Posted by Barton Lorimor (@bartonlorimor)
* Tribune…
In a stunning admission, the chief executive of a troubled network of group homes told a judge Friday that he didn’t know the whereabouts of six of his residents with developmental disabilities.
It also wasn’t clear that any of the six had their medications with them when they left homes run by Disability Services of Illinois, which lost its license because of safety concerns.
An incredulous Cook County Circuit Judge Kathleen Pantle responded by scolding the operator of Disability Services and sharply questioning his attorney….
The judge encouraged the state to file missing persons reports with police, but Durkin said that couldn’t be done because the state wasn’t given the specific date when each resident was last seen.
At that point, Durkin questioned Goodwin about when each of the five residents had left and asked for the names and phone numbers of the family members they left with. Goodwin said he didn’t have any of those details and only knew that they left sometime after Nov. 28, the date Disability Services lost its license.
That’s a little more re-posting than what is usually in my comfort zone. I’d encourage you to read the whole story >>
*** UPDATE 1x *** - From DHS…
Missing person reports have been filed with local law enforcement agencies for the 5 remaining individuals. IDHS and the independent services coordination agencies have been working diligently to locate these individuals and their health and safety remains our top priority. We continue to urge Mr. Goodwin to cooperate fully with our staff, the independent service coordination agencies, and local law enforcement agencies so that we can continue their transition to safe and licensed homes.
*** UPDATE 2x *** - A spokesperson for DHS says the five residents are missing from multiple facilities.
Meredith Krantz, communications director for DHS, said the missing person reports were filed with the Chicago Police Department and the Village of Homewood Police Department. Reports were disbursed among those departments based on where the residents were living at the time they went missing.
Krantz said DHS and Disability Services are due back in Court at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
- RIJ - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 9:32 am:
Yes, let’s privatize all social services in Illinois so they can be run as well as this. /s
- Blogman - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 9:38 am:
Do you think that the State will take their license away? Cut off the funding? I’ll bet they will not face any real penalty from the State. Life goes on, I guess!
- zatoichi - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 9:56 am:
Who does Goodwin know well that provides cover for him and allows this to keep happen? His homes should have the same reviews as are done across the state for other CILA providers. The Trib series has really focused on bad situations like Disability Services which makes for nice headline pieces. Will they also do equally long articles about the many CILA providers who do a very good job even with terrible rates from the state?
- LEO - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 10:12 am:
You don’t need the exact date a person was last seen to make a missing persons report. They could use Nov 28 as a placeholder and explain the details in the narrative. The State should know that.
- Joe Biden Was Here - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 10:56 am:
The agency has had their license revoked. DHS is trying to move the affected group home residents but 5 cannot be found.
Try to keep up with the news.
- JoeMaddon - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 11:12 am:
==Who does Goodwin know well that provides cover for him and allows this to keep happen?==
Appears that he knows THE guy:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1384035538284500&set=a.344423822245682.80878.100000342001860&type=3&theater
- Anonymous - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 12:36 pm:
Sad to say there are many providers who do not provide good services for the disabled.Most CILAs receive federal dollars. They should have oversight and accountability. With a family member in a CILA I would welcome unannounced visits, and an annual inspection. Disabilities Service was not the only provider highlighted in the Tribune article. There needs to be an investigation into many more CILA providers. The good providers were able to provide quality services even with the poor funding. You can’t buy integrity with money.
- retired guy - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 9:19 pm:
History is repeating itself. Years ago the large facilities (ICFDD’s) became subject to federal “look behind” surveys to ensure state surveyors were doing their job. They found that Illinois was not insisting on high standards because they would have to pay for them. They were paying for aides to do the job that licensed therapists were to do. The result was to put the facilities in jeopardy because the rate was substantially lower than almost all other states. The issue is the same today. Illinois pays in the lowest %10 for CILA services (including fed match)and if/when there is a budget and the CILAs are not prioritized for payment and end up in line with all the other vendors, you will see a massive crisis, the likes of which social service agencies have never be subject to. The average number of people in CILA’s in Illinois is over 4, whereas nationwide the average is 2.3. Stat after stat shows Illinois behind the rest of the nation. There needs to be more accountability by the CILA’s, more oversight by the state, but there needs to be a major increase in the rates the state pays or the progressive system providers are trying to create will crumble within the next year.