Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Abuse of Brain Injured Americans Scandalizes U.S.

Soon after Peter Price arrived at the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation to recover from a brain injury, he pleaded for a rescue.

“Jess, they beat me up,” Price told his sister, Jessica Alopaeus, in May 2009. “You have to get me out of here.”

Staffers at his new home held him down and punched him in the face and groin, Price said. When Alopaeus’s efforts to transfer him stalled, Price said his desperation led him to a step aimed at speeding his release.

He swallowed five fish hooks and 22 AA batteries he’d picked up during a patient outing at Wal-Mart. After emergency surgery to remove the objects, he was allowed to transfer to another facility.

Residents at the Florida Institute have often been abused, neglected and confined, according to 20 current and former patients and their family members, criminal charges, civil complaints and advocates for the disabled.

These sources and over 2,000 pages of court and medical records, police reports, state investigations and autopsies contain an untold history of violence and death at the secluded institute known as FINR, which is located amid cattle ranches and citrus groves in Hardee County, 50 miles southeast of Tampa.

Patients’ families or state agencies have alleged abuse or care lapses in at least five residents’ deaths since 1998, two of them in the last 18 months. Three former employees face criminal charges of abusing FINR patients -- one of whom was allegedly hit repeatedly for two hours in a TV room last September.

Sparse Care

The complaints underscore the problems that 5.3 million brain-injured Americans are having finding adequate care. Their numbers are growing, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as better emergency medicine and vehicle safety mean that fewer die from traffic accidents, bullet wounds and other causes of traumatic brain injuries.

The long-term ills range from memory loss and physical handicaps to the inability to control violent anger or sexual aggression. Yet because insurance benefits for rehabilitation are scarce, less than half of those who need it receive it, according to the Brain Injury Association of America.

Organized as a company and operated for profit since 1992, FINR has become one of the largest brain-injury centers in the country, with 196 beds. Three rival providers say they know of no place bigger. Multi-site operator NeuroRestorative, owned by a holding of buyout firm Vestar Capital Partners, handles more patients.

FINR hasn’t grown by opening its doors to anyone who needs rehabilitation, customers say. Rather, its marketing is focused on the relative few who can pay bills that reach $1,850 a day.

Michigan Mandate

That includes those injured on jobs with generous worker’s compensation benefits, and car-crash victims in Michigan --which mandates unlimited lifetime benefits for automobile injury coverage.

Those who have clashed with the company over the treatment of patients say its efforts to keep costs down and extend the duration of stays take priority over care and rehabilitation.

“All people are to them is a monetary gain,” said Jana Thorpe, a professional guardian who removed one of her wards from the company’s care in 2008. “They don’t care if they do anything for them.”

Full Article and Source:
Abuse of Brain Injured Americans Scandalizes U.S.

Also See:
Patients Tell of Beatings at Rehabilitation Center

8 comments:

Thelma said...

It is an outrage that our government permits this.

StandUp said...

Thelmma, you're right, it's an outrage. We've got to hope that excellent investigative reports like "Abuse of Brain Injured Americans Scandalizes U.S." will bring the spotlight on this kind of abuse and a tidal wave of citizen outrage will force reform.

Thank you Bloomberg News and NASGA.

Jessica said...

I just read the whole story at the site source and commend Bloomberg News for the fantastic job of investigating and reporting on FINR.

Barbara said...

My heart bleeds for these victims.

Sue said...

There is NO excuse for this negligence, mistreatment and worse intentional harm and where there is intentional harm there is possibility of homicide.

A TBI can happen to anyone of us at any time. Accidents are a major risk. The problem with society is they do not think this can or will happen to them or their loved ones so they say oh isn't this sad and tune out.

MEGA Credit to the reporter who is taking this all the way and that's what's needed to expose how the responsible agencies create a maze with no exit.

Anonymous said...

This is egregious .......
The children, disabled and elderly are for sale .............
How can the US government allow this to continue

Rachel said...

Good investigative reporting. I hope it does some good!

Nancy said...

We need more reporting like this to expose outrageous abuse and bring it to the public's eye. Thank you Bloomberg News and NASGA.