Trips to strip clubs and adult establishments for consumers of the Department of Mental Health are not acceptable, and if these trips continue they will result in the cancellation of the contract of the agency involved, DMH Director Keith Schafer wrote in a June 20 memorandum sent to all DMH providers.
“The Department of Mental Health strongly believes that taking a DMH consumer to a strip club or similar establishment …is far beyond the pale of good judgment and appropriateness,” Schafer wrote in the memorandum, which was emailed to The Salem News Friday by DMH’s department of public affairs.
On at least nine occasions in 2012 paid staff at Enrichment Services, Inc., located in Salem, took developmentally disabled consumers to Big Louie’s in St. Robert, the Pleasure Zone in Rolla, and Harrah’s Casino in St. Louis, according to monthly logs completed by ESI staff and obtained from a public records request from The Salem News to the Dent County Developmental Disabilities Board, also known as the SB40 board.
The documents obtained from the SB40 board through the public records request show that while being paid, ESI staff played slot machines, observed exotic dancers, purchased sex toys for consumers and instructed them on how to use them. In one instance staff purchased a lap dance at Big Louie’s for a consumer. Names of consumers were not included in the documents.
ESI, through its lawyer, turned down a public records request from The Salem News for similar documents, ESI financial records and a current list of ESI board members.
Schafer stated in the memorandum that typically his department would restrain themselves from issuing directives as to what would define good judgment, because to do so would result in a decreased level of care.
“In the vast majority of the instances, the judgment and clinical innovation at the local level is strong and sound, and results in good services for our consumers. On very rare occasions, I am surprised to find that is not true. This is one of those instances,” he wrote.
Schafer also stated that the inappropriateness did not solely stem from allegations of abuse, but from use of taxpayer money.
Schafer’s memorandum went on to say that he believes that 99 percent of health care providers would consider taking those in their care to adult venues to be inappropriate.
“If your agency happens to be within that one or less percent of community agencies who might think otherwise, you are now aware of (the DMH) position,” Schafer wrote.
Schafer said in his memorandum that “within the current DMH definitions of abuse and neglect, it would not be possible to substantiate abuse and neglect” in this situation. According to the release, since the staff was acting under the sanctions of the community agency, and no direct harm could be substantiated, the legal standard for abuse or neglect could not be met.
Schafer also wrote about “inappropriateness of the use of taxpayer dollars for activities that, in the strong opinion of DMH executive leadership, should not occur.”
ESI, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is administered by Benita Watson, and is primarily funded through tax dollars. Vicki Wood, ESI board president, confirmed in a news story April 16 that consumers were taken on the trips to adult venues.
Watson did not return requests Friday and Monday for comment on the memorandum.
Schafer simply referred to “one of its contracted community agency providers” in the memorandum.
A similar incident occurred in Pulaski County. Reliable Home Care in Rolla took a developmentally disabled consumer to an erotic store, Pulaski County Public Administrator Loretta Rouse told The Salem News June 14.
“I saw it in the quarterly report (from Reliable Home Care) I was given as (the consumer’s) guardian. These people are like minor children. I never dreamed they would take them to (an erotic store),” Rouse said.
Reliable Home Care, a contracted provider with DMH, did not return phone calls left last week.
Pulaski, Phelps, and Dent counties are all under the supervision of the Rolla Regional Office of the Department of Mental Health. Jennifer O’Day, regional director, was made aware of the situation at ESI after a hotline call in February 2013. After reviewing the inquiry report resulting from the hotline call, O’Day opted not to go forward with the investigation.
“After thoroughly reviewing the inquiry report, I have found insufficient evidence to substantiate any abuse or neglect,” O’Day wrote in a letter to Watson dated Feb. 26, 2013.
O’Day did not return requests Monday for comment regarding the results of the investigation.
SB40 board chairman Philip Giacomelli said the board was pleased with the memorandum. The board had seen the trips as abuse of their clients, but the results of the investigation and Schafer’s statement helped ease their concerns, Giacomelli said.
“We are very, very pleased with the outcome. (DMH) has made it clear that judgment was obscured initially. I feel as though we finally have some relief for the taxpayers of Dent County as well,” Giacomelli said.
Schafer made it apparent in the memorandum that judgment would not be an issue going forward should a provider choose to ignore his statement.
“To make DMH’s position crystal clear…such actions are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. If, after this clarification, such actions continue, DMH will cancel the contract of the agency involved,” Schafer wrote.
