Like I said: the DHSR regulatory people have no intention of truly rating the Family Care Homes w/ residents having mental health challenges
Marsha V. Hammond, PhD: Clinical Licensed Psychologist
E mail: hammondmv@netzero.com cell: 404 964 5338
Confidential fax: 828 --------
April 6, 2009
Dear DHSR (Department of Health Service Regulations: Adult Care Licensure Section: Central Office where the Complaint Division is : address: 2711 Mail SAervice Center Raleigh, NC 27699-2711: www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr AND Asheville Regional Office 12 Barbetta Drive Asheville, NC 28806:
Over the past 1.5 months I have made, I think, 8 complaints regarding various houses associated w/ WNC Homes. I suppose you think I have nothing better to do but frankly I do. These are, nevertheless, important matters, as pertaining to the civil rights of disabled people w/ mental health challenges living in Family Care Homes.
And I am sure you are very busy yourselves. And the WNC Family Care Homes in Leicester, NC, Houses 10,11,12,13,14-----are a good 30 minutes from Asheville—-which is why this psychologist thought it a good idea to see her clients in their homes. However, DSS and DHSR have gone along w/ this psychologist being banned from seeing her clients in their home; now, they one by one are taken to their appointments, sometimes sitting for hours in the van supplied by WNC Homes. This occurs, though in every home, as per requirements associated with Family Care Homes, there is a statement on a laminated poster indicating that residents ‘have a right’ to private visits.
No they don’t, it seems.
Moreover, I find that your reports/ letters back to me contain no valuable information. There is the same statement from you (see below) regardless of what I reported. Moreover, regardless of whether the report which I submitted was AFTER the date when you last visited the homes which was basically March 6 thru March 10 or so-----you still use that to underline ‘what we found.’ Thus, I am confused as to how you are investigating the matters which I report.
And what I have reported as per the WNC (Adult) Family Care Homes seems to me to be significant: I call during regular business hours and am denied being able to speak to my client on the phone in house #12, client BRC; my client continues to state that he has not received his PNA; I was denied being able to speak to my clients in Hse #11. I’m curious: do you just call them up and ask them did they do this and they deny the matter and you accept it?
I am going to start calling DSS immediately when one of these events happens so that Ms. Simcox of DSS Haywood can call immediately and I will strive to find witnesses to the events such as these. Indeed, I did have a witness to one of the events associated w/ Hse # 12, a Community Support Services worker----and I gave you that person’s name and the contact information. Nevertheless, that complaint got the same response (see below) from you. I’m really at a loss as to how to bring your attention to these matters which have a great deal of impact on the residents of these homes.
All of my complaints, except the first one, have been written on the complaint form and I have clearly indicated what took place; who was involved; the data and time; the setting, etc. I am, nevertheless, sending back your ‘green’ Customer Service comment sheet. It does not include, really, anything to do w/ the paper complaints and so you might consider revising it.
Moreover, this week I will be filing yet another paper complaint-----one which is associated w/ health care; and I am assuming you will simply dismiss it again. This time it concerns another resident in House #11 who states that he has asked WNC Homes administrator, Jeff Clifton, about the matter of why the pharmacy utilized by WNC Homes, is not using his CIGNA Rx (medication) card which should, he believes, result in no co pays and therefore he would have a bit more money in his pocket as associated w/ his PNA (Personal Needs Allowance). When you only have a couple of $20 bills in your pocket, a bit more makes a lot of difference. According to the client, Mr. Clifton simply left and would not answer the question though repeatedly challenged to do so by the resident. As you know, the Family Care Home law indicates that residents are supposed to get an answer regarding their finances.
However, they don’t get an answer from WNC Homes and I don’t get an answer from you unless it is a confusing one. This therefore supports what I at first thought about DHSR under NC DHHS ‘scoring’ the Family Care Homes. It’s bogus; there’s no ability to impact your system.
There is one exception and that is associated w/ WNC Home #7. Confusingly, I received TWO letters about this report (they are enclosed). One is dated March 23; the other March 25. They state entirely different things but are about the same event as I talked to the client and he advised me that someone from Buncombe DSS had gone to his home and spoken w/ him.
This is the statement that is associated w/ all 8 complaints (bearing in mind that I received the second letter, two days later, as pertaining to the same event regarding the resident in WNC Home # 7): “Based on the evidence collected, the allegations regarding 10A NCAC 13G. 0909 Residents’ Rights and 10A NCAC 13G 0902 Health Care were not substantiated. The fact that the 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.”
I will keep filing complaints as matters arise.
Marsha V. Hammond, PhD
E mail: hammondmv@netzero.com cell: 404 964 5338
Confidential fax: 828 --------
April 6, 2009
Dear DHSR (Department of Health Service Regulations: Adult Care Licensure Section: Central Office where the Complaint Division is : address: 2711 Mail SAervice Center Raleigh, NC 27699-2711: www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr AND Asheville Regional Office 12 Barbetta Drive Asheville, NC 28806:
Over the past 1.5 months I have made, I think, 8 complaints regarding various houses associated w/ WNC Homes. I suppose you think I have nothing better to do but frankly I do. These are, nevertheless, important matters, as pertaining to the civil rights of disabled people w/ mental health challenges living in Family Care Homes.
And I am sure you are very busy yourselves. And the WNC Family Care Homes in Leicester, NC, Houses 10,11,12,13,14-----are a good 30 minutes from Asheville—-which is why this psychologist thought it a good idea to see her clients in their homes. However, DSS and DHSR have gone along w/ this psychologist being banned from seeing her clients in their home; now, they one by one are taken to their appointments, sometimes sitting for hours in the van supplied by WNC Homes. This occurs, though in every home, as per requirements associated with Family Care Homes, there is a statement on a laminated poster indicating that residents ‘have a right’ to private visits.
No they don’t, it seems.
Moreover, I find that your reports/ letters back to me contain no valuable information. There is the same statement from you (see below) regardless of what I reported. Moreover, regardless of whether the report which I submitted was AFTER the date when you last visited the homes which was basically March 6 thru March 10 or so-----you still use that to underline ‘what we found.’ Thus, I am confused as to how you are investigating the matters which I report.
And what I have reported as per the WNC (Adult) Family Care Homes seems to me to be significant: I call during regular business hours and am denied being able to speak to my client on the phone in house #12, client BRC; my client continues to state that he has not received his PNA; I was denied being able to speak to my clients in Hse #11. I’m curious: do you just call them up and ask them did they do this and they deny the matter and you accept it?
I am going to start calling DSS immediately when one of these events happens so that Ms. Simcox of DSS Haywood can call immediately and I will strive to find witnesses to the events such as these. Indeed, I did have a witness to one of the events associated w/ Hse # 12, a Community Support Services worker----and I gave you that person’s name and the contact information. Nevertheless, that complaint got the same response (see below) from you. I’m really at a loss as to how to bring your attention to these matters which have a great deal of impact on the residents of these homes.
All of my complaints, except the first one, have been written on the complaint form and I have clearly indicated what took place; who was involved; the data and time; the setting, etc. I am, nevertheless, sending back your ‘green’ Customer Service comment sheet. It does not include, really, anything to do w/ the paper complaints and so you might consider revising it.
Moreover, this week I will be filing yet another paper complaint-----one which is associated w/ health care; and I am assuming you will simply dismiss it again. This time it concerns another resident in House #11 who states that he has asked WNC Homes administrator, Jeff Clifton, about the matter of why the pharmacy utilized by WNC Homes, is not using his CIGNA Rx (medication) card which should, he believes, result in no co pays and therefore he would have a bit more money in his pocket as associated w/ his PNA (Personal Needs Allowance). When you only have a couple of $20 bills in your pocket, a bit more makes a lot of difference. According to the client, Mr. Clifton simply left and would not answer the question though repeatedly challenged to do so by the resident. As you know, the Family Care Home law indicates that residents are supposed to get an answer regarding their finances.
However, they don’t get an answer from WNC Homes and I don’t get an answer from you unless it is a confusing one. This therefore supports what I at first thought about DHSR under NC DHHS ‘scoring’ the Family Care Homes. It’s bogus; there’s no ability to impact your system.
There is one exception and that is associated w/ WNC Home #7. Confusingly, I received TWO letters about this report (they are enclosed). One is dated March 23; the other March 25. They state entirely different things but are about the same event as I talked to the client and he advised me that someone from Buncombe DSS had gone to his home and spoken w/ him.
This is the statement that is associated w/ all 8 complaints (bearing in mind that I received the second letter, two days later, as pertaining to the same event regarding the resident in WNC Home # 7): “Based on the evidence collected, the allegations regarding 10A NCAC 13G. 0909 Residents’ Rights and 10A NCAC 13G 0902 Health Care were not substantiated. The fact that the 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.”
I will keep filing complaints as matters arise.
Marsha V. Hammond, PhD
posted by Marsha V. Hammond, PhD at 10:23 PM
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