Mental facilities' death count rises to 194
March 28, 2007
A higher number of mentally retarded residents died in state care in the past year and a half than previously disclosed, state officials said Tuesday.
Written by Janet Elliott, Houston Chronicle
AUSTIN — A higher number of mentally retarded residents died in state care in the past year and a half than previously disclosed, state officials said Tuesday.
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services said that 194, not the previously reported 186, died at 13 facilities between June 2005 and December 2006. Cecilia Fedorov, an agency spokesman, said the error was found during a review of the deaths to determine the ages of those who had died.
The 17 who died at a troubled state school in Lubbock were nine years younger on average than those who died in all facilities. The average age at time of death in Lubbock was 46; the statewide average was 57.
Also Tuesday, a key senator said she would call DADS officials before her committee Thursday to hear what actions they have taken to correct bad conditions at the Lubbock residential facility identified in a December report by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Health and Human Services Chairman Jane Nelson had said Monday that she wouldn't hold a hearing until the state had reached a settlement with the Justice Department.
But on the same day, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst pushed for the hearing, saying he was alarmed by the number of deaths. Nelson, R-Lewisville, said Tuesday she changed her mind after talking to the Texas Attorney General's Office, which is overseeing negotiations with the federal government.
DADS has refused to release the corrective action plan it developed to improve care for more than 300 residents at the Lubbock State School. Fedorov cited the potential for the Justice Department to sue the state as the reason.
On the House side, Human Services Committee Chairman Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, has scheduled a hearing for April 5.
In the report to Gov. Rick Perry, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Wan J. Kim said 17 residents of the school have died since investigators visited the facility in June 2005. He said a review of a number of the deaths raised concerns about quality of care.
The facility for residents with severe to profound mental retardation was cited for inadequate health care, failing to protect residents from harm and overuse of restraints.
State officials hired an outside consultant to review the care shortly before the Justice Department arrived for its investigation. As a result of the internal review, they replaced the school's management and increased training for workers prior to receiving Kim's report.
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