The Department of Social and Health Services today announced that it has shut down or restricted admissions for two boarding homes and two adult family homes.

DSHS:

- Stopped admissions to Patriots Landing Operations LLC, a boarding home marketed to veterans at 1600 Marshall Circle, DuPont, for failing to ensure seniors were smoking in proper areas (including a reference to oxygen tanks. See below).

- Stopped admissions to  Bonaventure, a boarding home at 4528 Intelco Loop SE, Lacey, for six offenses including ongoing verbal, mental and physical abuse.

- Stopped admissions to and revoked the license of Renton Highlands Elder Care Home, an adult family home located at 4514 NE 17^th Place, Renton, for four offenses, including having no system to prevent residents from wandering off.

- Stopped admissions to and revoked and suspended the license of Honeydew Estates, an adult family home located at 1060 Whitman Court NE, Renton, for five offenses, including not reporting changes in medical conditions of multiple patients.

There are about 2,850 adult family homes and 550 boarding homes licensed in the state, according to DSHS. All of the above actions were taken between March 17 and March 26. Each of the facilities had 28 days to request a hearing.

The Seattle Times published a package of stories on Washington’s adult family homes, called “Seniors for Sale,” in January. The multi-part story has drawn attention to state-supervised senior care.

For the full information on the charges by DSHS and what happens to seniors in the facilities’ care, read after the jump. (more…)

Tags: adult family homes, DSHS, senior care

Right now, the House Ways and Means Committee appears to be getting ready to vote on the bill to abolish the state’s largest agency, DSHS.

Here’s some previous coverage of the bill.

Stay tuned. They’re being briefed on a list of bills to be exec’d, and I’ll update here if and when they take a vote.

Tags: DSHS

Right now in the House (and live on TVW) is a bill to abolish DSHS — the largest state agency. The bill passed out of House Health and Human Services last week, and now is in Ways & Means. DSHS would be disbanded and separated into four different agencies under the bill. I’ll update here as the hearing continues.

Here’s some public testimony from last week.

Rep. Ruth Kagi asked Chris Blake, committee staff, what the cost would be. The answer: No one knows right now. “There would be some savings from eliminating the current administrative structure, but there would be some additional costs” to four different administrative structures.

“I consider this bill to be kind of a study bill with teeth,” said Rep. Mike Armstrong, the sponsor. “Since this is a fiscal committee, I’m not even going to bring up the 16 children per year that die” while under the supervision of DSHS. “How do you quantify what you can save financially when looking at the death of 16 children?”

“Where do the savings come from? Right now, DSHS has over 19,000 employees and operate a total budget of $20 billion,” he said — $10 billion from the state, $10 billion from the federal government. He said the savings comes in cutting layers of management. He cited the Department of Health as an example — the Legislature carved it out of DSHS and it’s doing just fine.

Kari Burrell with Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office, said Gov. Gregoire shares the goals outlined in the intent section of the bill. But: Gregoire has introduced bills of her own to reform and streamline DSHS and  “this bill proposes going in the opposite direction,” she said.

And now Susan Dreyfus, Secretary of DSHS. “We are in unprecedented times. And to pass this bill would decrease productivity,” she said, and derail the department. “This bill will not get you better results.” “I know that you have many frustrations with the child welfare system in this state … I really need to share with you that what I am finding in the review of the state system here is that we simply are not focused … on quality, consistency and accountability.”

Public hearing is now closed on that bill. Dreyfus and Burrell were the only two to testify.

Tags: abolishing DSHS, DSHS

Susan Dreyfus, Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services, is now testifying before the Senate Human Services Committee. Here’s a Q&A with Dreyfus from this summer.

DSHS is the largest state agency, with a $20 billion operating budget. There have been proposals this year to abolish the agency.

“Often times we end up working in silos across the organization,” she said — and now is not the time. “This is the time for alignment and integration … not the separation.”

Dreyfus said part of the department’s strategic plan is “making sure that the measures are quite clear” — meaning the department has to measure their results and take accountability. She said the department has six state regions and citizens in those regions may get “radically different services.”

“The vast majority of my employees are out there doing a fabulous job and living the mission” of DSHS, she said. But there are “a few employees” who either need more guidance or maybe don’t belong at her department.

She said they need to improve the adult family home system. The Seattle Times just did a multi-part story, called “Seniors for Sale” about the dysfunction in adult family homes.

Sen. Val Stevens said DSHS has gone through a long journey. She said many promises have been made and few have been kept by former DSHS administrations. Dreyfus said “it’s not about some new initiative, new program. It’s about fundamentally changing our work,” she said.

Dreyfus is now done with her testimony.

Tags: Dreyfus, DSHS

Right now, the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee is holding a public hearing on a bill to abolish the Department of Social and Health Services. Watch here.

Cindy Van Winkle, chair of the state rehabilitation council for the Department of Services for the Blind, said the bill would hurt blind people. “The needs of blind people and the way DSB meets those needs are unique, specialized and life-changing,” she said. “When a parent comes home from the hospital after learning their baby is blind, when someone suddenly loses their vision at the height of their career … when someone who is blind wants to work but doesn’t have the skills to prepare a meal … the services they need can be found at DSB.”

David Roberts: “I’ve received services from DSB twice in my life … without the help of that agency, I really don’t think I would have done a lot of thigns that I have done,” he said — namely, he has been able to work. He said departments within DSHS like the Department of Services for the Blind helps people make a living for themselves.

Mary Helen Shiver, member of National Federation of the Blind, also said she wouldn’t have been able to work without services from DSB. She warned against “destroying DSHS into total confusion, into four or more whatever agencies you want to create… Do not destroy what is working.”

Tags: DSHS

No more patients may be admitted to Garden Courte Alzheimer Community, a boarding home in Olympia, after the Department of Social and Health Services discovered a number of violations at the facility.

They found the home repeatedly failed to keep residents safe, unnecessarily placing some residents under physical or chemical restraint, and failed to administer medications and blood sugar checks professionally for some residents, the state found. They also did not have enough people on staff and didn’t allow some residents to do activities “consistent with their assessed interests, functional abilities, preferences and incorporated into the negotiated service agreement.” Not engaging in interesting activities can further deplete mental functions for Alzheimber’s patients, the department says.

The facility can contest the “stop placement” order. Though they may not admit more patients, residents can choose to stay there.

In other news: DSHS has created a new division to integrate substance abuse, mental health and gambling services. The department said in a statement that it was “part of a longer-range effort to create person-centered health care that can surmount traditional barriers.”

It’s a combination of the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse and the Mental Health Division that was actually suggested by staff members at DSHS who noticed overlap of the two divisions.

For more on DSHS, check out the Q&A with Susan Dreyfus, head of the department, we recently posted.

Tags: DSHS

Jennifer Huntley, host of The Impact, sent me this about tonight’s show:

Would you pay tolls to drive state roadways if they helped fund road construction projects? Lawmakers and the Department of Transportation are looking at tolling a number of roads as a possible new transportation revenue source. We’ll get details from state lawmakers on what is being considered.

Also on the show: She’s only been on the job for a couple of weeks, but Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Susan N. Dreyfus joins us on The Impact to talk about her goals with the agency. She says DSHS needs to do a better job of partnering with foster parents, communities, and the courts. Find out what else she says and what changes she would like to make within the agency.

Don’t miss The Impact, Wednesday at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. and anytime online www.tvw.org.

Tags: DSHS, The Impact, tolling

The Department of Social and Health Services has created 30- and 60-day action plans for the Colville DSHS office, after dozens of complaints alleged illegal and shoddy activity there. DSHS says their operation engendered an “environment of mistrust” that affected how the office operated in the community.

“We are taking action immediately to improve the practice of the Colville office and reaching out to community partners to better serve the children and families in the area, ”said interim Assistant Secretary Randy Hart.

The “roadmap” is below.

Within 30 days:
1. Review the internal Children’s Administration internal report and the Office of Family and Children’s Ombudsman report and issue a detailed response by June 15, 2009.
2. Re-establish the Child Welfare Overview Committee meetings and meet on a quarterly basis with judges, Court Appointed Special Advocates, public defenders, and Kids First director, and social workers for education, with the purpose of collaboration, communication, information sharing and cross training.
3. Continue to participate in the Table of 10 meetings that include CASA, Stevens County public defender, Kids First director, assistant attorney general and court administrator. Improve child welfare services within the community by focusing on cross training and collaboration with community partners.
4. Area administrator will engage a member of the Colville medical community regarding participation as the facilitator of the north county Child Protection Team.
5. Consult with the University of Washington School of Law’s Court Improvement Training Academy on developing an agenda for a “town hall” meeting to give an overview of child welfare system to foster community meetings with stakeholders focusing on improving community relationships.
6. Area administrator to continue to meet with Stevens County CASA supervisor on a weekly basis to improve overall communication.
7. Hire an additional Social Worker III to reduce social worker caseload in Stevens County.
8. Collaborate with juvenile court personnel to define and outline the process for family reconciliation services, child in need of services, at-risk youth and providing packets to the court clerk and juvenile personnel defining this process.

And within 60 days:
1. Area administrator assigned to the Colville office on a full-time basis.
2. Conduct team building meetings for the staff in the Colville and Republic offices to improve overall staff relationships and morale.
3. Request a mediator to work with the Court Appointed Special Advocate and Division of Children and Family personnel to improve the overall working relationship.
4. Follow-up with Ombudsman Meinig to get additional input and suggestions for consultation.
5. Develop a Community Advisory Board as outlined by the Family to Family Program.
6. Recruit local providers for client services including medical, mental health, parent-child development, visitation, transportation for visitation and services.
7. Provide community partners and Children’s Administration staff with “lessons learned” training from previous fatality and critical incidents.
8. Area administrator to schedule individual meetings with other relevant community partners to solicit feedback, build relationships, develop effective communication strategies and procedures to address concerns.

Tags: DSHS

Susan Dreyfus, who Gov. Chris Gregoire announced as the new head of Department of Social and Health Services back in March, was just sworn in.

Dreyfus now takes charge of some 19,000 employees, a two-year budget of around $20 billion, and a caseload of about 2 million Washingtonians seeking medical, mental, vocational, food, child welfare, elderly, disabled, child support and substance abuse assistance, just to name a few.

Gregoire said the state faces “tougher and more challenging times than we’ve ever seen,” and that’s why she thinks Dreyfus, who has experience ranging from running a national children’s organization to a behavioral health system, is the woman for the job.

“Times like these call for courage and innovation. No longer is there room for doing things the same old way. Susan will guide DSHS in finding new and better ways to deliver our services.”

Dreyfus said she’ll get to work right away making the largest state agency more efficient and better at handling the challenges the department faces. The Governor’s office sent out an announcement saying Dreyfus has been asked to immediately identify efficiencies — or areas that can be trimmed down.

“Please be assured that none of us is alone in this walk. All of us will have to consider new and effective ways to do our work to focus where need is the greatest, work through partnerships, across systems and agencies, explore new technologies and maximize all resources available to us.”

Dreyfus said the state cannot give up hope.

TVW will air the swearing in tomorrow and I will post it here as soon as it’s available.

Tags: Dreyfus, DSHS

Jennifer Huntley, host of The Impact, just finished an interview with Roger Wilson, interim financial director for the Department of Social and Health Services. Here’s what he told her about the state’s largest agency and budget cuts:
• The agency needs to cut $115 million from its administrative budget. That’s about a fifth of that budget. DSHS will be cutting contractors first, both with letting contractors go and paying others less.
• DSHS has been meeting with the Health Care Authority regarding the Basic Health Plan. The Health Care Authority needs to cut more than 40,000 people off the plan by January 1, 2010. But anyone who is also getting benefits from DSHS will be automatically cut from Basic Health. Wilson says those people will move to Medicaid. This needs to be done by August 1 of this year.
• The agency is sending out about 120 layoff notices in the next month or two. In all, it plans to cut about 500 positions. But Wilson says that is the target right now and it could go much higher.

Also on The Impact this week: Huntley will talk with the president of Western Washington University in Bellingham and the Executive Director for the State Board of Community & Technical Colleges about how higher education institutions are proceeding with budget reductions.

Catch The Impact tonight on TVW, 7 & 10 p.m. and anytime online: www.tvw.org

Tags: DSHS, The Impact