Beebe picks new supervisor for Alexander center

By The Associated Press

Posted: March 15, 2010 at 1:06 p.m.
Updated: March 15, 2010 at 4:42 p.m.

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ALEXANDER — Gov. Mike Beebe named a new supervisor Monday for the Alexander Human Development Center after a report found serious problems at the state-home run for men.

Beebe designated Charlie Green, now Arkansas’ Developmental Disabilities Services commissioner, as a temporary supervisor at the center in Saline County. Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said the center’s director, Traci Harris, is on paid administrative leave “pending additional decisions.”

A report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found deficiencies with Alexander’s emergency transportation, supervision of residents, use of restraints and physical problems with the facility itself.

Among the issues flagged in the report:

— In April 2009, a resident broke his hip but wasn’t taken by ambulance to the hospital. According to the report, a nurse said the resident was pushed to the floor and was found “holding onto a file cabinet screaming he couldn’t walk.” But he was taken by van to the hospital after the superintendent said to cancel the ambulance request, the report said.

— In May 2009, a resident choked on a piece of corned beef and was given the Heimlich maneuver. He wasn’t taken to the hospital for 40 minutes but once there, doctors found he had dangerously low oxygen levels.

— One patient known to suffer from pica — a condition in which a person eats inedible objects — swallowed two rocks and a battery and had to undergo surgery to remove the objects.

— Live roaches were found in bedrooms and a kitchen, and some bathrooms had mold and mildew on the tile.

— One employee placed a belt around a resident’s neck in a demonstration on the correct and incorrect ways to keep track of a belt.

The center is home to 110 adult men, including many with severe physical- and mental-health issues. Beebe said he’s also approved the hiring of a team of independent experts to determine what needs to be done to improve the center.

“Finding the proper ways to improve their care is a complex process,” Beebe’s office said in a statement. “Steps have already been taken, including improving staff-to-resident ratio and restructuring the living arrangements within the facility.”

The move comes as the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking to halt new admissions at a state-run center in Conway. In a lawsuit, the Justice Department claims the Conway Human Development Center mismanages medication and improperly uses restraints on patients. A judge hasn’t yet ruled on their request for an injunction to stop the admission of new patients.

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