Conditions at the state?s largest residential center for the developmentally disabled have led state regulators to issue immediate orders for change in order to protect the well-being of an estimated 200 patients.
Disabilities advocates said the conditions at Rosewood Center in Owings Mills have been a problem for years. The notice of immediate jeopardy issued last week by the state?s Office of Health Care Quality brought to light chronic issues long overlooked.
As part of an annual review, the Office of Health Care Quality discovered dangerous conditions at Rosewood that included instances of patients being bitten and beaten by other patients, or harming themselves during emotional outbursts. In one instance, two residents who had a history of arguing and fighting were place in the same dormitory area.
The office informed the facility last week that it had three weeks to address the hazardous conditions or face losing funding.
Wendy Kronmiller, director of the Office of Health Care Quality, was out of town Monday and could not be reached for comment.
Nancy Pineles, a managing attorney for the Maryland Disability Law Center, said the advocacy group had noticed an unusually high use of straight jackets and seclusion at Rosewood based on past complaints filed with the state.
“We have been complaining about conditions at this facility for years,” said Lauren Young, director of litigation for the law center in a written statement. “We have asked the governor to work with us to help individuals leave Rosewood and get the services they need.”
A letter was sent by the law center to Gov. Robert Ehrlich asking the residents of Rosewood be transferred.
The law center receives copies of all incident reports and allegations of abuse, neglect or death at the state?s four residential centers for the developmentally disabled, but Pineles said she doubted whether all incidents of abuse or neglect are reported.
In 2000, a Rosewood resident died in an incident that involved a type of restraint, according to Pineles. Since then, Pineles said the Developmental Disabilities Administration had made “some significant efforts” toward change, but said the problems run much deeper.
Rosewood currently serves an estimated 200 patients, mostly adults with developmental disabilities. Pineles said many of the residents could be cared for outside of an institutional setting.
