U.S. Department of Justice Accuses Texas of Abuse of the Developmentally Disabled
Created on 12/01/08An excerpt complaining of treatment of residents at the Richmond State School is below. Click for the full text of the letter.
Contact the Showalter Law Firm if you suspect a loved one has suffered substandard care at a state owned or private facility for the developmentally disabled or the elderly.
Richmond State School
Richmond is located in the City of Richmond, which is in the greater Houston metropolitan area. This Facility has 664 beds for temporary respite admissions, emergency services, and long term placements for individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities. As a matter of context, recent CMS surveys corroborate our findings regarding this Facility. The most recent comprehensive CMS inspection of Richmond occurred on January 12, 2008. CMS cited Richmond for 36 deficiencies regarding federal standards, including, but not limited to: failure to ensure clients' rights were protected, including, the right to be free from abuse, neglect and mistreatment; failure to ensure that clients were free from unnecessary restraints and received active treatment; failure to have sufficient direct care staff to meet the needs of clients; failure to protect clients from abuse during investigations; failure to provide initial and ongoing staff training; failure to show that all allegations of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment were thoroughly investigated; and failure to provide clients health care services, prompt treatment, preventative services, and follow-up care.