Another death possible due to restraint

[Oscar]

Child dies under care of Delaware facility
by Brittany Horn, The News Journal 6:26 p.m. EDT September 15, 2016

15-year-old girl who was under the care of a private Delaware facility that treats people with developmental disabilities


State police and the state's Institutional Abuse Unit are investigating the death of a 15-year-old girl who was under the care of a private Delaware facility that treats people with developmental disabilities.

Police were called Monday morning to the facility along Kirkwood St Georges Road near Kirkwood after the girl experienced the "onset of an acute medical condition," said Master Cpl. Gary Fournier, a spokesman for Delaware State Police. She was transported first to Christiana Hospital and then to Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, where she died Wednesday, he said.

Her body has been turned over to the state Division of Forensic Science for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of her death, Fournier said.

“Our staff is heartbroken over the loss of Janaia, and our deepest sympathies go out to her mother and extended family," an AdvoServ statement read. "We know there are those who are hurting, and so we are offering grief counseling and support to anyone who may need it.”

Further details about what occurred at the facility, including the girl's last name, were not released by the company or police.

The company "serves the needs of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and severe behavioral challenges," according to AdvoServ's website. It has multiple locations in Delaware, including three in New Castle County, and has been serving disabled people for more than 40 years. It is also listed by the state Department of Health and Social Services as an authorized provider of day and residential services by the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services.

Because it serves children, AdvoServ also receives its licenses through the state Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families, according to spokeswoman Dawn Thompson. The Institutional Abuse Unit will review the death to "see if there was a substantiated matter of abuse," she said.

The Office of Childcare Licenses, which approved AdvoServ's licenses as recently as July, may also investigate, she said.

The company says on its webpage for Delaware facilities that "we are a proven and trusted resource when an individual’s behavioral challenges interfere with his or her learning and the learning of others. We turn last resorts into fresh starts."

The for-profit company has come under scrutiny nationally for its practice of using mechanical restraints – restricting patients movements with devices such as belts and straps. An extensive report from the investigative news organization ProPublica in late 2015 described the deaths of several children under the care of AdvoServ. It also referenced problems at Delaware facilities as recently as 2014.

AdvoServ did not immediately comment on action taken against the company in Delaware over the past three decades. In recent years, the company has invested in video monitoring to help protect both staff and patients, according to the company.

[Callista]

https://www.propublica.org/article/teenage-girl-dies-after-incident-at-for-profit-group-home

Same place as Paige Lunsford. Probably another restraint death. RIP Janaia.

[Oscar]

More info about this death:

Obituary - JANAIA N BARNHART

A bit too late:

Agency to end contract with care provider after teen's death
October 18, 2016

Associated Press |
BALTIMORE (AP) — A Maryland human services agency is canceling its contract with a for-profit behavioral health care provider in Delaware following the death a 15-year-old girl.
The Daily Record of Baltimore (http://bit.ly/2e2ay0h ) reports that the Maryland Department of Human Resources will be terminating its contract with AdvoServ on Oct. 31.

dvoServ provides specialized care for the developmentally disabled. DHR places developmentally disabled youths into AdvoServ facilities.
DHR spokeswoman Katherine Morris says the agency will move all of its clients to other facilities.
The termination of the contract follows the Sept. 14 death of a 15-year-old Maryland girl who was a resident of an AdvoServ facility in Bear, Delaware. The Delaware Division of Forensic Science is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
A representative for AdvoServ did not respond to the newspaper's request for comment.