could have helped Stephan that day and prevented the call to police.
The nurse who called police did so from another wing of the facility, reporting Stephan was “extremely agitated” and “aggressive” and “threatening” without examining her, even though Stephan’s caregivers repeatedly asked for help.
Stephan ultimately suffered bruising to her forehead and wrists and twisted one of her knees, according to a subsequent state investigation. The Oregon Department of Human Services fined The Pearl $300 for failing to appropriately assist Stephan on its own before calling police.
Stephan’s son, James Stephan, now hopes the verdict involving his mother sparks discussion and puts care providers on notice to improve services.
“Avamere isn’t just going to have a $300 fine from DHS filed in a folder at DHS and just keep operating the way they were,” Stephan said. “What I hope is that it just brings some more awareness to our society.”
Probes uncover violations
But lately, for-profit care providers have been under fire nationwide. A Pamplin Media Group investigation found:
• For-profit nursing homes often provide worse care than their nonprofit counterparts, based on regulatory benchmarks and on citations issued by Oregon state regulators.
• For-profit companies often insulate themselves by creating labyrinthine corporate structures that make it more difficult to sue them.
• And, in Oregon, regulators say that some care providers are so profitable that relatively small government fines do nothing to encourage them to comply with government regulations.
Across the nation, a 2007 analysis by The New York Times showed that investor-owned companies provided substantially worse care for seniors than similar nonprofit ventures.
The findings echoed a 2001 study by researchers for the University of California and Harvard Medical School, which found investor-owned facilities showed deficiencies at a rate 46.5 percent higher than nonprofit facilities and 43 percent higher than public nursing homes in surveys.
The Pamplin Media Group’s look at three corporate care companies with facilities in the tri-county area – Avamere, Alterra and Marquis Care – showed similar results. The three are the for-profit companies with a large presence of multiple care services in the tricounty area.
The analysis looked at state citations for care violations and injuries at 59 facilities owned by the corporate care groups, five stand-alone for-profit firms and another seven nonprofit facilities.
On average, the corporate care groups were cited by state investigators more frequently than nonprofit and publicly owned senior care facilities.
Avamere had the highest per-patient citation rates. At 30 of its facilities, Avamere averaged one citation for every nine beds over two years between 2006 and 2008.
That rate was higher than citation rates for Alterra and Marquis Care, which received one citation for every 15 and 23 beds in their facilities, respectively, during the same period.
Nonprofit and publicly owned senior-care facilities, by contrast, were cited once for every 32 beds in their facilities.
Laundry list of problems
At Avamere, incidents that led to citations included:
• A patient at Avamere Rehabilitation of Clackamas developed gangrene for lack of foot care. The state cited the facility and fined it $500.
• Workers at Avamere Rehabilitation of Beaverton, who had not received fire safety training, according to state officials, left the door to the laundry room open while a fire broke out, filling the hallways with smoke.
• A patient lost 11.6 pounds after living less than a month at Avamere Rehabilitation of King City. Employees didn’t review the patient’s medical history and “failed to recognize” the patient’s loss of bowel and bladder control. The facility was cited and fined $1,000.
Avamere founder Rick Miller said long-term care is a tough business and one that often is unfairly criticized because it provides services to people who already are often very ill.
Miller said he and business partner, Rick Dillon, have tried to build a unique senior-care system that allows the elderly to get care where and when they need it. Avamere, a 13-year-old Wilsonville-based company, provides home health care, independent living, assisted living, dementia care, skilled nursing and hospice.
“We’re focused on building a business that we want to have when we need this level of care,” Miller said. “And one thing we know about seniors is they don’t want to be in nursing homes.”
But Miller acknowledges that innovation and growth have caused fluctuations in quality.
“We’re not where we need to be,” Miller said. “But we’ve got to be a company where, if there’s a problem, we’ve got to be transparent about that.”
Avamere starts self-reporting
Company data in 2005 and 2006 showed Avamere was falling behind state averages in periodic reviews of facility care, prompting the company to begin self-reporting quality issues to state regulators, a policy Miller believes may account for Avamere’s higher citation rates.
By the start of 2007, the company completed an aggressive restructuring aimed at improvement by appointing a new CEO, a quality control specialist and a company strategist.
Avamere also assembled a volunteer board of current and retired business executives and health-care experts to tackle problems.
Surveys better
Since then, Avamere’s numbers show the company has improved. In 2007, the company’s state surveys were better than Oregon averages, according to Avamere’s numbers.
But Mary Gear, the state’s licensing and quality care administrator, said the Department of Human Services would not still be issuing citations at Avamere if investigations involving the company – brought about by Avamere’s self-reporting or by others – did not turn up problems.
In July 2007, the same year Avamere officials hit high marks on state surveys, regulators had enough concern about the company to invoke a rarely used authority to initiate an investigation.
Citations still pile up
Following a probe of Avamere’s personnel files, state investigators cited nine of the company’s 30 facilities for failing to conduct criminal background checks on workers.
Avamere’s Oregon facilities received 251 citations in the two years between April 2006 and April 2008.
The citations were for everything from failing to provide essential care to failing to shield clients from rough treatment, financial exploitation, corporal punishment, mental and emotional abuse and unwanted sexual contact.
In 65 of the incidents, senior citizens in Avamere’s care were actually harmed. The state levied fines totaling $26,840 in 63 cases.
The $26,850 Avamere paid was a small fraction of the $250 million in revenue reported in 2007 in an article in American Executive magazine.
Penalties not sufficient
Gear said state-imposed penalties often aren’t sufficient to curb problems at senior care facilities.
She said officials tried unsuccessfully to get the 2008 Legislature to raise licensing fees and will try again.
“They are significantly lower than the national average and certainly lower than our neighboring states,” Gear said.
“We also proposed raising our penalty fines. … and again, those are significantly lower than most of our surrounding states.”
Senior care center faulted
Investigation, verdict expose wider problems at Avamere and other for-profit elder care facilities in tri-county area
BY LEE VAN DER VOO AND CHRISTIAN GASTON
The Forest Grove News-Times, Jun 25, 2008
An unprecedented verdict against a Lake Oswego senior care facility last month levied more than $900,000 in damages for an incident that left an 86-year-old woman bruised and in handcuffs.
The woman’s son says he hopes the verdict puts for-profit care companies on notice to improve senior care in Oregon. And a Pamplin Media Group analysis shows there is plenty of room for improvement.
The analysis showed that three for-profit senior care groups with a large presence in the Portland area are being cited for problems more often than their nonprofit counterparts.
Two of those senior care groups, Alterra and Marquis, have facilities in Forest Grove.
The analysis also showed that one for-profit group, Avamere Health Services – which owns and runs the Lake Oswego facility where the woman was injured – has been cited far more frequently than the others.
A Multnomah County jury awarded a landmark penalty against The Pearl at Kruse Way, an Avamere Health Services facility, in a civil trial last month. The $904,200 verdict is believed to be the most money an Oregon jury has ever levied against a care facility for endangering an elderly person and compromising his or her dignity.
The woman, Elvera Stephan, died during the trial from unrelated health problems. The sum was awarded to her estate for injuries she suffered in an incident April 13, 2006.
That night, Stephan, who suffered from dementia, was handcuffed and restrained by police after becoming confused and accusing a caregiver of taking her car keys.
While Stephan’s injuries were caused by police putting her in handcuffs and keeping her on the floor, the jury arrived at the verdict after testimony showed that nurses and caregivers at The Pearl did nothing to intervene.
Testimony also showed that while Avamere marketed The Pearl as providing top-of-the-line care for dementia patients, workers there did not provide the care or have the training or medication that could have helped Stephan that day and prevented the call to police.
The nurse who called police did so from another wing of the facility, reporting Stephan was “extremely agitated” and “aggressive” and “threatening” without examining her, even though Stephan’s caregivers repeatedly asked for help.
Stephan ultimately suffered bruising to her forehead and wrists and twisted one of her knees, according to a subsequent state investigation. The Oregon Department of Human Services fined The Pearl $300 for failing to appropriately assist Stephan on its own before calling police.
Stephan’s son, James Stephan, now hopes the verdict involving his mother sparks discussion and puts care providers on notice to improve services.
“Avamere isn’t just going to have a $300 fine from DHS filed in a folder at DHS and just keep operating the way they were,” Stephan said. “What I hope is that it just brings some more awareness to our society.”
Probes uncover violations
But lately, for-profit care providers have been under fire nationwide. A Pamplin Media Group investigation found:
• For-profit nursing homes often provide worse care than their nonprofit counterparts, based on regulatory benchmarks and on citations issued by Oregon state regulators.
• For-profit companies often insulate themselves by creating labyrinthine corporate structures that make it more difficult to sue them.
• And, in Oregon, regulators say that some care providers are so profitable that relatively small government fines do nothing to encourage them to comply with government regulations.
Across the nation, a 2007 analysis by The New York Times showed that investor-owned companies provided substantially worse care for seniors than similar nonprofit ventures.
The findings echoed a 2001 study by researchers for the University of California and Harvard Medical School, which found investor-owned facilities showed deficiencies at a rate 46.5 percent higher than nonprofit facilities and 43 percent higher than public nursing homes in surveys.
The Pamplin Media Group’s look at three corporate care companies with facilities in the tri-county area – Avamere, Alterra and Marquis Care – showed similar results. The three are the for-profit companies with a large presence of multiple care services in the tricounty area.
The analysis looked at state citations for care violations and injuries at 59 facilities owned by the corporate care groups, five stand-alone for-profit firms and another seven nonprofit facilities.
On average, the corporate care groups were cited by state investigators more frequently than nonprofit and publicly owned senior care facilities.
Avamere had the highest per-patient citation rates. At 30 of its facilities, Avamere averaged one citation for every nine beds over two years between 2006 and 2008.
That rate was higher than citation rates for Alterra and Marquis Care, which received one citation for every 15 and 23 beds in their facilities, respectively, during the same period.
Nonprofit and publicly owned senior-care facilities, by contrast, were cited once for every 32 beds in their facilities.
Laundry list of problems
At Avamere, incidents that led to citations included:
• A patient at Avamere Rehabilitation of Clackamas developed gangrene for lack of foot care. The state cited the facility and fined it $500.
• Workers at Avamere Rehabilitation of Beaverton, who had not received fire safety training, according to state officials, left the door to the laundry room open while a fire broke out, filling the hallways with smoke.
• A patient lost 11.6 pounds after living less than a month at Avamere Rehabilitation of King City. Employees didn’t review the patient’s medical history and “failed to recognize” the patient’s loss of bowel and bladder control. The facility was cited and fined $1,000.
Avamere founder Rick Miller said long-term care is a tough business and one that often is unfairly criticized because it provides services to people who already are often very ill.
Miller said he and business partner, Rick Dillon, have tried to build a unique senior-care system that allows the elderly to get care where and when they need it. Avamere, a 13-year-old Wilsonville-based company, provides home health care, independent living, assisted living, dementia care, skilled nursing and hospice.
“We’re focused on building a business that we want to have when we need this level of care,” Miller said. “And one thing we know about seniors is they don’t want to be in nursing homes.”
But Miller acknowledges that innovation and growth have caused fluctuations in quality.
“We’re not where we need to be,” Miller said. “But we’ve got to be a company where, if there’s a problem, we’ve got to be transparent about that.”
Avamere starts self-reporting
Company data in 2005 and 2006 showed Avamere was falling behind state averages in periodic reviews of facility care, prompting the company to begin self-reporting quality issues to state regulators, a policy Miller believes may account for Avamere’s higher citation rates.
By the start of 2007, the company completed an aggressive restructuring aimed at improvement by appointing a new CEO, a quality control specialist and a company strategist.
Avamere also assembled a volunteer board of current and retired business executives and health-care experts to tackle problems.
Surveys better
Since then, Avamere’s numbers show the company has improved. In 2007, the company’s state surveys were better than Oregon averages, according to Avamere’s numbers.
But Mary Gear, the state’s licensing and quality care administrator, said the Department of Human Services would not still be issuing citations at Avamere if investigations involving the company – brought about by Avamere’s self-reporting or by others – did not turn up problems.
In July 2007, the same year Avamere officials hit high marks on state surveys, regulators had enough concern about the company to invoke a rarely used authority to initiate an investigation.
Citations still pile up
Following a probe of Avamere’s personnel files, state investigators cited nine of the company’s 30 facilities for failing to conduct criminal background checks on workers.
Avamere’s Oregon facilities received 251 citations in the two years between April 2006 and April 2008.
The citations were for everything from failing to provide essential care to failing to shield clients from rough treatment, financial exploitation, corporal punishment, mental and emotional abuse and unwanted sexual contact.
In 65 of the incidents, senior citizens in Avamere’s care were actually harmed. The state levied fines totaling $26,840 in 63 cases.
The $26,850 Avamere paid was a small fraction of the $250 million in revenue reported in 2007 in an article in American Executive magazine.
Penalties not sufficient
Gear said state-imposed penalties often aren’t sufficient to curb problems at senior care facilities.
She said officials tried unsuccessfully to get the 2008 Legislature to raise licensing fees and will try again.
“They are significantly lower than the national average and certainly lower than our neighboring states,” Gear said.
“We also proposed raising our penalty fines. … and again, those are significantly lower than most of our surrounding states.”
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
What Was She Thinking??
The Oregonian has a story written by Michelle Roberts about a Salem nurse who is in deep trouble for allowing a man with a developmental disability to die in her car while she was googling directions to a hospital in her office.
Though this woman had plenty of options for getting the man help, for some unknown reason she took what appears to be the worst one. The whole matter appears very suspicious to me, and I hope they find out why she did what she did. The whole story can be found here... http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/121427791514260.xml&coll=7&thispage=3
Though this woman had plenty of options for getting the man help, for some unknown reason she took what appears to be the worst one. The whole matter appears very suspicious to me, and I hope they find out why she did what she did. The whole story can be found here... http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/121427791514260.xml&coll=7&thispage=3
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Heavy Load
There is a truly great film out that I believe EVERYONE would benefit from seeing. It'a called Heavy Load and it's a documentary.
You ask what makes this movie so special? It's about the lives of a Punk Band from England as they pursue their dream of making music for a living. What makes their band stand out from others are the members themselves. 3 of the 5 musicians have developmental disabilities (in England labeled learning disabled), and the other 2 are guys who either currently or in the past supported them in the community.
I don't want to give out too much information about the film because I'd hate to ruin it for people who choose to see it. I will say there is a fabulous sub plot that involves some serious advocacy, which in itself is inspiring.
If you want to see an honest, moving and educational film, you MUST see Heavy Load.
You ask what makes this movie so special? It's about the lives of a Punk Band from England as they pursue their dream of making music for a living. What makes their band stand out from others are the members themselves. 3 of the 5 musicians have developmental disabilities (in England labeled learning disabled), and the other 2 are guys who either currently or in the past supported them in the community.
I don't want to give out too much information about the film because I'd hate to ruin it for people who choose to see it. I will say there is a fabulous sub plot that involves some serious advocacy, which in itself is inspiring.
If you want to see an honest, moving and educational film, you MUST see Heavy Load.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
What's Fair is Fair
I'm signed up to get regular press releases from the state of Oregon legislature. Yesterday I received such a release which was dated June 13th, and called "immediate", which I found to be interesting as yesterday was the 18th.
The jist of this press release is information about legislation that will be brought forth in the 2009 session. It says that Rep. Ron Maurer will carry a bill that would require state employees to pay into their health insurance premiums, with the savings going to assist low income folks with the healthcare they need and lack.
This is an overdue idea that may meet some resistance. I say "good on ya Rep. Maurer".
RON MAURER
OREGON HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE DISTRICT 3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Allison Mac Mullin
June 13, 2008 (541) 474-5456
REP. MAURER ANNOUNCES PLAN TO EXPAND ACCESS TO
HEALTH, DENTAL CARE
Health Access Oregon Calls for ‘Fair Share’ Contribution from State Employees
SALEM-- Rep. Ron Maurer (R-Grants Pass) today announced Health Access Oregon,
his plan to expand health and dental care access to uninsured Oregonians and those
without adequate primary care and preventative services. Health Access Oregon will be
introduced during the 2009 regular session.
“Oregon needs to focus its limited healthcare resources where they are going to do the most good for the most people, and this means widening portals of entry to primary care and preventive services,” Rep. Maurer said. “A major component of health reform is changing our health delivery system. School based health clinics and community health centers are a great place to start.”
Resources to fund Health Access Oregon will come from a new “fair share” requirement
that will be applied to many of the 46,000 public employees who receive health and
dental benefits from the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB).
State employees, who have not contributed to the cost of their health and dental
insurance, would be required to contribute from 13 percent to 15 percent of their
insurance premium cost by 2012. “This is about insurance parity. As a state employee, I must face the reality that the taxpayer cannot continue to pay for everything. I must begin to shoulder some of the burden of my insurance premiums,” Rep. Maurer said.
Most public employees across the United States contribute to their health insurance
premiums. Teachers in Oregon pay an average of 12 percent of their health premium,
while federal employees contribute 25 percent to 45 percent of the costs of their health insurance premium.
Only two states, Oregon and North Dakota, do not require their state employees to
contribute to their insurance premiums. But, North Dakota has an annual deductible of up to $1200 while Oregon’s state employees deductible is $0. In 2006, the average state employee across America contributed 19.2 percent to their health insurance premium.
###
The jist of this press release is information about legislation that will be brought forth in the 2009 session. It says that Rep. Ron Maurer will carry a bill that would require state employees to pay into their health insurance premiums, with the savings going to assist low income folks with the healthcare they need and lack.
This is an overdue idea that may meet some resistance. I say "good on ya Rep. Maurer".
RON MAURER
OREGON HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE DISTRICT 3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Allison Mac Mullin
June 13, 2008 (541) 474-5456
REP. MAURER ANNOUNCES PLAN TO EXPAND ACCESS TO
HEALTH, DENTAL CARE
Health Access Oregon Calls for ‘Fair Share’ Contribution from State Employees
SALEM-- Rep. Ron Maurer (R-Grants Pass) today announced Health Access Oregon,
his plan to expand health and dental care access to uninsured Oregonians and those
without adequate primary care and preventative services. Health Access Oregon will be
introduced during the 2009 regular session.
“Oregon needs to focus its limited healthcare resources where they are going to do the most good for the most people, and this means widening portals of entry to primary care and preventive services,” Rep. Maurer said. “A major component of health reform is changing our health delivery system. School based health clinics and community health centers are a great place to start.”
Resources to fund Health Access Oregon will come from a new “fair share” requirement
that will be applied to many of the 46,000 public employees who receive health and
dental benefits from the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB).
State employees, who have not contributed to the cost of their health and dental
insurance, would be required to contribute from 13 percent to 15 percent of their
insurance premium cost by 2012. “This is about insurance parity. As a state employee, I must face the reality that the taxpayer cannot continue to pay for everything. I must begin to shoulder some of the burden of my insurance premiums,” Rep. Maurer said.
Most public employees across the United States contribute to their health insurance
premiums. Teachers in Oregon pay an average of 12 percent of their health premium,
while federal employees contribute 25 percent to 45 percent of the costs of their health insurance premium.
Only two states, Oregon and North Dakota, do not require their state employees to
contribute to their insurance premiums. But, North Dakota has an annual deductible of up to $1200 while Oregon’s state employees deductible is $0. In 2006, the average state employee across America contributed 19.2 percent to their health insurance premium.
###
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Here's Solution Focussed Action
The State of New York has taken some serious steps in their effort to eradicate the domestic violence, sexual exploitation, medical and other types of neglect, and financial exploitation of adults with developmental disabilities. I'm going to withold my own opinions until I've heard from some other folks.
OMRDD Unveils Aggressive Campaign to Reduce Abuse and Neglect
ALBANY, NY (06/18/2008)(readMedia)
The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) released a multifaceted approach to reducing serious incidents, abuse and neglect in its service system, Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter announced today.
Foremost in this new effort is the creation of the Division of Workforce and Talent Development, which is designed to bring leadership, heightened investment and oversight to the agency, enhancing it’s capacity to develop and sustain the relationship which is critical to success for people who have developmental disabilities. Research shows that the best way to both prevent abuse and promote richer lives is to strengthen and nourish the relationships between individuals with developmental disabilities and those that care for them. To achieve these goals, OMRDD, with more than 90,000 staff in state and voluntary programs, is expanding and refocusing training and supervision.
“OMRDD’s core mission is to help people with developmental disabilities lead richer lives. Obviously, this is severely undermined each time a person with a developmental disability is the victim of abuse or neglect or the focus of a serious, reportable incident,” said Commissioner Ritter. “My leadership team and I have committed to reducing the number of such incidents. We realize the work our committed, hardworking and dedicated staff perform can be highly stressful, so we must work with a broad set of partners to ensure that our direct-care workers are not only well-trained, but also have the proper foundations of support.”
The quality of care for people with developmental disabilities is tied to the positive relationships in that person’s life – especially those with staff who are deeply involved in their daily lives. The vast majority of those who care for the developmentally disabled are good and caring people. However, research has found when an individual is abused by staff, there are several negative effects. In addition to physical or psychological injury to the victim and the penalties to staff whom are responsible, another result which may be even more devastating relates to the destruction of the very essence of that helping relationship. Abuse harms the relationship and thereby harms the hope, both of which are needed in order to thrive. It is with this in mind that OMRDD is accelerating the development and implementation of the following tactical plan:
• Expansion and refocused training and supervision of key, stress-intensive living or program environments. It has been demonstrated that many instances of abuse, neglect or serious reportable incidents are a by-product of situational stress or environmental circumstances that cause some staff to behave in unacceptable ways. To ensure all direct contact staff – especially those working in highly stressful situations – are properly trained and supervised, OMRDD has invested in expanded training for its developmental aides and their supervisors.
• Expansion and refocusing of training for staff of its voluntary provider agencies. This new focus isdesigned to enhance staff skills both in developing the positive, mission-driven skills needed in their work, and also to provide individual and supervisory tools that help them deal with the stress of their day-to-day working environment.
• Engaging in discussions with OMRDD workforce and labor/management groups on ways to reduce stress in the working environment and to better manage the fallout when staff is determined to have acted in an unacceptable manner.
• The creation of the new Division of Workforce and Talent Development. Already this new Division has taken on the following challenges:
Established mandated core training topics for Developmental Assistant supervisors
Refined the Competencies to which Developmental Aides are trained
Created a workgroup to reengineer the Developmental Aide Traineeship
Revised OMRDD’s approach to training staff to intervene during behavioral crises
Received a multi-year grant from the federal government to examine a wide range of direct support workforce issues including training, career paths and improving recruitment and retention of workers; and developing a workforce that serves self-directing individuals.
Established an accessible and cost efficient online training institute.
Assess the impact of current recruitment efforts on staff.
Commissioner Ritter has also created a new Office of Investigations and Internal Affairs to improve its capacity to investigate reports of abuse and neglect, among other incidents.
OMRDD is reaching out to partner with external groups who have expertise in workforce issues, abuse and neglect, and organizational cultures. The University at Albany School of Social Welfare, Center for Intellectual Disabilities and its Dean, Professor Katharine H. Briar-Lawson, have pledged such a partnership.
“This kind of collaboration brings some of the most respected practitioners to the issue, as well as creates a learning partnership for both our staff and the students in this prestigious school of social work,” said Commissioner Ritter. “As I have said many times since becoming Commissioner, OMRDD has a solid history. However, I believe we have been unable to go from ‘good’ to ‘great’ by the insularity of so much of its work. A hallmark of my time as Commissioner will be not just transparency, but broad partnership and collaboration.”
Eventually, these partnerships will grow beyond the initial partnership with the University at Albany, to help establish a corporate culture within the OMRDD funded system where there will be zero tolerance for abuse and neglect. This abuse prevention strategy will be embedded in the agency’s overall quality management strategy, focusing on staff and their interactions with people with disabilities.
This new effort will involve a three- part approach:
1) The Risk Appraisal portion will use well-established national research on institutional abuse to create a Risk Appraisal Profile for each unit. OMRDD will be using CDDDSO as a prototype for this approach. Having developed a profile of the risk factors for each unit, the agency will work in a collaborative manner with employees, unions, management, individuals and self-advocates to develop the second component;
2) A Prescriptive Prevention Strategy for each unit within the facility that is directly reflective of that unit’s risk profile. Actions in this area will include all levels of the organization and may involve such things as staff training, reevaluation of client groupings, staff counseling and support, anticipation of seasonal factors, and raising the awareness of staff to the issues involved in abuse prevention.
The intent in the Prescriptive Package is not to focus on any individual, staff or system-related problem, but rather to approach the problems jointly in an effort to reduce or eliminate, to the greatest extent possible, the factors which make it more likely that abuse will occur.
3) An Abuse Awareness Campaign will be a system-wide public education and marketing campaign, which OMRDD will again pilot in the Capital District. Aimed at staff of all levels, the theme of this portion of the project will be the preservation and enhancement of dignity and respect for individuals in our care. To the extent that we are able to positively impact upon the nature of the relationship between individuals and staff and promote a heightened awareness on the part of staff to the importance of maintaining people’s dignity and respect, we will decrease the likelihood that staff will abuse individuals or tolerate abusive behavior from their peers.
“Everyone benefits by enhancing the staff to consumer relationship and promoting the highest level of dignity, respect and value between consumers and staff,” said Commissioner Ritter. “The satisfaction of the staff will increase when they feel better about their relationship with those they support, the individuals in our care will thrive upon the increased positive interactions with staff. Furthermore, administration will become increasingly sensitive to the many factors which they must balance to maintain and enhance quality of care.”
This new strategy will be developed as a prototype within the Capital District Developmental Disabilities Services Office which is located in Niskayuna, N.Y.. A project team has been identified which includes the CD DDSO director and deputy directors and appropriate managers and staff from OMRDD’s Executive Office and Divisions of Workforce and Talent Development and Quality Management.
A local advisory board involving self-advocates, families, the CDDDSO Board of Visitors, and the workforce, among others, will be developed to support this effort.
The risk assessment phase of this project will begin during the summer. Performance measures are being developed to track these measures impact on staff-to-person interactions and relationships as well as incidence levels of reported and substantiated allegations of abuse, neglect and serious reportable incidents.
OMRDD Unveils Aggressive Campaign to Reduce Abuse and Neglect
ALBANY, NY (06/18/2008)(readMedia)
The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) released a multifaceted approach to reducing serious incidents, abuse and neglect in its service system, Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter announced today.
Foremost in this new effort is the creation of the Division of Workforce and Talent Development, which is designed to bring leadership, heightened investment and oversight to the agency, enhancing it’s capacity to develop and sustain the relationship which is critical to success for people who have developmental disabilities. Research shows that the best way to both prevent abuse and promote richer lives is to strengthen and nourish the relationships between individuals with developmental disabilities and those that care for them. To achieve these goals, OMRDD, with more than 90,000 staff in state and voluntary programs, is expanding and refocusing training and supervision.
“OMRDD’s core mission is to help people with developmental disabilities lead richer lives. Obviously, this is severely undermined each time a person with a developmental disability is the victim of abuse or neglect or the focus of a serious, reportable incident,” said Commissioner Ritter. “My leadership team and I have committed to reducing the number of such incidents. We realize the work our committed, hardworking and dedicated staff perform can be highly stressful, so we must work with a broad set of partners to ensure that our direct-care workers are not only well-trained, but also have the proper foundations of support.”
The quality of care for people with developmental disabilities is tied to the positive relationships in that person’s life – especially those with staff who are deeply involved in their daily lives. The vast majority of those who care for the developmentally disabled are good and caring people. However, research has found when an individual is abused by staff, there are several negative effects. In addition to physical or psychological injury to the victim and the penalties to staff whom are responsible, another result which may be even more devastating relates to the destruction of the very essence of that helping relationship. Abuse harms the relationship and thereby harms the hope, both of which are needed in order to thrive. It is with this in mind that OMRDD is accelerating the development and implementation of the following tactical plan:
• Expansion and refocused training and supervision of key, stress-intensive living or program environments. It has been demonstrated that many instances of abuse, neglect or serious reportable incidents are a by-product of situational stress or environmental circumstances that cause some staff to behave in unacceptable ways. To ensure all direct contact staff – especially those working in highly stressful situations – are properly trained and supervised, OMRDD has invested in expanded training for its developmental aides and their supervisors.
• Expansion and refocusing of training for staff of its voluntary provider agencies. This new focus isdesigned to enhance staff skills both in developing the positive, mission-driven skills needed in their work, and also to provide individual and supervisory tools that help them deal with the stress of their day-to-day working environment.
• Engaging in discussions with OMRDD workforce and labor/management groups on ways to reduce stress in the working environment and to better manage the fallout when staff is determined to have acted in an unacceptable manner.
• The creation of the new Division of Workforce and Talent Development. Already this new Division has taken on the following challenges:
Established mandated core training topics for Developmental Assistant supervisors
Refined the Competencies to which Developmental Aides are trained
Created a workgroup to reengineer the Developmental Aide Traineeship
Revised OMRDD’s approach to training staff to intervene during behavioral crises
Received a multi-year grant from the federal government to examine a wide range of direct support workforce issues including training, career paths and improving recruitment and retention of workers; and developing a workforce that serves self-directing individuals.
Established an accessible and cost efficient online training institute.
Assess the impact of current recruitment efforts on staff.
Commissioner Ritter has also created a new Office of Investigations and Internal Affairs to improve its capacity to investigate reports of abuse and neglect, among other incidents.
OMRDD is reaching out to partner with external groups who have expertise in workforce issues, abuse and neglect, and organizational cultures. The University at Albany School of Social Welfare, Center for Intellectual Disabilities and its Dean, Professor Katharine H. Briar-Lawson, have pledged such a partnership.
“This kind of collaboration brings some of the most respected practitioners to the issue, as well as creates a learning partnership for both our staff and the students in this prestigious school of social work,” said Commissioner Ritter. “As I have said many times since becoming Commissioner, OMRDD has a solid history. However, I believe we have been unable to go from ‘good’ to ‘great’ by the insularity of so much of its work. A hallmark of my time as Commissioner will be not just transparency, but broad partnership and collaboration.”
Eventually, these partnerships will grow beyond the initial partnership with the University at Albany, to help establish a corporate culture within the OMRDD funded system where there will be zero tolerance for abuse and neglect. This abuse prevention strategy will be embedded in the agency’s overall quality management strategy, focusing on staff and their interactions with people with disabilities.
This new effort will involve a three- part approach:
1) The Risk Appraisal portion will use well-established national research on institutional abuse to create a Risk Appraisal Profile for each unit. OMRDD will be using CDDDSO as a prototype for this approach. Having developed a profile of the risk factors for each unit, the agency will work in a collaborative manner with employees, unions, management, individuals and self-advocates to develop the second component;
2) A Prescriptive Prevention Strategy for each unit within the facility that is directly reflective of that unit’s risk profile. Actions in this area will include all levels of the organization and may involve such things as staff training, reevaluation of client groupings, staff counseling and support, anticipation of seasonal factors, and raising the awareness of staff to the issues involved in abuse prevention.
The intent in the Prescriptive Package is not to focus on any individual, staff or system-related problem, but rather to approach the problems jointly in an effort to reduce or eliminate, to the greatest extent possible, the factors which make it more likely that abuse will occur.
3) An Abuse Awareness Campaign will be a system-wide public education and marketing campaign, which OMRDD will again pilot in the Capital District. Aimed at staff of all levels, the theme of this portion of the project will be the preservation and enhancement of dignity and respect for individuals in our care. To the extent that we are able to positively impact upon the nature of the relationship between individuals and staff and promote a heightened awareness on the part of staff to the importance of maintaining people’s dignity and respect, we will decrease the likelihood that staff will abuse individuals or tolerate abusive behavior from their peers.
“Everyone benefits by enhancing the staff to consumer relationship and promoting the highest level of dignity, respect and value between consumers and staff,” said Commissioner Ritter. “The satisfaction of the staff will increase when they feel better about their relationship with those they support, the individuals in our care will thrive upon the increased positive interactions with staff. Furthermore, administration will become increasingly sensitive to the many factors which they must balance to maintain and enhance quality of care.”
This new strategy will be developed as a prototype within the Capital District Developmental Disabilities Services Office which is located in Niskayuna, N.Y.. A project team has been identified which includes the CD DDSO director and deputy directors and appropriate managers and staff from OMRDD’s Executive Office and Divisions of Workforce and Talent Development and Quality Management.
A local advisory board involving self-advocates, families, the CDDDSO Board of Visitors, and the workforce, among others, will be developed to support this effort.
The risk assessment phase of this project will begin during the summer. Performance measures are being developed to track these measures impact on staff-to-person interactions and relationships as well as incidence levels of reported and substantiated allegations of abuse, neglect and serious reportable incidents.
In NY state they are taking some serious measures to erradicate
OMRDD Unveils Aggressive Campaign to Reduce Abuse and Neglect
ALBANY, NY (06/18/2008)(readMedia)
The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) released a multifaceted approach to reducing serious incidents, abuse and neglect in its service system, Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter announced today.
Foremost in this new effort is the creation of the Division of Workforce and Talent Development, which is designed to bring leadership, heightened investment and oversight to the agency, enhancing it’s capacity to develop and sustain the relationship which is critical to success for people who have developmental disabilities. Research shows that the best way to both prevent abuse and promote richer lives is to strengthen and nourish the relationships between individuals with developmental disabilities and those that care for them. To achieve these goals, OMRDD, with more than 90,000 staff in state and voluntary programs, is expanding and refocusing training and supervision.
“OMRDD’s core mission is to help people with developmental disabilities lead richer lives. Obviously, this is severely undermined each time a person with a developmental disability is the victim of abuse or neglect or the focus of a serious, reportable incident,” said Commissioner Ritter. “My leadership team and I have committed to reducing the number of such incidents. We realize the work our committed, hardworking and dedicated staff perform can be highly stressful, so we must work with a broad set of partners to ensure that our direct-care workers are not only well-trained, but also have the proper foundations of support.”
The quality of care for people with developmental disabilities is tied to the positive relationships in that person’s life – especially those with staff who are deeply involved in their daily lives. The vast majority of those who care for the developmentally disabled are good and caring people. However, research has found when an individual is abused by staff, there are several negative effects. In addition to physical or psychological injury to the victim and the penalties to staff whom are responsible, another result which may be even more devastating relates to the destruction of the very essence of that helping relationship. Abuse harms the relationship and thereby harms the hope, both of which are needed in order to thrive. It is with this in mind that OMRDD is accelerating the development and implementation of the following tactical plan:
• Expansion and refocused training and supervision of key, stress-intensive living or program environments. It has been demonstrated that many instances of abuse, neglect or serious reportable incidents are a by-product of situational stress or environmental circumstances that cause some staff to behave in unacceptable ways. To ensure all direct contact staff – especially those working in highly stressful situations – are properly trained and supervised, OMRDD has invested in expanded training for its developmental aides and their supervisors.
• Expansion and refocusing of training for staff of its voluntary provider agencies. This new focus isdesigned to enhance staff skills both in developing the positive, mission-driven skills needed in their work, and also to provide individual and supervisory tools that help them deal with the stress of their day-to-day working environment.
• Engaging in discussions with OMRDD workforce and labor/management groups on ways to reduce stress in the working environment and to better manage the fallout when staff is determined to have acted in an unacceptable manner.
• The creation of the new Division of Workforce and Talent Development. Already this new Division has taken on the following challenges:
Established mandated core training topics for Developmental Assistant supervisors
Refined the Competencies to which Developmental Aides are trained
Created a workgroup to reengineer the Developmental Aide Traineeship
Revised OMRDD’s approach to training staff to intervene during behavioral crises
Received a multi-year grant from the federal government to examine a wide range of direct support workforce issues including training, career paths and improving recruitment and retention of workers; and developing a workforce that serves self-directing individuals.
Established an accessible and cost efficient online training institute.
Assess the impact of current recruitment efforts on staff.
Commissioner Ritter has also created a new Office of Investigations and Internal Affairs to improve its capacity to investigate reports of abuse and neglect, among other incidents.
OMRDD is reaching out to partner with external groups who have expertise in workforce issues, abuse and neglect, and organizational cultures. The University at Albany School of Social Welfare, Center for Intellectual Disabilities and its Dean, Professor Katharine H. Briar-Lawson, have pledged such a partnership.
“This kind of collaboration brings some of the most respected practitioners to the issue, as well as creates a learning partnership for both our staff and the students in this prestigious school of social work,” said Commissioner Ritter. “As I have said many times since becoming Commissioner, OMRDD has a solid history. However, I believe we have been unable to go from ‘good’ to ‘great’ by the insularity of so much of its work. A hallmark of my time as Commissioner will be not just transparency, but broad partnership and collaboration.”
Eventually, these partnerships will grow beyond the initial partnership with the University at Albany, to help establish a corporate culture within the OMRDD funded system where there will be zero tolerance for abuse and neglect. This abuse prevention strategy will be embedded in the agency’s overall quality management strategy, focusing on staff and their interactions with people with disabilities.
This new effort will involve a three- part approach:
1) The Risk Appraisal portion will use well-established national research on institutional abuse to create a Risk Appraisal Profile for each unit. OMRDD will be using CDDDSO as a prototype for this approach. Having developed a profile of the risk factors for each unit, the agency will work in a collaborative manner with employees, unions, management, individuals and self-advocates to develop the second component;
2) A Prescriptive Prevention Strategy for each unit within the facility that is directly reflective of that unit’s risk profile. Actions in this area will include all levels of the organization and may involve such things as staff training, reevaluation of client groupings, staff counseling and support, anticipation of seasonal factors, and raising the awareness of staff to the issues involved in abuse prevention.
The intent in the Prescriptive Package is not to focus on any individual, staff or system-related problem, but rather to approach the problems jointly in an effort to reduce or eliminate, to the greatest extent possible, the factors which make it more likely that abuse will occur.
3) An Abuse Awareness Campaign will be a system-wide public education and marketing campaign, which OMRDD will again pilot in the Capital District. Aimed at staff of all levels, the theme of this portion of the project will be the preservation and enhancement of dignity and respect for individuals in our care. To the extent that we are able to positively impact upon the nature of the relationship between individuals and staff and promote a heightened awareness on the part of staff to the importance of maintaining people’s dignity and respect, we will decrease the likelihood that staff will abuse individuals or tolerate abusive behavior from their peers.
“Everyone benefits by enhancing the staff to consumer relationship and promoting the highest level of dignity, respect and value between consumers and staff,” said Commissioner Ritter. “The satisfaction of the staff will increase when they feel better about their relationship with those they support, the individuals in our care will thrive upon the increased positive interactions with staff. Furthermore, administration will become increasingly sensitive to the many factors which they must balance to maintain and enhance quality of care.”
This new strategy will be developed as a prototype within the Capital District Developmental Disabilities Services Office which is located in Niskayuna, N.Y.. A project team has been identified which includes the CD DDSO director and deputy directors and appropriate managers and staff from OMRDD’s Executive Office and Divisions of Workforce and Talent Development and Quality Management.
A local advisory board involving self-advocates, families, the CDDDSO Board of Visitors, and the workforce, among others, will be developed to support this effort. The risk assessment phase of this project will begin during the summer. Performance measures are being developed to track these measures impact on staff-to-person interactions and relationships as well as incidence levels of reported and substantiated allegations of abuse, neglect and serious reportable incidents.
OMRDD Unveils Aggressive Campaign to Reduce Abuse and Neglect
ALBANY, NY (06/18/2008)(readMedia)
The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) released a multifaceted approach to reducing serious incidents, abuse and neglect in its service system, Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter announced today.
Foremost in this new effort is the creation of the Division of Workforce and Talent Development, which is designed to bring leadership, heightened investment and oversight to the agency, enhancing it’s capacity to develop and sustain the relationship which is critical to success for people who have developmental disabilities. Research shows that the best way to both prevent abuse and promote richer lives is to strengthen and nourish the relationships between individuals with developmental disabilities and those that care for them. To achieve these goals, OMRDD, with more than 90,000 staff in state and voluntary programs, is expanding and refocusing training and supervision.
“OMRDD’s core mission is to help people with developmental disabilities lead richer lives. Obviously, this is severely undermined each time a person with a developmental disability is the victim of abuse or neglect or the focus of a serious, reportable incident,” said Commissioner Ritter. “My leadership team and I have committed to reducing the number of such incidents. We realize the work our committed, hardworking and dedicated staff perform can be highly stressful, so we must work with a broad set of partners to ensure that our direct-care workers are not only well-trained, but also have the proper foundations of support.”
The quality of care for people with developmental disabilities is tied to the positive relationships in that person’s life – especially those with staff who are deeply involved in their daily lives. The vast majority of those who care for the developmentally disabled are good and caring people. However, research has found when an individual is abused by staff, there are several negative effects. In addition to physical or psychological injury to the victim and the penalties to staff whom are responsible, another result which may be even more devastating relates to the destruction of the very essence of that helping relationship. Abuse harms the relationship and thereby harms the hope, both of which are needed in order to thrive. It is with this in mind that OMRDD is accelerating the development and implementation of the following tactical plan:
• Expansion and refocused training and supervision of key, stress-intensive living or program environments. It has been demonstrated that many instances of abuse, neglect or serious reportable incidents are a by-product of situational stress or environmental circumstances that cause some staff to behave in unacceptable ways. To ensure all direct contact staff – especially those working in highly stressful situations – are properly trained and supervised, OMRDD has invested in expanded training for its developmental aides and their supervisors.
• Expansion and refocusing of training for staff of its voluntary provider agencies. This new focus isdesigned to enhance staff skills both in developing the positive, mission-driven skills needed in their work, and also to provide individual and supervisory tools that help them deal with the stress of their day-to-day working environment.
• Engaging in discussions with OMRDD workforce and labor/management groups on ways to reduce stress in the working environment and to better manage the fallout when staff is determined to have acted in an unacceptable manner.
• The creation of the new Division of Workforce and Talent Development. Already this new Division has taken on the following challenges:
Established mandated core training topics for Developmental Assistant supervisors
Refined the Competencies to which Developmental Aides are trained
Created a workgroup to reengineer the Developmental Aide Traineeship
Revised OMRDD’s approach to training staff to intervene during behavioral crises
Received a multi-year grant from the federal government to examine a wide range of direct support workforce issues including training, career paths and improving recruitment and retention of workers; and developing a workforce that serves self-directing individuals.
Established an accessible and cost efficient online training institute.
Assess the impact of current recruitment efforts on staff.
Commissioner Ritter has also created a new Office of Investigations and Internal Affairs to improve its capacity to investigate reports of abuse and neglect, among other incidents.
OMRDD is reaching out to partner with external groups who have expertise in workforce issues, abuse and neglect, and organizational cultures. The University at Albany School of Social Welfare, Center for Intellectual Disabilities and its Dean, Professor Katharine H. Briar-Lawson, have pledged such a partnership.
“This kind of collaboration brings some of the most respected practitioners to the issue, as well as creates a learning partnership for both our staff and the students in this prestigious school of social work,” said Commissioner Ritter. “As I have said many times since becoming Commissioner, OMRDD has a solid history. However, I believe we have been unable to go from ‘good’ to ‘great’ by the insularity of so much of its work. A hallmark of my time as Commissioner will be not just transparency, but broad partnership and collaboration.”
Eventually, these partnerships will grow beyond the initial partnership with the University at Albany, to help establish a corporate culture within the OMRDD funded system where there will be zero tolerance for abuse and neglect. This abuse prevention strategy will be embedded in the agency’s overall quality management strategy, focusing on staff and their interactions with people with disabilities.
This new effort will involve a three- part approach:
1) The Risk Appraisal portion will use well-established national research on institutional abuse to create a Risk Appraisal Profile for each unit. OMRDD will be using CDDDSO as a prototype for this approach. Having developed a profile of the risk factors for each unit, the agency will work in a collaborative manner with employees, unions, management, individuals and self-advocates to develop the second component;
2) A Prescriptive Prevention Strategy for each unit within the facility that is directly reflective of that unit’s risk profile. Actions in this area will include all levels of the organization and may involve such things as staff training, reevaluation of client groupings, staff counseling and support, anticipation of seasonal factors, and raising the awareness of staff to the issues involved in abuse prevention.
The intent in the Prescriptive Package is not to focus on any individual, staff or system-related problem, but rather to approach the problems jointly in an effort to reduce or eliminate, to the greatest extent possible, the factors which make it more likely that abuse will occur.
3) An Abuse Awareness Campaign will be a system-wide public education and marketing campaign, which OMRDD will again pilot in the Capital District. Aimed at staff of all levels, the theme of this portion of the project will be the preservation and enhancement of dignity and respect for individuals in our care. To the extent that we are able to positively impact upon the nature of the relationship between individuals and staff and promote a heightened awareness on the part of staff to the importance of maintaining people’s dignity and respect, we will decrease the likelihood that staff will abuse individuals or tolerate abusive behavior from their peers.
“Everyone benefits by enhancing the staff to consumer relationship and promoting the highest level of dignity, respect and value between consumers and staff,” said Commissioner Ritter. “The satisfaction of the staff will increase when they feel better about their relationship with those they support, the individuals in our care will thrive upon the increased positive interactions with staff. Furthermore, administration will become increasingly sensitive to the many factors which they must balance to maintain and enhance quality of care.”
This new strategy will be developed as a prototype within the Capital District Developmental Disabilities Services Office which is located in Niskayuna, N.Y.. A project team has been identified which includes the CD DDSO director and deputy directors and appropriate managers and staff from OMRDD’s Executive Office and Divisions of Workforce and Talent Development and Quality Management.
A local advisory board involving self-advocates, families, the CDDDSO Board of Visitors, and the workforce, among others, will be developed to support this effort. The risk assessment phase of this project will begin during the summer. Performance measures are being developed to track these measures impact on staff-to-person interactions and relationships as well as incidence levels of reported and substantiated allegations of abuse, neglect and serious reportable incidents.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Some Good Legislation
In Florida they seem to be a step ahead of us here in Oregon, when it comes to laws that are progressive. The two bills signed into law on Friday will improve the lives of people with physical and developmental disabilities.
GOVERNOR CRIST SIGNS BILLS TO ASSIST PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
6/13/08
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE
(850) 488-5394
ORLANDO – Governor Charlie Crist signed two bills into law today that benefit people with disabilities. Senate Bill 856 promotes education of disability history and awareness, and House Bill 739 improves access to Guardian Advocates for people with disabilities. The Governor signed the bills surrounded by individuals with disabilities, their families, and advocates at the 10th Annual Family Café Conference in Orlando.
The Family Café focuses on providing information and resources to people with disabilities. Also joining the Governor were the disability history and Guardian Advocate bill sponsors Senators Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey) and Victor Crist (R-Tampa) and Representatives Curtis Richardson (D-Tallahassee) and Kevin Ambler (R-Tampa). Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp and James DeBeaugrine, interim director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, also attended the event.
“Teaching disability history and awareness in our schools will help young people learn that people with disabilities are just like anyone else – with the same wants, desires, and abilities to achieve great things,” said Governor Crist. “Additionally, the Guardian Advocate law will help protect the most vulnerable by reducing legal costs to gain a guardian advocate.”
The Disability History and Awareness bill designates the first two weeks of October as a time when public schools will provide instruction on disability issues. Each school will cover disability history, famous people with disabilities, and the disability rights movement. The long-term benefits are as follows:
Better treatment for people with disabilities in society.
Increased attention to preventing bullying of students with disabilities.
Increased hiring, retaining, and promoting of people with disabilities as employees once students become adults.
Greater self-esteem and pride among persons with disabilities, resulting in increased entrance into college, the workforce and community involvement.
Greater inclusiveness in society for all individuals with disabilities.
The second bill signed helps protect the rights of people with developmental disabilities by improving access to a Guardian Advocate. Guardian Advocates are designated by a court to make decisions on behalf of an individual with a disability. Some benefits are as follows:
Clarifies what type of decision-making assistance the Guardian Advocate will provide.
Requires an attorney to be appointed at state expense.
Enhances efficiencies in the system, reducing costs and making it easier for more families to become Guardian Advocates.
Requires disclosure of conflict on interests, preventing egregious conflicts and protecting the vulnerable.
Addresses the process of restoration of rights, which was unclear in previous legislation.
GOVERNOR CRIST SIGNS BILLS TO ASSIST PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
6/13/08
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE
(850) 488-5394
ORLANDO – Governor Charlie Crist signed two bills into law today that benefit people with disabilities. Senate Bill 856 promotes education of disability history and awareness, and House Bill 739 improves access to Guardian Advocates for people with disabilities. The Governor signed the bills surrounded by individuals with disabilities, their families, and advocates at the 10th Annual Family Café Conference in Orlando.
The Family Café focuses on providing information and resources to people with disabilities. Also joining the Governor were the disability history and Guardian Advocate bill sponsors Senators Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey) and Victor Crist (R-Tampa) and Representatives Curtis Richardson (D-Tallahassee) and Kevin Ambler (R-Tampa). Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp and James DeBeaugrine, interim director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, also attended the event.
“Teaching disability history and awareness in our schools will help young people learn that people with disabilities are just like anyone else – with the same wants, desires, and abilities to achieve great things,” said Governor Crist. “Additionally, the Guardian Advocate law will help protect the most vulnerable by reducing legal costs to gain a guardian advocate.”
The Disability History and Awareness bill designates the first two weeks of October as a time when public schools will provide instruction on disability issues. Each school will cover disability history, famous people with disabilities, and the disability rights movement. The long-term benefits are as follows:
Better treatment for people with disabilities in society.
Increased attention to preventing bullying of students with disabilities.
Increased hiring, retaining, and promoting of people with disabilities as employees once students become adults.
Greater self-esteem and pride among persons with disabilities, resulting in increased entrance into college, the workforce and community involvement.
Greater inclusiveness in society for all individuals with disabilities.
The second bill signed helps protect the rights of people with developmental disabilities by improving access to a Guardian Advocate. Guardian Advocates are designated by a court to make decisions on behalf of an individual with a disability. Some benefits are as follows:
Clarifies what type of decision-making assistance the Guardian Advocate will provide.
Requires an attorney to be appointed at state expense.
Enhances efficiencies in the system, reducing costs and making it easier for more families to become Guardian Advocates.
Requires disclosure of conflict on interests, preventing egregious conflicts and protecting the vulnerable.
Addresses the process of restoration of rights, which was unclear in previous legislation.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Scary Stuff
Here’s another report I found on the Bend Weekly News Source. It deals with the fact that people with serious mental illness die significantly younger than those without.
Report: One-third of mentally ill Oregonians die before 50
Oregonians with serious mental illness are dying years earlier than their neighbors in the general population, and a grassroots health movement is under way to reverse this trend.
The Oregon Department of Human Services Addictions and Mental Health Division (AMH) has teamed with consumers of mental health services and their families, health care professionals and others to implement a statewide wellness initiative aimed at improving mental and physical health and longevity.
Death comes before age 50 for one third of those treated for mental health problems, according to results of a seven-year AMH mortality study. A staggering 89 percent of people treated for both mental illness and substance abuse die before age 50. The average lifespan of someone who is dually diagnosed is 45.1 years, which equates to an average 34.5 years of potential life lost.
The recent study, titled “Measuring Premature Mortality among Oregonians,” compared the death records of persons who received public substance abuse and/or mental health treatment with the general population.
The early death toll among this segment of Oregonians falls in line with similar results from national and state studies. More importantly, it brings into focus what many individuals with mental illness already knew; by taking charge of their health, habits and lifestyle they can add years – and quality – to their lives, said Bob Nikkel, DHS assistant director for addictions and mental health.
“National research and this study make it clear that persons being treated for substance abuse and mental health problems have many risks that may bring on early death,” said Nikkel. “Our most critical imperative is to help individuals with mental illness live better and longer lives.
“Mental health and substance abuse is an important quality of life issue for Oregonians,” he continued. “Dying prematurely not only destroys human potential, but it has an economic impact as well.”
The AMH study showed substance abuse and mental health clients have higher risks of death associated with suicide, homicide and unintended injuries. In addition, they are economically disadvantaged and vulnerable to many diseases that cause death. For example, antipsychotic medications used to treat someone with mental illness are known to elevate the chance of dying from cardiac arrest; others may lead to diabetes.
The mortality study is available on the DHS Web site at: www.oregon.gov/DHS/addiction/publications/msur_pre_mort_6_2008.pdf
Nikkel said a DHS/AMH wellness committee is working to improve the health and longevity of people with mental illness by drawing on scientific research, literature and successful practices by user groups. Here are some of the committee’s guiding principles:
• We must treat and support the whole person;
• Care coordination and wellness screening are essential;
• Access to a range of health care options and basic health care must be afforded to all Oregonians;
• Early intervention and prevention across the lifespan saves lives, makes a difference in years of productive life lost, and improves quality of life;
• Medication management and empowerment equips individuals with the tools and strength to ask questions and work with treatment providers to find healthier and effective ways to support recovery and wellness; and
• Disparities in health care coverage and access to service must be overcome, along with finding culturally appropriate treatment programs.
Committee members are seeking funding for grassroots-level programs that encourage education and lifestyle changes and for peer-to-peer support services.
For more information visit the DHS wellness Web site at: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/mentalhealth/index.shtml
Report: One-third of mentally ill Oregonians die before 50
Oregonians with serious mental illness are dying years earlier than their neighbors in the general population, and a grassroots health movement is under way to reverse this trend.
The Oregon Department of Human Services Addictions and Mental Health Division (AMH) has teamed with consumers of mental health services and their families, health care professionals and others to implement a statewide wellness initiative aimed at improving mental and physical health and longevity.
Death comes before age 50 for one third of those treated for mental health problems, according to results of a seven-year AMH mortality study. A staggering 89 percent of people treated for both mental illness and substance abuse die before age 50. The average lifespan of someone who is dually diagnosed is 45.1 years, which equates to an average 34.5 years of potential life lost.
The recent study, titled “Measuring Premature Mortality among Oregonians,” compared the death records of persons who received public substance abuse and/or mental health treatment with the general population.
The early death toll among this segment of Oregonians falls in line with similar results from national and state studies. More importantly, it brings into focus what many individuals with mental illness already knew; by taking charge of their health, habits and lifestyle they can add years – and quality – to their lives, said Bob Nikkel, DHS assistant director for addictions and mental health.
“National research and this study make it clear that persons being treated for substance abuse and mental health problems have many risks that may bring on early death,” said Nikkel. “Our most critical imperative is to help individuals with mental illness live better and longer lives.
“Mental health and substance abuse is an important quality of life issue for Oregonians,” he continued. “Dying prematurely not only destroys human potential, but it has an economic impact as well.”
The AMH study showed substance abuse and mental health clients have higher risks of death associated with suicide, homicide and unintended injuries. In addition, they are economically disadvantaged and vulnerable to many diseases that cause death. For example, antipsychotic medications used to treat someone with mental illness are known to elevate the chance of dying from cardiac arrest; others may lead to diabetes.
The mortality study is available on the DHS Web site at: www.oregon.gov/DHS/addiction/publications/msur_pre_mort_6_2008.pdf
Nikkel said a DHS/AMH wellness committee is working to improve the health and longevity of people with mental illness by drawing on scientific research, literature and successful practices by user groups. Here are some of the committee’s guiding principles:
• We must treat and support the whole person;
• Care coordination and wellness screening are essential;
• Access to a range of health care options and basic health care must be afforded to all Oregonians;
• Early intervention and prevention across the lifespan saves lives, makes a difference in years of productive life lost, and improves quality of life;
• Medication management and empowerment equips individuals with the tools and strength to ask questions and work with treatment providers to find healthier and effective ways to support recovery and wellness; and
• Disparities in health care coverage and access to service must be overcome, along with finding culturally appropriate treatment programs.
Committee members are seeking funding for grassroots-level programs that encourage education and lifestyle changes and for peer-to-peer support services.
For more information visit the DHS wellness Web site at: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/mentalhealth/index.shtml
Minorities Struggling in Oregon
I came across this interesting study in the Portland Observer. It shows that although we’ve made some progress in regard to minority groups, we have a long way to go in Oregon. The entire study can be found at the Oregon Progress Board's web site, benchmarks.oregon.gov.
Study looked at healthcare, other factors
Asian Americans living in Oregon have made good progress in education, health and safety and financial status over the past 15 years, according to a new study from the Oregon Progress Board.
But the news is not as positive for the state's growing population of Hispanics, as well as for the small number of African-Americans and American Indians who live in Oregon.
Each group was evaluated based on a host of indicators, including high school and college completion rates, middle school reading and math scores and high school dropout levels.
The study also considered whether minority groups' access to health and prenatal care had improved since 1992, whether crime and poverty rates had fallen and whether home ownership was on the rise.
Nearly all those targets showed improvement for Asians, save for prenatal care rates, which have leveled off since 2000, and poverty levels, which have been flat since 2000.
By contrast, Hispanics continue to lag behind the rest of Oregon in all key educational measures, and nearly one-third lack health insurance, about double that of the overall state rate. Their bright spot was in crime, where researchers found that the arrest rate among Hispanics had dropped substantially since 1990, to near the overall statewide rate.
The picture was more mixed for African-Americans, who made progress in high school completion and prenatal care, though lag behind many other populations in areas including home ownership and middle school test scores.
College completion rates among adults of color have remained level or declined over the past 15 years. Crime has declined for all racial groups.
Fr American Indians, the overall rating was negative, with poverty rates that are roughly double the statewide levels and declining home ownership levels.
The Oregon Progress Board also reported that the state has become more racially and ethnically diverse over the past 15 years.
The board is a state agency that monitors how closely state goals are reflected in the lives of Oregonians.
"The Race and Ethnicity Report underscores the importance of helping all Oregonians, regardless of ethnic or racial background, achieve the benefits of living and working in Oregon," said Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
"We need to intensify our efforts to enable people of color take advantage of the Oregon Opportunity Grant program, which helps students handle the cost of a college education. We need to expand the Oregon Health Plan to ensure that every child in Oregon receives health care. If we enable minority citizens get a good education and ensure that their children are healthy and ready to learn, we'll empower all minority citizens to achieve financial parity with white citizens," Kulongoski said.
The report appears on the Oregon Progress Board's web site, benchmarks.oregon.gov.
Study looked at healthcare, other factors
Asian Americans living in Oregon have made good progress in education, health and safety and financial status over the past 15 years, according to a new study from the Oregon Progress Board.
But the news is not as positive for the state's growing population of Hispanics, as well as for the small number of African-Americans and American Indians who live in Oregon.
Each group was evaluated based on a host of indicators, including high school and college completion rates, middle school reading and math scores and high school dropout levels.
The study also considered whether minority groups' access to health and prenatal care had improved since 1992, whether crime and poverty rates had fallen and whether home ownership was on the rise.
Nearly all those targets showed improvement for Asians, save for prenatal care rates, which have leveled off since 2000, and poverty levels, which have been flat since 2000.
By contrast, Hispanics continue to lag behind the rest of Oregon in all key educational measures, and nearly one-third lack health insurance, about double that of the overall state rate. Their bright spot was in crime, where researchers found that the arrest rate among Hispanics had dropped substantially since 1990, to near the overall statewide rate.
The picture was more mixed for African-Americans, who made progress in high school completion and prenatal care, though lag behind many other populations in areas including home ownership and middle school test scores.
College completion rates among adults of color have remained level or declined over the past 15 years. Crime has declined for all racial groups.
Fr American Indians, the overall rating was negative, with poverty rates that are roughly double the statewide levels and declining home ownership levels.
The Oregon Progress Board also reported that the state has become more racially and ethnically diverse over the past 15 years.
The board is a state agency that monitors how closely state goals are reflected in the lives of Oregonians.
"The Race and Ethnicity Report underscores the importance of helping all Oregonians, regardless of ethnic or racial background, achieve the benefits of living and working in Oregon," said Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
"We need to intensify our efforts to enable people of color take advantage of the Oregon Opportunity Grant program, which helps students handle the cost of a college education. We need to expand the Oregon Health Plan to ensure that every child in Oregon receives health care. If we enable minority citizens get a good education and ensure that their children are healthy and ready to learn, we'll empower all minority citizens to achieve financial parity with white citizens," Kulongoski said.
The report appears on the Oregon Progress Board's web site, benchmarks.oregon.gov.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Break's Over
I took a few weeks from blogging to work on some other stuff, but I'm back. I found this story on KATU.com...
By Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A 59-year-old former caregiver has gone on trial, accused of raping a mentally handicapped 70-year-old in her apartment at an assisted-care facility in Sublimity.
John Alvin Taylor is charged with rape and sodomy because the woman is unable to consent legally to sex, although his defense disputes that point.
The woman suffered a brain injury in a car wreck in her early 20s that killed her husband, prosecutor Matt Kemmy said.
In September 2005, a female caregiver preparing to shower the woman found a condom wrapper floating in the apartment's toilet, Kemmy said Tuesday in an opening statement.
The woman told investigators that Taylor had oral, vaginal and anal sex with her, Kemmy said.
The sex confused her, Kemmy said. "She couldn't have babies after the accident. She wasn't sure why he was doing this."
Defense attorney John Halpern said he will challenge the assertion that the woman is incapable of consenting to sex.
"There are some myths surrounding her," Halpern said. "We want to put them to the test."
As testimony began, medication aide Nicole Walczak said Taylor disappeared for a time during their shift the night of Sept. 29, 2005. When he turned up, he told her he had been taking a nap, she said.
He was fired after the shift and arrested in 2007.
By Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A 59-year-old former caregiver has gone on trial, accused of raping a mentally handicapped 70-year-old in her apartment at an assisted-care facility in Sublimity.
John Alvin Taylor is charged with rape and sodomy because the woman is unable to consent legally to sex, although his defense disputes that point.
The woman suffered a brain injury in a car wreck in her early 20s that killed her husband, prosecutor Matt Kemmy said.
In September 2005, a female caregiver preparing to shower the woman found a condom wrapper floating in the apartment's toilet, Kemmy said Tuesday in an opening statement.
The woman told investigators that Taylor had oral, vaginal and anal sex with her, Kemmy said.
The sex confused her, Kemmy said. "She couldn't have babies after the accident. She wasn't sure why he was doing this."
Defense attorney John Halpern said he will challenge the assertion that the woman is incapable of consenting to sex.
"There are some myths surrounding her," Halpern said. "We want to put them to the test."
As testimony began, medication aide Nicole Walczak said Taylor disappeared for a time during their shift the night of Sept. 29, 2005. When he turned up, he told her he had been taking a nap, she said.
He was fired after the shift and arrested in 2007.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Honest Conversation
I've been involved with a group of concerned citizens seeking to come up with strategies to stem the crisis of violence, neglect, abuse, and exploitation of developmentally disabled adults in Oregon. Our group is comprised of folks very close to the situation as well as folks who just want to see something done. I'm grateful to be a part of this work, and genuinely appreciate the work of my colleagues.
It's truly been an eye opening experience. We're actually talking about issues that for far too long have not been talked about nearly as thoroughly as they should. For me it's energizing to discuss in a group some of the very edgy points that my wife and I speak of privately daily.
This class of idividuals have been devalued throughout THE WORLD since the beginning of humanity. Sure, you here about the Shamans in a few cultures where developmentally disabled people hold a high position, but I can assure you that in a vast majority of cultures it's the opposite. In the US and Oregon, that has been the case.
Some of the coolest people I've known in my life have had developental disabilities. That's not to say some of the most uncool people I've known haven't also come from that demographic. I guess that's because people are people no matter what label has been placed on them. And the people who work for them can be equally very cool or uncool. I don't think it wise to say caregivers are all saints any more than they are all evil.
I'm just loving the honest conversation. I believe our group is on it's way to doing something that should have been done long ago. I'm proud to be a part of reforming a system badly in need of reformation. I hope the others are also proud.
It's truly been an eye opening experience. We're actually talking about issues that for far too long have not been talked about nearly as thoroughly as they should. For me it's energizing to discuss in a group some of the very edgy points that my wife and I speak of privately daily.
This class of idividuals have been devalued throughout THE WORLD since the beginning of humanity. Sure, you here about the Shamans in a few cultures where developmentally disabled people hold a high position, but I can assure you that in a vast majority of cultures it's the opposite. In the US and Oregon, that has been the case.
Some of the coolest people I've known in my life have had developental disabilities. That's not to say some of the most uncool people I've known haven't also come from that demographic. I guess that's because people are people no matter what label has been placed on them. And the people who work for them can be equally very cool or uncool. I don't think it wise to say caregivers are all saints any more than they are all evil.
I'm just loving the honest conversation. I believe our group is on it's way to doing something that should have been done long ago. I'm proud to be a part of reforming a system badly in need of reformation. I hope the others are also proud.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
