SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A San Diego County residential home that treats adults with severe mental disorders is facing disciplinary action from the state following an investigation by Team 10.
According to a statement from the California Department of Social Services, it was determined that the change of options in Ramona was not dignified to a client.
The facility houses people who may be suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse or other mental health problems.
Team 10 initially investigated allegations of health and safety concerns among residents after an informant came to the station.
A new government investigation – based on Team 10’s reports – has now found that Changing Options deprived a client of his personal rights.
CDSS also informed Team 10 on August 12 that it was conducting further investigations and could not provide further comment.
Neither the company nor its attorney responded to requests for comment.
The state’s findings came after Albert Maurice Trammel, a former Changing Options employee, informed state authorities and Team 10 about alleged health and safety problems involving the home’s clients.
Trammel told us about a plan to get a client to take his meals and medications outside because he smelled.
“He came to us without having showered for quite some time,” said Trammel, a military veteran. “So the idea came up to put this man out in the cold to get him to shower and get his medications taken outside.”
Trammel told Team 10 that the plan had not worked.
Team 10 also gained access to internal company emails.
A series of emails indicated that Changing Options staff were to encourage the client to eat outside and take his medication starting in early January.
According to National Weather Service records, temperatures in Ramona were near freezing during breakfast.
State regulations require that residential facilities like Changing Options must maintain comfortable temperatures at all times and meals must be taken in a dining hall.
A state regulator made a surprise visit to Changing Options on May 22, and current and former employees told him that the January incident never happened.
They said it would be unethical, according to a government report.
Team 10 had previously contacted nine current and former employees. Eight declined to comment. One denied that anything wrong had happened.
A company lawyer had stated that Changing Options was operating in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.
Learn more about the whistleblower in the first part of Team 10 investigator Craig Harris’ original report to Changing Options below:
Investigation into the treatment of mentally ill people in the Ramona residential home triggers state investigation
The story changed after Team 10 asked a state official on June 10 if the agency had the same Changing Options emails that Team 10 had received.
The broadcaster has submitted these documents to the state for comment.
The next day, the state reopened an investigation into Changing Options.
This time, an Aug. 1 government investigation confirmed that a former employee had sent employees an email asking them to encourage a customer to take meals and medications outside the home, Team 10 had reported.
This time, staff told the regulator that they were aware that the strategy was to encourage the client to shower, but that they did not force the client to shower or accept meals from outside the home.
The state found that at least one client was administered medication outside the facility due to poor hygiene.
The report did not specify what day this happened, but noted that the weather was not cold that day.
Based on this finding, the State reprimanded Changing Options for a breach of health and safety regulations and the CDSS established a recovery plan for the company.
Changing Options must now provide training on personal rights to all employees, including management.
If Changing Options fails to comply with the remediation plan, it could face civil penalties, according to the state report.
This is the second time in a year that a remediation plan has been developed for Changing Options.
The previous incident occurred after a client with bipolar disorder grabbed and swallowed a cup of pills belonging to another resident.
Watch the second part of this Team 10 investigation below, which details an incident in which a resident walked out of a communal dinner into the darkness and rain:
State records show Ramona residential home was charged with medication errors
Theresa Mier, a spokeswoman for the CDSS, said the agency decides on a case-by-case basis whether to impose disciplinary measures.
She said the agency does not have a rating system for group homes, making it difficult to compare Changing Options with similar facilities.
The state also investigated Changing Options this summer over allegations that the facility understaffed, did not serve nutritious meals and failed to control a pest infestation.
All these allegations were unfounded.
