Latest news with #caseworkers
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Search NorthJersey.com's interactive database of NJ group home violations and penalties
New Jersey rarely penalizes companies that run group homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. What's more, if the state does penalize a provider, there is no online resource for residents and their families or guardians to look up whether the company is under a sanction — the sort of online tool that other states have. Unless someone at the group home or a support coordinator — essentially a caseworker — alerts them, residents and families may have no idea the company isn't allowed to accept new residents or is under increased state oversight. So built a database showing group home violations and penalties so families have more information to work with, filled with documents obtained through public records requests. The database includes provisional licenses doled out between 2018 and 2024, gathered by through public records requests. A provisional license means the company didn't meet licensing requirements and these problems 'directly endanger the health, safety or wellbeing' of individuals who live in the home, or there is 'substantial noncompliance' with licensing rules. Users can read the licensing reports that detail the concerns inspectors found. For example, if you search: Arc of Atlantic County: Staff found a Hamilton apartment (SA265) filled with so much trash in November of 2020 that they couldn't initially get in. The floors and countertops were covered in trash and feces, bugs flew throughout the rooms, and the odor was 'too much to withstand.' Devereux: The toilet in the first floor bathroom in a Glassboro house was leaking, so 'the shower is presently being used until repairs are completed,' the manager said in September 2023. Heart to Heart: In February 2019, a thick black substance came out of a bathroom sink in a West Deptford apartment. Shower heads in four different units were completely covered in a black substance. There was no proof that nine staff members were trained in diabetes and administering insulin. There are also instances where inspectors returned and found the same problems unaddressed, from poor medical care to decrepit conditions in the house — usually after the company promised in a 'plan of correction' that the problems would be fixed. In these cases, companies would receive a 'repeat provisional license.' The database also shows if the state imposed a harsher penalty on a provider between 2014 and 2024, such as a halt on admissions, or a non-renewal of a home's license. Since 2014, New Jersey: Revoked all licenses for one provider: Bellwether Behavioral Health, after years of reported failings, is the only company the department assigned an independent monitor to oversee, and the only provider it revoked all licenses for — turning over care of its 460 residents to other companies. Suspended admissions for four providers: Friends of Cyrus and PennReach were each barred twice from accepting new residents. Delta Community Supports faced a suspension between 2022 and 2023, as did Bellwether between 2018 and 2019. Did not renew licenses at six providers: The state shut down supervised apartments run by PennReach after finding an 'extensive breadth of repeat deficiencies." A Partnerships for People supervised apartment program in Clifton wasn't renewed after earning three provisional licenses and not correcting issues it said it had corrected, such as following up on medical appointments. The state did not renew an additional nine licenses held by Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Living in Freedom Inc., Advancing Opportunities and Kelsch Associates. The database includes letters to companies that were placed under a 'Quality Management Team,' or QMT — the highest level of state supervision. A QMT is a panel of high-level state employees that closely oversees a company and routinely meets with group home executives to discuss longstanding problems and how to fix them. QMTs are rare and have been imposed on only six companies: Community Options, Bellwether, REM New Jersey, Delta Community Supports, PennReach and Friends of Cyrus. The state has warned two providers — the Arc of Cape May and EIHAB Human Services — that QMTs could be assigned if 'critical' issues weren't resolved, such as a lack of food for residents. If a company is not in the database, it does not mean inspectors or state employees have not found concerns in the home. This database only includes information when a licensing punishment was given, and not all annual reports created by licensing inspectors. The database also does not include reports of abuse or neglect. Those documents — called unusual incident reports or investigation reports — are not publicly available. sent multiple public records requests to the state for these documents and was denied. This article originally appeared on Search database of NJ group home violations
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Search NorthJersey.com's interactive database of NJ group home violations and penalties
New Jersey rarely penalizes companies that run group homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. What's more, if the state does penalize a provider, there is no online resource for residents and their families or guardians to look up whether the company is under a sanction — the sort of online tool that other states have. Unless someone at the group home or a support coordinator — essentially a caseworker — alerts them, residents and families may have no idea the company isn't allowed to accept new residents or is under increased state oversight. So built a database showing group home violations and penalties so families have more information to work with, filled with documents obtained through public records requests. The database includes provisional licenses doled out between 2018 and 2024, gathered by through public records requests. A provisional license means the company didn't meet licensing requirements and these problems 'directly endanger the health, safety or wellbeing' of individuals who live in the home, or there is 'substantial noncompliance' with licensing rules. Users can read the licensing reports that detail the concerns inspectors found. For example, if you search: Arc of Atlantic County: Staff found a Hamilton apartment (SA265) filled with so much trash in November of 2020 that they couldn't initially get in. The floors and countertops were covered in trash and feces, bugs flew throughout the rooms, and the odor was 'too much to withstand.' Devereux: The toilet in the first floor bathroom in a Glassboro house was leaking, so 'the shower is presently being used until repairs are completed,' the manager said in September 2023. Heart to Heart: In February 2019, a thick black substance came out of a bathroom sink in a West Deptford apartment. Shower heads in four different units were completely covered in a black substance. There was no proof that nine staff members were trained in diabetes and administering insulin. There are also instances where inspectors returned and found the same problems unaddressed, from poor medical care to decrepit conditions in the house — usually after the company promised in a 'plan of correction' that the problems would be fixed. In these cases, companies would receive a 'repeat provisional license.' The database also shows if the state imposed a harsher penalty on a provider between 2014 and 2024, such as a halt on admissions, or a non-renewal of a home's license. Since 2014, New Jersey: Revoked all licenses for one provider: Bellwether Behavioral Health, after years of reported failings, is the only company the department assigned an independent monitor to oversee, and the only provider it revoked all licenses for — turning over care of its 460 residents to other companies. Suspended admissions for four providers: Friends of Cyrus and PennReach were each barred twice from accepting new residents. Delta Community Supports faced a suspension between 2022 and 2023, as did Bellwether between 2018 and 2019. Did not renew licenses at six providers: The state shut down supervised apartments run by PennReach after finding an 'extensive breadth of repeat deficiencies." A Partnerships for People supervised apartment program in Clifton wasn't renewed after earning three provisional licenses and not correcting issues it said it had corrected, such as following up on medical appointments. The state did not renew an additional nine licenses held by Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Living in Freedom Inc., Advancing Opportunities and Kelsch Associates. The database includes letters to companies that were placed under a 'Quality Management Team,' or QMT — the highest level of state supervision. A QMT is a panel of high-level state employees that closely oversees a company and routinely meets with group home executives to discuss longstanding problems and how to fix them. QMTs are rare and have been imposed on only six companies: Community Options, Bellwether, REM New Jersey, Delta Community Supports, PennReach and Friends of Cyrus. The state has warned two providers — the Arc of Cape May and EIHAB Human Services — that QMTs could be assigned if 'critical' issues weren't resolved, such as a lack of food for residents. If a company is not in the database, it does not mean inspectors or state employees have not found concerns in the home. This database only includes information when a licensing punishment was given, and not all annual reports created by licensing inspectors. The database also does not include reports of abuse or neglect. Those documents — called unusual incident reports or investigation reports — are not publicly available. sent multiple public records requests to the state for these documents and was denied. This article originally appeared on Search database of NJ group home violations
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
AI speeding up special educational needs reports
Artifical intelligence (AI) is being used by a council in a bid to cut lengthy waiting times for children's special needs reports. Stoke-on-Trent City Council produces hundreds of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) each year and has been struggling to issue them on time because of increased demand, but delays can leave families waiting for extra support. In 2023-24, 43% of the council's EHCPs were completed within 20 weeks, compared with a national target of 60%. Members of a scrutiny committee were told AI tools had been trained to extract information from documents such as psychological reports and write it into a plan - completing the task faster than a human. Delyth Mathieson, assistant director of education and family support, said each young person received a range of different reports and until now, individual case workers pulled elements together. She said: "What we're looking at is a process whereby we can upload those reports, securely obviously, so that the information is collated and dropped into the format automatically and intelligently." The process still involved a case worker who knows the children, she told the children and family services overview and scrutiny committee. That case worker went through each individual report to check for any misunderstandings by the AI, she added. Ms Mathieson said the approach also freed up case workers to "focus on the quality of that report, rather than a cut-and-paste exercise". Committee member Laura Carter, welcomed the move, adding: "If we have the option of bringing in technology, then why not use it?" The council said it had cleared its backlog and provisional figures for April showed 83% of EHCPs were issued within 20 weeks. The authority has also recruited more educational psychologists, changed how applications are processed, and increased early intervention to reduce demand. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Thousands of children waiting too long for school support, BBC finds Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Portland Mayor Wilson urges Multnomah County leaders to adopt homelessness response reforms
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Portland Mayor Keith Wilson is discussing with city and county leaders how to better address the homeless crisis. This comes just days after announcing his for the 2025 fiscal year. The budget dedicates tens of millions of dollars toward his plan to end unsheltered homelessness. Rising costs prompt opening of new free food pantry Wilson shared with the Multnomah County Homelessness Response System Steering and Oversight Committee where he believes the city and county are falling short. Specifically, when it comes to how data is collected at homeless shelters, Wilson said their current system is leading to waste. 'I want to see a utilization rate,' Wilson said. 'The problem with our system is we are not doing three-bed checks a night. We are conflating utilization with the occupancy. Yet we know the beds are empty for long periods of time.' Wilson also discussed stay limits at shelters. Under his plan, people can only stay at a 24/7 shelter for 90 days at a time and are required to meet with a caseworker. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mental health case worker jobs still in limbo
BOSTON (SHNS) – State mental health care workers secured some job security in the final House budget but are staring down new uncertainty in the Senate Ways and Means Committee budget. Ways and Means took no explicit action to maintain the Department of Mental Health case manager workforce, which Gov. Maura Healey proposed slashing in half from 340 to 170 individuals in her fiscal 2026 budget recommendation. Representatives blocked the layoffs within a mega-amendment to their budget last week. Ways and Means Chair Sen. Michael Rodrigues said his team 'spent a lot of time talking about this,' and deferred to an aide when asked if the committee's budget would maintain the DMH jobs. Rodrigues later said the workforce volume supported by the budget is an 'administrative question' that should be posed to DMH. 'This is the one where there's an active labor conversation going on between the administration and the DMH case workers' union,' SWM budget director Christopher Czepiel said during a briefing. 'So we're proposing that we don't wade into that issue, and let the administration negotiate that. And if it needs to come back for supplemental funding at a later date, we would consider it then.' Rodrigues said mental health is a 'big priority' for the Senate, and while case manager levels are uncertain in the Ways and Means budget he said the panel wants 'real robust mental health services.' 'What's currently funded provides enough resources to serve the needs of the DMH community,' the Westport Democrat said. 'If, who knows what contracts and negotiations with CBAs, we pass supplemental budgets all the time in order to deal with new collective bargaining agreements. And we'll be prepared to, if need be, we want to ensure that there's real robust mental health services in the commonwealth.' In response to a follow-up question from a reporter, Rodrigues replied he did not know whether the SWM budget cuts case managers. Czepiel chimed in, 'We don't explicitly prescribe language to that effect in here. It gives flexibility to the administration to manage those negotiations.' The House Ways and Means Committee budget also gave no relief to DMH case managers, as Chair Aaron Michlewitz similarly cited a 'collective bargaining conversation.' He told reporters in mid-April that lawmakers will likely need to tackle the issue in a supplemental budget once the Healey administration and union members reach an agreement. The House then adopted a floor amendment stating that 'department case manager staffing levels shall not be reduced below fiscal year 2025 case manager staffing levels.' The threatened layoffs would save the state $12.4 million, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services has said. DMH Commissioner Brooke Doyle told lawmakers at a budget hearing her department is reshuffling resources to invest in strained inpatient psychiatric care. SEIU Local 509, whose members recently took a vote of no-confidence in Doyle, is at odds with DMH over a more flexible care model for case managers as the state adapts to a potentially smaller workforce. Union President Dave Foley said the Healey administration's claims about the parties being engaged in 'negotiations' are 'completely inaccurate and misleading.' 'Let me be clear: while we have remained open to doing everything we can to save these services, the administration walked away from a series of conversations with DMH workers and union leadership several weeks ago after refusing to budge on these cuts,' Foley said in a statement to the News Service Tuesday. 'The Governor's continued effort to push a misleading narrative comes across as a delay to finding a real solution and pressuring us into accepting a deal that maintains a dangerous reduction in services. If this administration truly cares about mental health, they should be focused on stopping these cuts, not undermining our efforts to save these vital services.' Administration spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Foley's remarks. The SWM budget directly saves hospitals and other health care facilities that Healey initially proposed shuttering to save costs. Like the House, SWM would maintain funding for three youth mental health treatment facilities for patients dealing with serious illnesses and safety issues. State-run public health hospitals would receive $237.7 million under the SWM budget, with $31 million earmarked for operations at Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton, which treats patients with severe disabilities. Healey, who paused her plan to close Pappas, had recommended $206.7 million for the account. The House Ways and Means Committee budget proposed $217 million to collectively fund all public health hospitals, with no clear distinction in money between Pappas, Tewksbury Hospital and Lemuel Shattuck Hospital. Representatives adopted an amendment to create a legislative commission to study the future of Pappas while keeping it open, with language also barring the state from cutting services or consolidating care with another hospital until that commission produces a report by the end of 2026. Pocasset Mental Health Center, a 16-bed psychiatric hospital on Cape Cod that Healey also hit pause on shutting down, would receive $4.8 million under the SWM budget. The HWM budget directed funding to maintain operations at Pocasset, but the committee did not specify an allocation for the facility within broader funding for DMH. Representatives steered an additional $50,000 to 'improve the mental health rooms' at Pocasset through a budget amendment, though Rep. David Vieira had pushed for a bigger allocation of $200,000. 'We want to ensure that those two very important mental health centers are not closed this fiscal year,' Rodrigues said of Pappas and Pocasset. Budget amendments are due Friday, and senators are likely to file proposals to install additional protections or funding streams for DMH case managers, Pappas and Pocasset. Budget debate will kick off on May 20. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
