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* Beth Hundsdorfer…
Cameras in the common areas of Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center were supposed to make the troubled southern Illinois facility safer for the approximately 200 people with developmental disabilities who live there.
But in mid-February, a camera caught a mental health technician grabbing a patient by the shirt, throwing him to the floor and punching him in the stomach, according to court records.
Although the worker has since been indicted, for 11 days following the incident, the employee continued to work on the same unit without consequence or restriction until an anonymous letter prompted an investigator to go looking for the video. During that time, no one at the facility, including witnesses to the event, reported the abuse, according to public records.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced in March the plan to install cameras in the wake of an ongoing news investigation by Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica that unearthed a culture of cruelty, abuse, neglect and cover-ups at Choate. The administration also announced it would move 123 individuals from the facility. So far, 34 Choate residents have moved, mostly to other state-operated developmental centers.
The cameras were supposed to deter employees from mistreating patients or to quickly dispel false allegations of abuse by keeping a record of interactions. But a little-discussed provision, intended to protect workers’ rights and patients’ privacy, almost kept the incident from coming to light: The video can only be reviewed if there is an allegation of abuse or neglect.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:16 am
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The abuser’s statement is very telling - is that the service philosophy or reflection of the training staff receive?
Horrid.
Comment by Waffle Fries Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:21 am
You have to give strong whistleblower protection if you expect staff to report regularly. Or change the wording to allow for an external oversight of some kind for this video. I would go to court and get a consent decree and hire a law firm to regularly review the video.
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:21 am
- Spaulding, who has worked at Choate since 2015, said he believed that policy revisions have kept patients who have had emotional outbursts from facing any consequences -
These people aren’t in prison, they have mental disabilities. Hopefully Spaulding does experience prison.
Shut this place down already.
Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:39 am
“Of the more than 20 employees identified as being charged with felonies on suspicion of abusing patients at Choate or covering it up during the news organizations’ ongoing investigations, only two were convicted of a felony. One of those defendants was later allowed to withdraw his plea and plead down to a misdemeanor. Not one employee, even those who caused serious injuries, has received prison time for abusing a patient.”
Choate has always been the economic engine of Union County; either you work there or know someone that does. A jury of people from Union County, or even the State’s Attorney is never going to provide justice to victims. All Choate related cases should be moved outside of Union County due to conflicts of interest. Furthermore, this may be a good practice regarding any state facility in any county.
Comment by TheSouthern Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:42 am
=Last year, then-IDHS Secretary Grace Hou announced the cameras would be installed at all state-operated developmental centers, starting with Choate.
Choate’s problems of abuse have been well documented for over 5 years - AFSCME Local 141 needs to be part of the solution as the pattern of abuse by staffers is reprehensible. JB should also be held to account as well, his solution was to promote the old IDHS head who had been with IDHS for decades while the abuse continued.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:45 am
Sometimes these unions that “protect worker’s rights” are right out of the dark ages
Comment by Unions Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:45 am
A very compelling reason to close Choate is the level of Omerta.
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:50 am
This is based on archaic AFSCME agreements that the state agreed to decades ago where video surveillance alone cannot trigger an investigation. Several agencies have tried to amend these agreements and it is AFSCME that is 100% opposed to allowing video to be reviewed, independent of accusations or complaints. Protect their members at all costs over the lives of others.
Comment by Southerner Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:53 am
===Choate has always been the economic engine of Union County; either you work there or know someone that does.===
That is the heart of the problem with the cover up culture that apparently exists at Choate. You can have stronger whistleblower protections, but unless it includes moving the whistleblower and their family out of there, few people are going to come forward to accuse their neighbors of mistreatment of patients.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:54 am
Maybe our next Governor will show some interest in actually running the executive branch.
Comment by Back to the Future Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:55 am
Agree with everyone that Spaulding is messed up for thinking that mental patients will respond to the same carrot-n-stick approach he was apparently raised on.
Also, a Choate patient escaped and was caught just this past weekend. No details of course surrounding his escape, so in the context of this other story it does raise the question if the man was trying to escape abuse.
Comment by Will Colquhoun Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 10:58 am
I get why someone would want surveillance video to not be just reviewed for no reason, but that seems like it should be a restriction on FOIA to prevent looky-loos, not a restriction on actual enforcement entities from doing spot checks.
Comment by Homebody Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 11:02 am
I think we are at the point where this needs to hit national news for the proper action. If someone like 60 Minutes did a story, then the Gov would do the right thing. But for now, he has all the facts and too little appropriate action.
Comment by Lurker Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 11:13 am
They need to close it. The residents deserve better than the type of care they are receiving in Union County. Union County does not deserve the high paying jobs provided by Choate and the local authorities and juries will continue to look the other way. Shut it down now.
Comment by Stormsw7706 Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 11:20 am
==This is based on archaic AFSCME agreements that the state agreed to decades ago where video surveillance alone cannot trigger an investigation. Several agencies have tried to amend these agreements and it is AFSCME that is 100% opposed to allowing video to be reviewed, independent of accusations or complaints.==
What a fascinating concept you have here. 100% monitoring all the time by your employer. So when your employer doesn’t like you they can just monitor you at will and then discipline you.
Video surveillance was brought into 24-hour facilities to exonerate employees of baseless accusations by incarcerated populations. For the most part, that is exactly what it does - exonerate good employees.
I’m not sure what employee, you included, who would enjoy 24 hour monitoring while you are at your job. I’m not sure what employee would hand over their constitutional rights to expose themselves to criminal litigation. Most folks are comfortable with a balanced approach to both patient and staff safety.
But sure, point at the union as the problem. What’s your solution? Eliminate collective bargaining rights?
Rauner had that same solution.
Comment by MG85 Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 11:42 am
Pretty sure this is exactly what was expected after the last time we were on this merry-go-round of failing to report abuse at this facility.
This is simply the culture in many places, and not just small towns. Saying this out loud leads to the messenger being attacked, and the cycle continues.
Having good intentions of propping up these places with state jobs might make some policy makers feel good about themselves, but it’s time to learn the lesson that good intentions do not automatically mean good outcomes.
Most of the time, towns wither away for a good reason.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 11:43 am
===who would enjoy 24 hour monitoring while you are at your job===
Nobody says they have to enjoy it. And it wouldn’t even be necessary if so many of them weren’t such monsters, or if other staff did the right thing and turned the offenders in.
Y’all have brought this on yourselves.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 11:45 am
The OIG needs to appoint a fulltime, client advocate to the center, who works directly with the clients. Obviously, the residents are not able to communicate their own concerns beyond the staff members, and obviously, the staff writ-large is incapable of policing themselves. Having an inspector onsite, 40 hours a week (or two inspectors?) would curb most of the abuse, if not all of it. But they must work for the clients, not for the facility.
Comment by H-W Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 11:55 am
===blame the entity legally required to represent them===
Exactly where did I write that the union is to blame?
Don’t put words into my mouth, bub.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 12:06 pm
=who would enjoy 24 hour monitoring while you are at your job=
I worked at a gas station for $11.83 an hour and was subjected to 24-hour monitoring that could be watched by the corporate offices at all times. No one likes it, but monitoring like this should be heavily considered in a place where there are allegations of abuse and misconduct against some of society’s most vulnerable.
Comment by Wisco Expat Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 12:38 pm
I don’t understand the controversy. This is how all video cameras work. Video camera footage is recorded so that if you become aware of an event after the footage is recorded, then the video is reviewed.
In this case the system worked exactly as it was intended. The cameras captured and saved the event, and that footage was used to verify the later allegation.
If you want people to review video footage on an ongoing basis, you will need to spend a lot of money, and hire a lot of people, and even then, it will likely take 11 days, because the task is much more complicated than you realize. A facility like Choate might have 50-100 cameras, constantly tracking activity. Abuse might be subtle, like a quick elbow, or a push that looks like another movement, or it could be verbal.
Comment by Merica Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 12:51 pm
===Abuse might be subtle,===
“a mental health technician grabbing a patient by the shirt, throwing him to the floor and punching him in the stomach, according to court records.”
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 12:59 pm
Body cameras on all employees.
The public should have FOIA access.
Damn their feelings.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 1:10 pm
===subtle, like a quick elbow,===
Exactly. And that stuff is illegal (and immoral too). It must be caught as soon as it happens. This is why I argue you need a direct-floor person to whom residents can respond to immediately. A real body on the floor is more likely to learn, and more likely to learn quicker. OIG.
Comment by H-W Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 1:14 pm
==100% monitoring all the time by your employer. So when your employer doesn’t like you they can just monitor you at will and then discipline you.==
But if you’re not doing anything wrong, the video will prove that.
Comment by ??? Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 4:59 pm
== Body cameras on all employees.
The public should have FOIA access.
Damn their feelings.==
Ever heard of HIPAA? That’s why there are no body cameras or cameras at every corner in thes congregate facilities.
Comment by Southern Dude Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 6:35 pm
HIPAA is a policy for HIPAA trained employees…not the public…the onus to keep privacy is on the employees…learn the law?
Comment by Dotnonymous x Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 6:59 pm
- Ever heard of HIPAA? -
Why do morons always try to pretend they understand HIPPA? It has absolutely nothing to do with this.
Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 7:03 pm
https://compliancy-group.com/hipaa-and-use-of-surveillance-video/#:~:text=Since%20HIPAA%20requires%20the%20confidentiality,Risk%20Analysis.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 7:03 pm
== Why do morons always try to pretend they understand HIPPA? It has absolutely nothing to do with this.==
It has everything to do with this. I spent nearly 30 years in DOC. Watched the State spend a lot of money on putting cameras up in all kinds of places only to have to them taken down months later due to HIPAA.
Comment by Southern Dude Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 7:23 pm
- only to have to them taken down -
These cameras are in common areas, and no one is saying they have to be taken down. So, your DOC education aside, this has nothing to do with HIPPA.
Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 7:33 pm
*HIPAA
Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 7:33 pm
== These cameras are in common areas, and no one is saying they have to be taken down. So, your DOC education aside, this has nothing to do with HIPPA.==
The original reply was to a body cameras comment, which has everything to do with HIPAA.
Comment by Southern Dude Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 7:38 pm
Sue the facilities, charge the abusers and reward whistleblowers. In federal prisons, staff who don’t report misconduct are equally punished as the offender.
Comment by Remedy Wednesday, May 22, 24 @ 11:17 pm
Choate, and facilities like it, stays open because any alternatives are far too expensive to operate. This state, nor any other, wants to spend the money needed to properly care for the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. So sad.
Comment by Papa2008 Thursday, May 23, 24 @ 4:23 pm