Nancy Hicks: A Big Red moment at BSDC faces scrutiny
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At least one of the “deficient” practices federal investigators described after monitoring staff at the Beatrice State Developmental Center has a uniquely Nebraska flavor.
Here’s the official description of the deficient practice:
“In one such example (of deficient practices), at least two clients were essentially ignored while the staff and other clients watched the University of Nebraska Cornhusker’s football team lose to the University of Kansas Jayhawks, 38-76.
“In spite of information in these clients behavior modification programs urging ‘avoidance of chaotic disruptive environments’ or ‘participating in daily activities without aggression, self abuse or disruptive behavior,’ these clients were left to fend for themselves for over an hour while staff focused on Nebraska’s ineffective defense.”
The anecdote is among the thousands of pages of documents that the state Department of Health and Human Services has turned over to the special Legislative Committee looking at problems at BSDC.
Federal inspectors also found some very serious problems at BSDC and concluded there was an “environment of systemic decay” at the institution that cares for adults with serious developmental disabilities.
Because of the ongoing problems, the federal government intends to cut off federal funding to BSDC, eliminating more than half the $50 million annual budget. The state has appealed that decision.
The legislative committee, which must have a report finished by Dec. 15, has scheduled two final afternoon hearings Thursday and Friday.
Thursday’s hearing will focus on the long waiting list for community services.
On Friday, HHS leaders Chris Peterson and John Wyvill and BSDC director Ron Stegemann will offer their ideas on how to move forward.
Both meetings will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the state Capitol.
Ooops
A company that created jobs under the state’s original tax incentive law (often called the LB775 program), missed the deadline to get tax money back, a lot of money.
Becton, Dickinson and Company and Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy Systems Inc. created at least 100 new jobs and made an investment of at least $10 million, thus meeting the requirement for tax refunds under LB775.
However, the company missed the deadline for filing to claim the tax refund by 2½ months, and the state denied the company’s request for $2.37 million in tax refunds.
The Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the state’s refusal to refund the money in a decision released Friday.
Companies seldom miss their deadlines to file for refunds, said Tax Commissioner Doug Ewald. “This is very rare.”
Quit smoking
Beginning this winter, Nebraska Medicaid recipients will get a little help quitting smoking and chewing.
On Dec. 1, the state’s Medicaid program will begin paying for the pills and patches intended to help people quit their addiction to nicotine.
The state Legislature mandated the program, bringing the state into the mainstream on this issue.
When senators considered the issue last winter, Nebraska was one of just eight states that provided no Medicaid coverage for the counseling or pharmaceuticals to help people beat the nicotine addiction.
These are some of the rules for the program, based on proposed regulations:
n Medicaid clients will be required to participate in the state’s Tobacco Free Quitline, which offers telephone assessment and counseling, according to draft regulations.
n They also will have to attend four counseling sessions by a doctor or pharmacist.
n Medicaid will pay for two quitting attempts in a 12-month period.
It takes a person six to seven attempts to actually quit long-term, with counseling only, according to Judy Martin, HHS program manager. The rates are lower when counseling is combined with a product, she says.
The state estimates that 33,500 people on Medicaid either smoke or chew.
The state budget provides almost $600,000 for the program — $250,000 in state funds and $345,000 in federal funds.
Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.
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no excuse wrote on October 12, 2008 8:49 pm:
Shouldnt Be Surprised wrote on October 13, 2008 3:21 am:
Who else was watching the game wrote on October 13, 2008 9:56 am:
Hmmm, sounds like someone else was watching the game too, doesn't it???
It's part of the staff's job to be involved with the resident's activities - they are there to give guidance, set examples, etc.. Sometimes they get distracted by being immersed in the activity, it's just human nature. Just like the example above, the auditor had evidently paid enough attention to the game to know the Husker defense was ineffective - how many other problems did the auditor miss while they were evidently watching the game too??? NO ONE is 100% efficient at their job, that's just a simple fact. We're dealing with human beings and human beings are not perfect creatures, so the standard of perfection being used is completely unrealistic - especially when those trying to hold others to that standard aren't meeting it themselves, if they were they wouldn't have been able to critique the game in their report! "