NC Depart.of Hlth Service Regulations & what they have to say about my complaints on a Family Care Home:nothing useful to those w/ mental health probl
It certainly seems to be true what mental health providers and Endorsed Provider companies have 'understood' in terms of not tangling with the Family Care Homes. You do what we say and we'll let you work with our warehoused residents. Just so we know who's in charge here.
There are tens of thousands of disabled people being warehoused in these Family Care Homes across NC. The county Department of Social Services, Adult Protective Services, is whom is supposed to be 'spotting the problems' but gee, I'd like to know how are you going to do that by even a 'surprise visit' when they know who you are? Gosh, I think I'll act like the jerk I was to that psychologist when I told her she couldn't speak to our (warehoused) resident. Or maybe I'll call the sheriff on the DSS lady.
Most of the residents of Family Care Homes need to all get Section 8 housing. Or most of these residents, anyway. IN a humane world, that is what would happen. HEY! Maybe that will happen as Governor Perdue has indicated she is going to cut the Special Assistance which is the other stream of funding keeping people in these Family Care Homes.
NAH: their lobby will see that this doesn't happen. Nothing like a good bunch of complaints to drag out the lobbyists. See here: its in the news how swell they're doing:
*************************
N.C. Adult Care Homes Receive High Ratings From State Inspectors
Fri Feb 20, 2009 8:30am EST
Introducing Friends of Adult Care HomesFriends of Adult Care Homes is a new advocacy organization established by theN.C. Association of Long Term Care Facilities to raise awareness of issuesthat affect adult care in North Carolina and promote needed reforms. It is acoalition of North Carolinians who are committed to ensuring that residents ofadult care homes and assisted living facilities receive competent,compassionate and quality care. Friends of Adult Care Homes represent residents and family members, employeeswho work in the adult care industry and others who want to improve the levelof care that our state's oldest residents receive. To join, or learn moreabout this organization, visit www.friendsofadultcare.com.SOURCE Friends of Adult Care HomesLou Wilson, Executive Director of the N.C. Association of Long Term CareFacilities, +1-919-787-3560, lou@ncaltcf.com; or Robert Brown,+1-919-810-1901, robert@rbpr.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS151478+20-Feb-2009+PRN20090220
Boy, I wonder how much money you have to have to create a Reuter's Press Release.
*******************************
Now that this is out of the way.......I'll just keep filing complaints and see if anything at all shows up on the NC Department of Health Service Regulations website or if, as I suspected, this site is just all fluff: no information about why a Family Care Home has its rating. Simply put: we make the rating and you believe it.
Here is the public information on the DHSR site w/ comments about the site which I had most of the complaints about, including being threatened w/ arrest. http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/acls/star/worksheet.asp?id=8
Do you see any indication of complaints there? Not me.
Gosh, get over it, lady.
And, apparently, I'm not going to get anywhere by filing complaints against Family Care Homes as regards their regulatory people----at least at the local level. Probably not at the state level either. Not even at the level of any information on the NC Department of Health Service Regulations. Why, there's not even any information about any complaints BEING filed.
There is no info there. Nothing indicating why there is a score of '3' re: WNC Homes, Leicester, NC. In fact the homes are even mis-named on the DHSR site, thus removing the stigma away from WNC Homes, instead pinning it to the previous owners who called it 'Lee's Evergreen.'
I have received six letters associated with the following complaints, some of which were stated over the phone by me and some which were written in letters by me.
Here are the numbers of the complaints and here are the general statements regarding these following matters which grossly are the complaints:
1. Supervisor in Charge refused to let me talk to my clients.
2. Client stated he had been told by WNC administration not to see me anymore.
3. WNC homes called the Buncombe County Sheriff on me as I was rendering therapy at 6:30 pm, a Sunday evening, 4 weeks ago and accused me of trespassing 'their' property. A report number was created, thus initiating a public dialogue about the public figure reporting this, myself, and Jeff Clifton of WNC Homes.
4. WNC Homes refused to transport a client with an agreed upon rendezvous so he could join the YMCA. They left me waiting for an hour wondering what was going on.
5. WNC Homes refused to answer US Mail letters written by myself and residents pertaining to attempting to get an explanation about PNA, Personal Needs Allowances, not paid, and no explanation available as per clients being taken by Community Support Services workers to the Social Security Administration in Asheville.
6. WNC Homes intercepted a US Mail letter intended for a client at its Asheville homes location and took it to the Buncombe DSS meeting on March 12, 2009, 2-4 pm and attempted to use the intercepted letter to indicate that the resident had no right to petition the court in order to reconsider he being his own legal guardian and thus able to be issued his own disability check instead of having WNC Homes be the payor and he left wondering where his PNA check was.
7. I do not believe that WNC Homes can violate the civil rights of the residents and forbid the psychologist from seeing them at their residence when the physician and physician's assistants and psychiatrist see the residents at their family care home.
But heck, what do I know? Gee, I guess when DSS and DHSR made their 'unannounced visits' they still identified themselves as being from DSS and DHSR. What would have happened if they had said they were working w/ Dr. Hammond? "Sorry, you cannot see that client."
I guess I am going to have to figure out I can obtain Deep Throated type information identifying what is taking place. I always did want to be a cloak and dagger spy.
These are the Complaint investigation numbers included in the six letters dated March 12 and March 10, 2009:
Licensure Number: FCL-011-243
Licensure Number: FCL-011-280
Licensure Number: FCL-011-254
Licensure Number: FCL-011-256
Intake number: NC00054112
Intake Number: NC00054122
*********************************
This is the letter associated with the 'intake number' complaint:
"thank you for contacting Division of Health Service Regulation with regards to your concerns about the care and services residents received at WNC Family Care Home ---------(number of home or homes----just to muddy the waters so you don't what exactly they are referring to). We regret the care provided by this facility has not been satisfactory to you.
Your concerns have been referred by theComplaint Intake Unit to the Buncombe County Department of Social Services for investigation. Ms. Cheryl Simcox, Adult Services Supervisor, with Buncombe County Department of Social Services has been requested to assign an Adult Home Specialist to investigate your concerns and provide you with a written report of the findings. Should you have addiditonal questoins about this investigation, please contact Ms. Simcox by telephone at 828 250 5870.
Your request for state involvement in this investigation will be forwarded to Mr. Joan Cross, Assistant Chief, Adult Care Licensure Section, Division of Health Service Regulation, for approval. If approved, Ms. Cross will assign a state consultant to provide oversight and technical assistance to Ms. Simcox and her staff with this investigation. Ms. Cross or other staff in the Adult Care Licensure Section will inform you if your request if approved. Should you have additional questions about this investigation, please contact Ms. Simcox by telephone at 828 250 5870 or Ms. Cross at 828 670 3391.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Whenever you contact our agency in the future, please reference the intake number at the bottom of this page. Sincerely,
(signature of Rita C. Horton, fea?) but typed with Johnnie H. Lawson, RN, Complaint Intake Unit.
****************************
Intake Number NC00054122: REPEAT THE ABOVE
**************************
Here's what they send you as associated with the Licensure Number complaints: (it's not entirely clear to me why you these two different tiers of complaints' assigned numbers):
"This letter is in reference to the Adult Care Licensure Section and the Buncbome County Department of Social Services investigation of your complaint about WNC Family Care Home ----(a specific number this time!) in Asheville, NC. Staff with the Adult Care Licensure Section and the Buncombe County Department of Social Services made an unannounced visit to this facility on March 6, 2009 for the purpose of invetigating your concerns. As with all investigations, the determination regarding your allegations is whether the facility is in compliance (unsubstantiated) or not in compliance (substantiated) with the statute or rule governing the event reported by you.
The visit included observations of residents; interviews with residents and staff; and review of resident and facility records.
Based on the evidence collected, the allegations regarding 10A NCAC 13G 0909 Residents' Rights, 10A NCAC 13G 0906 Other Residents' Services and 10A NCAC 13G 0902 (d)(1) Health Care were not substantiated. the fact tha tthe allegations were not substantiated does not mean, of course, that they were not valid. It simply means that based on the information available the allegations were unable to be verified at the time of the investigation.
Thank you for reporting your concerns about the facility. If you have any questions concerning this investigation, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 828 670 3391. Sincerely, Fran Conn, Licensure Consultant Adult Care Licensure Section.
************************************
FCL 011 254: REPEAT THE ABOVE
************************************
FCL 011 280: REPEAT THE ABOVE
***********************************
FCL 011 243: REPEAT THE ABOVE
***********************************
There are tens of thousands of disabled people being warehoused in these Family Care Homes across NC. The county Department of Social Services, Adult Protective Services, is whom is supposed to be 'spotting the problems' but gee, I'd like to know how are you going to do that by even a 'surprise visit' when they know who you are? Gosh, I think I'll act like the jerk I was to that psychologist when I told her she couldn't speak to our (warehoused) resident. Or maybe I'll call the sheriff on the DSS lady.
Most of the residents of Family Care Homes need to all get Section 8 housing. Or most of these residents, anyway. IN a humane world, that is what would happen. HEY! Maybe that will happen as Governor Perdue has indicated she is going to cut the Special Assistance which is the other stream of funding keeping people in these Family Care Homes.
NAH: their lobby will see that this doesn't happen. Nothing like a good bunch of complaints to drag out the lobbyists. See here: its in the news how swell they're doing:
*************************
N.C. Adult Care Homes Receive High Ratings From State Inspectors
Fri Feb 20, 2009 8:30am EST
Introducing Friends of Adult Care HomesFriends of Adult Care Homes is a new advocacy organization established by theN.C. Association of Long Term Care Facilities to raise awareness of issuesthat affect adult care in North Carolina and promote needed reforms. It is acoalition of North Carolinians who are committed to ensuring that residents ofadult care homes and assisted living facilities receive competent,compassionate and quality care. Friends of Adult Care Homes represent residents and family members, employeeswho work in the adult care industry and others who want to improve the levelof care that our state's oldest residents receive. To join, or learn moreabout this organization, visit www.friendsofadultcare.com.SOURCE Friends of Adult Care HomesLou Wilson, Executive Director of the N.C. Association of Long Term CareFacilities, +1-919-787-3560, lou@ncaltcf.com; or Robert Brown,+1-919-810-1901, robert@rbpr.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS151478+20-Feb-2009+PRN20090220
Boy, I wonder how much money you have to have to create a Reuter's Press Release.
*******************************
Now that this is out of the way.......I'll just keep filing complaints and see if anything at all shows up on the NC Department of Health Service Regulations website or if, as I suspected, this site is just all fluff: no information about why a Family Care Home has its rating. Simply put: we make the rating and you believe it.
Here is the public information on the DHSR site w/ comments about the site which I had most of the complaints about, including being threatened w/ arrest. http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/acls/star/worksheet.asp?id=8
Do you see any indication of complaints there? Not me.
Gosh, get over it, lady.
And, apparently, I'm not going to get anywhere by filing complaints against Family Care Homes as regards their regulatory people----at least at the local level. Probably not at the state level either. Not even at the level of any information on the NC Department of Health Service Regulations. Why, there's not even any information about any complaints BEING filed.
There is no info there. Nothing indicating why there is a score of '3' re: WNC Homes, Leicester, NC. In fact the homes are even mis-named on the DHSR site, thus removing the stigma away from WNC Homes, instead pinning it to the previous owners who called it 'Lee's Evergreen.'
I have received six letters associated with the following complaints, some of which were stated over the phone by me and some which were written in letters by me.
Here are the numbers of the complaints and here are the general statements regarding these following matters which grossly are the complaints:
1. Supervisor in Charge refused to let me talk to my clients.
2. Client stated he had been told by WNC administration not to see me anymore.
3. WNC homes called the Buncombe County Sheriff on me as I was rendering therapy at 6:30 pm, a Sunday evening, 4 weeks ago and accused me of trespassing 'their' property. A report number was created, thus initiating a public dialogue about the public figure reporting this, myself, and Jeff Clifton of WNC Homes.
4. WNC Homes refused to transport a client with an agreed upon rendezvous so he could join the YMCA. They left me waiting for an hour wondering what was going on.
5. WNC Homes refused to answer US Mail letters written by myself and residents pertaining to attempting to get an explanation about PNA, Personal Needs Allowances, not paid, and no explanation available as per clients being taken by Community Support Services workers to the Social Security Administration in Asheville.
6. WNC Homes intercepted a US Mail letter intended for a client at its Asheville homes location and took it to the Buncombe DSS meeting on March 12, 2009, 2-4 pm and attempted to use the intercepted letter to indicate that the resident had no right to petition the court in order to reconsider he being his own legal guardian and thus able to be issued his own disability check instead of having WNC Homes be the payor and he left wondering where his PNA check was.
7. I do not believe that WNC Homes can violate the civil rights of the residents and forbid the psychologist from seeing them at their residence when the physician and physician's assistants and psychiatrist see the residents at their family care home.
But heck, what do I know? Gee, I guess when DSS and DHSR made their 'unannounced visits' they still identified themselves as being from DSS and DHSR. What would have happened if they had said they were working w/ Dr. Hammond? "Sorry, you cannot see that client."
I guess I am going to have to figure out I can obtain Deep Throated type information identifying what is taking place. I always did want to be a cloak and dagger spy.
These are the Complaint investigation numbers included in the six letters dated March 12 and March 10, 2009:
Licensure Number: FCL-011-243
Licensure Number: FCL-011-280
Licensure Number: FCL-011-254
Licensure Number: FCL-011-256
Intake number: NC00054112
Intake Number: NC00054122
*********************************
This is the letter associated with the 'intake number' complaint:
"thank you for contacting Division of Health Service Regulation with regards to your concerns about the care and services residents received at WNC Family Care Home ---------(number of home or homes----just to muddy the waters so you don't what exactly they are referring to). We regret the care provided by this facility has not been satisfactory to you.
Your concerns have been referred by theComplaint Intake Unit to the Buncombe County Department of Social Services for investigation. Ms. Cheryl Simcox, Adult Services Supervisor, with Buncombe County Department of Social Services has been requested to assign an Adult Home Specialist to investigate your concerns and provide you with a written report of the findings. Should you have addiditonal questoins about this investigation, please contact Ms. Simcox by telephone at 828 250 5870.
Your request for state involvement in this investigation will be forwarded to Mr. Joan Cross, Assistant Chief, Adult Care Licensure Section, Division of Health Service Regulation, for approval. If approved, Ms. Cross will assign a state consultant to provide oversight and technical assistance to Ms. Simcox and her staff with this investigation. Ms. Cross or other staff in the Adult Care Licensure Section will inform you if your request if approved. Should you have additional questions about this investigation, please contact Ms. Simcox by telephone at 828 250 5870 or Ms. Cross at 828 670 3391.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Whenever you contact our agency in the future, please reference the intake number at the bottom of this page. Sincerely,
(signature of Rita C. Horton, fea?) but typed with Johnnie H. Lawson, RN, Complaint Intake Unit.
****************************
Intake Number NC00054122: REPEAT THE ABOVE
**************************
Here's what they send you as associated with the Licensure Number complaints: (it's not entirely clear to me why you these two different tiers of complaints' assigned numbers):
"This letter is in reference to the Adult Care Licensure Section and the Buncbome County Department of Social Services investigation of your complaint about WNC Family Care Home ----(a specific number this time!) in Asheville, NC. Staff with the Adult Care Licensure Section and the Buncombe County Department of Social Services made an unannounced visit to this facility on March 6, 2009 for the purpose of invetigating your concerns. As with all investigations, the determination regarding your allegations is whether the facility is in compliance (unsubstantiated) or not in compliance (substantiated) with the statute or rule governing the event reported by you.
The visit included observations of residents; interviews with residents and staff; and review of resident and facility records.
Based on the evidence collected, the allegations regarding 10A NCAC 13G 0909 Residents' Rights, 10A NCAC 13G 0906 Other Residents' Services and 10A NCAC 13G 0902 (d)(1) Health Care were not substantiated. the fact tha tthe allegations were not substantiated does not mean, of course, that they were not valid. It simply means that based on the information available the allegations were unable to be verified at the time of the investigation.
Thank you for reporting your concerns about the facility. If you have any questions concerning this investigation, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 828 670 3391. Sincerely, Fran Conn, Licensure Consultant Adult Care Licensure Section.
************************************
FCL 011 254: REPEAT THE ABOVE
************************************
FCL 011 280: REPEAT THE ABOVE
***********************************
FCL 011 243: REPEAT THE ABOVE
***********************************
posted by Marsha V. Hammond, PhD at 6:06 PM
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