A Drowning and a Lot of Questions
On January 27, 10-year-old Brandon Parrish Johnson wandered away from his residential facility, Howell Care Centers, in Carrabus County, North Carolina; he was found in a nearby creek. State medical examiners have determined that “the cause of death was accidental drowning and said Brandon’s autism was a contributing factor,” according to WCNC (details can also be read here). State officials also stated that the facility violated federal rules governing intermediate-care facilities for people with mental retardation and have given the center a $12,000 fine, a Type “A” penalty, the most serious that can be accessed.
Brandon was not the only child who had wandered away from the facility:
RHA Howell officials were unavailable for comment. Center officials met with parents Thursday to discuss the death and precautions taken since then to keep residents safe.
Jackie Miller of Charlotte attended the meeting. Her severely autistic 16-year-old son stays at the Clear Creek center.
“That’s all, $12,000?” she said.
During the parent meeting, Miller said, RHA Howell officials talked about improvements they were making to the campus off N.C. 24/27 (Albemarle Road).
“And you can’t protect a 10-year-old little boy?” Miller said in Monday’s interview.
She said her son once wandered away from the center and almost reached Albemarle Road, about a half-mile away.
The center, which has 120 beds for adults and children, is operating at capacity. A “Type A” fine for a mental health facility with 10 or more beds can range from $1,000 to $20,000.
But what “precautions….. to keep residents safe” were not being carried out prior to Brandon drowning and Miller’s son running away?
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism spectrum disorder, children, drowning, north carolina, pdd-nos, Psychology, residential facility, SafetyRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Living Arrangements, Safety
3 opinions for A Drowning and a Lot of Questions
Patrick
Feb 5, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Fencing off the grounds, chainlink, like most public US schools have would be a good place to start. Of course then they would complain about the cost of having to install an electric roadway gate/camera (or card activated) system, or posting a gatekeeper.
I know this is only one idea that may need more thought before implementation.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 5, 2008 at 4:55 pm
And appropriately and adequately trained staff…..
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 6, 2008 at 3:38 am
Officials with the Cabarrus County care center where an autistic boy drowned when he wandered away said they’ve made changes to address problems the state identified.
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