Last summer, one resident drank a quarter-cup of hair spray, some bleach and disinfectant. Another resident detached a retina from self-abuse. The report also mentioned an incident last summer in which a resident died after choking on pancakes as evidence that the center has inadequate training in how to eat. Morgan's effort to investigate and correct the cause were inadequate, the report said. Kirk said the resident who blinded herself did so in 1980.
Injuries can happen.
The report said 20 percent of Morgan residents went to the emergency room or hospital in 1998. Kirk said none of the 14 were hospitalized. Of the 14, eight went to the emergency room for medical reasons, such as seizures, pneumonia, viral infection and vomiting, not because of injury. The report said some injuries occur as a result of peer assaults and cited a case of one Morgan resident who assaulted peers 30 times in 1998. It is true we have a part-time contracted physician.