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Firm hired to improve Beatrice center

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BY NANCY HICKS / Lincoln Journal Star

Thursday, Dec 13, 2007 - 12:03:25 am CST

A consulting firm has been hired to help make improvements at the Beatrice State Development Center, which serves more than 300 Nebraskans with serious developmental disabilities.

Liberty Health Care Corp. will help BSDC staff respond to a recent federal inspection team report that found problems in four of the eight areas checked by the Centers for  Medicare and Medicaid Services.

If the state does not make improvements in those areas, Nebraska could lose about $28.5 million in federal funding for the Beatrice center, according to a news release from the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Liberty Health Care, which has 20 years experience in regulatory work, will help staff decide what action to take and will help write up an improvement plan, which will be submitted to the Centers for  Medicare and Medicaid Services by Dec. 20, according to John Wyvill, director of the  Division of Developmental Disabilities within the Health and Human Services Department.

The Pennsylvania-based company, which will be paid $39,500, also will provide suggestions on  downsizing the institution and may make suggestions on dealing with the staffing shortage and improving training, according to Wyvill.

The firm expects to have two or three staff members at Beatrice through Dec. 22, he said. The contract ends Jan. 20.

In a November inspection, federal inspectors determined that BSDC did not meet four conditions: governing body and management, client protections, facility staffing and active treatment services, according to a news release.

In September 2006, BSDC failed all but one of the eight criteria. In a follow-up inspection in April 2007, Beatrice failed two conditions, according to Jeanne Atkinson, HHS spokeswoman.

HHS already has announced it will move some clients into local community programs during the next few years to deal with constant staff shortages.

HHS officials will meet quarterly with the Nebraska Advocacy Services, which recently released a report critical of the Beatrice institution.  

Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.


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tom b wrote on December 13, 2007 7:18 am:
" more staff...better wages...better working conditions... these are the solutions... i gave them to you for free...why spend 39,500 if we already know what the problem is... "
South of the Border wrote on December 13, 2007 11:23 pm:
" Hire somebody reliable that works with pride. "
fed up wrote on December 16, 2007 1:21 pm:
" The solutions put forth so far by the administration, CMS, NAS, etc. are nothing new. These are things many of us have called for repeatedly during the past years; well before CMS came into the picture. What is the answer from the "administration" about the lack of leadership? Best if you explore that yourself. I hope your newspaper explores the leadership at the facility and in Lincoln DHS and the widespread distrust staff have of administration officials. Some questions to start with are how much DD experience those that are leading from DHS Lincoln possess, how much have we paid so far to consultants, how much management experience does the CEO possess, how much support do staff feel from upper management, how much loyalty does upper management show staff. These would be a good start. Point of fact about "new" solutions: Front line managers called for wage increases nearly two years BEFORE the union took up the cause. You can verify this easily I suspect. What is the answer the administration provides about staffing shortages? More consultants that say the same thing the employees are calling for, for ALOT more money. When the articles come out staff are told not to respond to the media - let the administration look out for us instead. They have done such an outstanding job so far! Turn over is at its highest, morale is at its lowest, and scrutiny from all levels is extreme. The staff that are at BSDC are so dedicated and yet so abused. It is too bad our organization isn't run like a private business, forward facing proactivity versus past centered reactivity. There is much incompetence that has yet to be pursued. "
Rog wrote on December 17, 2007 1:18 pm:
" Fed-up: You are so right about so many things. The administration at BSDC and HHS do not want to listen to you. They also don't want you to tell the press what it is like as an direct staff employee at BSDC. What would happen if all the direct care staff banded together and talked about the way it is at BSDC? Do you really think that all of the staff would get fired? Not a chance. They can't keep staff so there is no way they would fire the few and loyal who are willing to stay. Loyalty should not be to the administration but the individuals that have been entrusted into your care. In order for things to change there needs to be an acknowledgement of a problem, looking for solutions, and a willingness to implement solutions. As long as the staff at BSDC keep their mouths shut the harder it will be to make change happen. The individuals at BSDC have been ignored for so long by HHS, the govenor, and society. It is time to stop the abuse and neglect- both of the staff and the residence at BSDC. Stand up direct care staff and fight for the residence you serve as well as yourselves. Silence will indeed get you nowhere. "
fed up still wrote on December 19, 2007 9:40 pm:
" Rog, you seem to believe there is a conspiracy to cover up abuse. Truthfully there is none. We do not tolerate it and we do act quickly to eliminate any one that abuses or neglects our clients. The campus is more safe than any community in Nebraska. If our medically fragile clients were compared to the larger community, controlling for health, our rates would be far lower than anywhere in the State. Now if the LJS really wants comments then let them post the story about the recent CEO appointment on the net. I think the blogs would be very telling about the search and decision. "

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