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Eye On Boise

Idaho investigating abuse allegations at state home for disabled

By Rebecca Boone, Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho's welfare agency is investigating allegations that staffers physically and psychologically abused and neglected some residents at a state-run treatment center for people with severe disabilities.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced the investigation Wednesday, saying the allegations appeared to be focused on employees assigned to just one unit of the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center in Nampa. Seven of the center's 25 residents were allegedly abused.

The department didn't release details of the allegations, but said local police have been notified and the employees implicated in the complaint have been placed on paid leave.

"These actions go against everything we stand for and are being treated with the utmost urgency," DHW Director Russ Barron said in a prepared statement. "The safety of our residents is our highest concern and priority, especially in this challenging environment."

Barron said he is "extremely disappointed" that some staffers haven't followed department procedures designed to ensure the safety and dignity of residents.

"They will be disciplined, including dismissal if the circumstances are warranted," Barron said.

The center typically houses people with severe intellectual disabilities who are in crisis or who have significant behavioral challenges. The center's goal is to provide treatment and care for residents so they can be moved to a less-restrictive setting, such as a community-based group home, but some of the residents have been there for years.

Department officials were made aware of the problems in June, when an employee at the treatment center reported that they had concerns about resident safety, said Health and Welfare Department spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr.

"This is pretty upsetting for us because it really goes against the core values of the agency," Forbing-Orr said. "Resident safety is our number one priority."

The investigation is campus-wide, she said, though the allegations do focus on one section of a building. That building has security cameras in the hallways — though not in residents' rooms — and that footage is being reviewed, Forbing-Orr said.

Like Idaho's other state hospitals, the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center has a high rate of staff injuries, in part because of the challenges posed by some residents' behaviors.

"The people who are still there (as residents) have some pretty severe behavioral challenges, and sometimes the behaviors can be pretty intense," Forbing-Orr said. "We have rigorous protocols and procedures for how our staff are supposed to interact with the residents there. Some of the complaints are that they didn't follow our procedures."

The allegations include physical abuse, which the department defines as actions intended to cause pain or bodily harm, as well as psychological abuse, which can include humiliation, harassment, intimidation or other mistreatment. The complaints also allege neglect, which the department says can include a failure to provide goods and services because of carelessness or inattention.

Residents' families have been notified of the investigation, Forbing-Orr said.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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