COFAR blog

We have renewed our call for an investigation by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) of its state-run group home system in the northeast region of the state after a second parent has contacted us with concerns about care in an NRS (Northeast Residential Services) home.

On Wednesday, the mother of a resident of a second NRS home voiced concerns similar to those of Jeannine MacKinnon, who was forced to bring her son Zachary home after three years of substandard care in an NRS home in Peabody. We first reported about Jeannine’s case on Tuesday.

NRS is a division of DDS that operates group homes in the northeast region of the state.

While state-run group homes in Massachusetts have better compensated and trained staff on average than do homes operated by corporate providers to DDS, we have found that problems can develop in any type of care facility.

In an email, the second parent, who asked that her name not be used, wrote that her son was admitted twice in recent months to hospital ICUs, first for internal stomach bleeding and later for severe asthma exacerbations. She said that in the second case, the staff had failed to seek medical attention, despite her repeated requests.

The parent also said her son has suffered multiple bruises and other injuries in the residence. The Disabled Persons Protection Commission has been contacted three times.

In addition, the parent said she has received no reply from the DDS Human Rights Office to her concerns about the situation. She said she wishes she could bring her son home, but is unable to care for him due to his aggressive behaviors.

This parent also stated in a subsequent message to me that DDS has not provided her with any other placement options, and that her son has been living in the facility for 18 months.

We originally contacted DDS Commissioner Sarah Peterson on behalf of Jeannine MacKinnon and her son on May 6, and asked that DDS conduct an investigation of the NRS system. Peterson responded that while she could not comment on individual cases, she had reviewed our email and “followed up with the team and will continue to do so.” She did not explicitly say that she would order an investigation.

In a follow-up email yesterday (May 29) to Peterson, I noted that the account from the second parent “deepens our concerns, and bolsters our call for DDS to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the NRS system.”

State-run group homes in Massachusetts have continued to lose residents under an administration policy that is letting them die by attrition.

As with the Wrentham and Hogan Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs), DDS does not offer state-run residences as an option to persons seeking residential placements, but rather seeks placements for those individuals primarily in corporate provider-run group homes. As a result of this policy, many people with developmental disabilities end up waiting for months or years for such placements.

We hope it isn’t the case that the administration is also allowing conditions in its state-run group homes to deteriorate.