Mother questions daughter's death in state school

From the Associated Press/News West 9 in San Antonio, Texas (May 28):

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The mother of a teenager who died in the care of Texas' troubled state school system for the mentally disabled is questioning the suicide ruling and says she's getting few answers.

An autopsy report says 15-year-old Sarai Melendez hanged herself May 10 with shoelaces at San Angelo State School, the San Antonio Express-News reported today.

Evelyn Melendez, the girl's mother, said she wonders why her daughter had shoelaces when authorities said she was on 15-minute watch. The mother also said her daughter had bruises on her forehead, cheeks and legs.

The mother said the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, known as DADS, sent her numerous letters alleging abuse and neglect of her daughter. A federal investigation found widespread abuse and neglect in state schools.

Most of the allegations either weren't confirmed or were inconclusive, but one report of neglect was confirmed involving a female staff member who officials said had sent "several inappropriate messages" to Sarai Melendez's cell phone.

A DADS spokeswoman said she couldn't comment on any details of the Melendez case.

Austin, Texas: advocates disrupt state meeting to protest conditions at state schools

A report by the Dallas News about yesterday's protest is here. An Associated Press report from December 2, 2008, about the findings from the investigation is here.

The following excerpt about yesterday's protest comes from this report in the Houston Chronicle:

AUSTIN — Angered by reports of deaths and abuse of residents in Texas institutions for the mentally disabled, more than a dozen activists disrupted a meeting Wednesday of the state agency that oversees the facilities to demand changes.

Chanting "Fifty-three murders on your watch!" and "People are dying, shame on you!" the group waved signs and shouted over attempts to restore order at the advisory council meeting of the Department of Aging and Disability Services.

Agency security was called to the room and the protest peacefully ended up after about 10 minutes.

A federal Department of Justice report released last week found at least 53 patients in Texas' large residential facilities died in 2007 from preventable conditions that were often the result of lapses in care.

It concluded that the Texas facilities violate residents' rights and called the number of injuries to patients "disturbingly high."

"We wanted to call attention to the horrific civil rights abuses at our state institutions," said Jeff Garrison-Tate, president of the Community Now! group that organized the protest.

"There are 53 people who died from preventable causes. We call that murder. People with family members with disabilities are tired of it," he said.

Lawsuit claims that a 9-year-old boy with cerebral palsy starved to death while in the custody of a state foster care home

Detroit, Michigan - The Detroit News reports that a lawsuit has been filed against the Monroe Foster Home in connection with the death of a nine-year-old boy with quadriplegia who had been entrusted with his care when his mother could no longer afford to care for him. According to the report:

Johnny Dragomir was found dead on March 9, 2007, beside his bed in the Monroe Foster Home, 20600 Orangelawn, according to the lawsuit. An autopsy found no food or liquid in the boy's stomach and the Wayne County Medical Examiner's report listed malnutrition as the cause of his death.

The boy had withered from 5 feet tall and 80 pounds to 40 pounds while in the foster home, according to Arnold Reed, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit against operators of the home and numerous others, including a registered nurse, dietician and the company contracted by Wayne County to oversee foster placements. Reed said state officials also will be sued next week in a companion complaint in federal district court.

According to Reed, those entrusted with planning and overseeing the care of Johnny Dragomir failed to make certain he was fed. Indeed, documents show that between Jan. 29, 2006, and March 9, 2007, the boy's feeding chart had 500 blank entries, indicating his caregivers were aware he wasn't eating, Reed says. Other documents cited in the lawsuit indicate concerns about the youth's plummeting weight, but Reed claims no one acted on those concerns.

Patient dies after waiting 22 hours for assistance at a NC hospital

The Associated Press reported yesterday that a psychiatric patient died after workers at a North Carolina hospital left him for 22 hours without food or bathroom assistance. According to an investigator's report released on Monday, Steven Sabock, 50, died in April after sitting in a wheelchair, unattended, for four work shifts. The report also found that Mr Sabock had nothing to eat on the day he died, and had little food in the three days before his death. It also said that workers were supposed to be closely monitoring Mr Sabock's condition, and may have forged documents that said they had. A hospital surveillance video shows Mr Sabock, at one point, choking on his medication while a nurse stood by without helping him. The video also shows hospital staff watching television and playing cards only a few feet away. The state has until August 23 to file a report with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services detailing what changes officials are making, it is reported - if the report is rejected, federal funding to the facility will be cut off.

For other reports in the media, see here and here ...