Missourians speak out after scathing DOJ report on state’s handling of mental disabilities
‘I felt like nobody cared,’ a former Missourian said after being kept in nursing home as teen
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Missourians are sharing their stories after a June Department of Justice report revealed the state illegally subjected more than 3,000 patients with severe mental health disabilities to months or years-long stays in nursing homes.
The department’s report said this denial of medical care was in direct breach of the Americans with Disabilities Act and that the state was not providing sufficient community-based care.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson questioned the credibility of the report, while at the time, itting he hadn’t studied how the DOJ compiled it.
The bureau spoke with multiple families and patients who say they experienced the issues first-hand.
Kelsey Jones was 18 years old when she was put into a nursing home facility in Crane, Missouri. Jones had spent many of the previous years in various care facilities, none of which, she said, were designed to address her disability.
Jones said she began suffering psychological symptoms as a side effect of her lupus medication.
“I felt like nobody cared,” Jones said of the experience. “I felt like when I needed something done, when I would go to someone, it would just be pushed right under the rug.”
Jones said the of the facility dismissed her lupus diagnosis and she said that led to her not receiving the medical care she needed.
“They turned everything into a behavior,” Jones said. “My health wasn’t taken care of, I had to get my teeth pulled out because they wouldn’t take me to the dentist.”
Jones was placed under the legal guardianship of the state of Missouri, under the care of a case . Frustrated, Jones eventually left the state and moved to Oregon, still as a ward of Missouri.
A similar case happened in the Springfield area. An 18-year-old woman, whose family asked that she not be identified in our coverage, was sent to Claro Deville Nursing Home after being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
Schizoaffective disorder causes schizophrenia and extreme mood changes.
Her relatives were hoping the 18-year-old would be sent to a behavioral health center.
“They said they did not have the resources available to put her in a behavioral health center.,” one of her relatives said.
Jones and Ashely said that they did not need to be in a lockdown facility, and echoed the findings of the DOJ report which found Missouri doesn’t provide adequate access to community-based mental health care.
The Missouri Department of Mental Health released a statement Thursday:
“The Departments of Mental Health, Health and Senior Services, and Social Services have reviewed the Department of Justice report and are collaborating to evaluate and address the findings in the report,” the statement said. “Future discussions are anticipated between the Departments and the Department of Justice regarding the report and appropriate remedies.”
The report can be read in full by following this link.
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