DHS inspectors had faulted the training of direct care staff after a visit to the school shortly after the drowning death of Anita Gaye Kelley in a bathtub, where she had been briefly unattended. An employee who ordinarily worked at a different residence on campus had been in charge of that resident because another staff member was absent. The direct-care staff was also given additional training in the days after the accidental death. The school's road back to Medicaid funding was marked by a couple of detours. But that's not ever gonna happen.
Many times there's a deployment problem.
The superintendent said he hopes state legislators have been paying attention to the problems of all the state schools and will consider step of funding of the institutions. Although Abilene State School meets or exceeds required staffing ratios, he'd put any added funding money into direct-care personnel, he added. He said he believes the reason state schools are being cited more often for deficiencies is not bad management, but having to stretch resources thinner. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement .