Following State Order –

Eagle Hill Treatment Center Closes Down

By Steve Bigham

Officials from Cornerstone of Eagle Hill in Newtown are hoping to re-open the alcohol and drug treatment facility in the coming weeks. For now, however, it remains closed pending a ruling by the state’s Department of Public Health.

Eagle Hill closed its doors along Albert’s Hill Road two weeks ago, sent its patients elsewhere, and “temporarily” laid off most of its approximately 80 employees following a series of alleged violations of rules under which it was operating as a condition of its licensure.

This week, Cornerstone President Norman Sokolow said he made the decision to close the facility temporarily after the state suspended its ability to operate its residential detoxification unit. According to Mr Sokolow, this prevented the business from remaining economically viable.

“It remains closed because the state’s decision literally crippled our operation,” Mr Sokolow said Thursday morning, adding that he opposes the state’s claims wholeheartedly. “There are issues that were reported by the state that are not exactly in conformity with exactly what went on.”

Mr Sokolow said there are “prejudicial” issues on the part of the state agency which he declined to discuss due to the pending administrative decision by the state. However, he vowed that he would eventually be able to re-open the operation.

On December 22, 2000, Department of Public Health Commissioner Joxel Garcia, MD, signed an emergency order requiring Eagle Hill to cease contracting with new patients requiring admission to the facility’s detoxification unit, pending a January 8 hearing. A decision from a state hearing officer is expected in the coming weeks, according to Bill Gerrish, a spokesperson for the state’s health department.

In a statement of charges dated January 4, 2001, the department of health gave notice of its intent to revoke the facility’s license. During numerous inspections in late 2000, the state claims to have found that Eagle Hill violated stipulations and provisions of a consent order, under which Eagle Hill had been operating as a result of concerns raised in previous inspections. The state said the inspections raised issues of concern as far back as April and May of 2000.

First, according to the state, Eagle Hill failed to operate and maintain the facility and services provided in a manner that adequately minimized the health and safety hazards for the protection of clients. Its report points to three separate incidents during the fall of 2000:

On October 3, 2000, a 32-year-old man was admitted to the detox unit where he was searched. The following day the staff found 90 pills of Phenobarbital on his bed and an October 3, 2000, prescription bottle for him for 120 pills. He was transferred to the Danbury Hospital emergency room because of his lethargy and an unsteady gait, and released back to the facility later that night. This incident was never reported to the state as required, the report states. In addition, staff interviews on October 17 and December 27 revealed that security procedures agreed to by the facility pursuant to the consent order were not implemented.

On December 7, 2000, a 51-year-old man was admitted to the detox unit. The following morning, his roommate found him unresponsive with foam on his lips. He was transported to Danbury Hospital after he was defibrillated and “Ambu bagged” by ambulance personnel. He died at the hospital December 27. An investigation by the state, according to the report, revealed that the individual’s treatment plan was not implemented as written. It also revealed that security measures were not implemented as designed in that the individual was permitted to enter and leave the detox unit while unsupervised and the security alarm on the panic bars was not activated.

On December 20, a 23-year-old woman was admitted to the detox unit. The following morning she was found in an unlocked medication room in front of an unlocked medication cabinet. The facility was unable to determine if she took medication from the cabinet. She was transferred to Danbury Hospital for evaluation. An investigation revealed the woman’s vital signs were not monitored during an eight-hour span on her first night. It also found that the patient was able to leave the building throughout the night.

Another inspection revealed that the facility exceeded its licensed detoxification capacity of 26 beds on 36 occasions between September 1 and November 30. In addition, a review of the facility’s records revealed that on at least 26 occasions from October 11 until December 27, unlicensed space was being used for two to six adolescents.

A third charge states the Eagle Hill’s “walkie-talkie,” security alarm, and vehicle identification systems were not consistently implemented. Other inspections indicated that on occasions where staff members were late reporting to duty, security personnel had been pulled from their duties and placed in a residential unit in order to meet residential staffing requirements.

The state’s Department of Public Health licenses and regulates the entire health care system, ranging from nursing homes, hospitals, and day care facilities, to individuals such as nurses and doctors.

“This is part of the regulatory framework that we operate in. When we investigate issues that breach the standard of care in Connecticut, we have to take the proper steps. This case is not unusual,” Mr Gerrish said.

Eagle Hill first opened its doors in Newtown 25 years ago and was taken over by Cornerstone 7-8 years ago. The 56-bed facility provides medically monitored detoxification and intensive patient rehabilitation treatment for alcohol and other chemical dependencies, outpatient services, continuing care, comprehensive family recovery programs, and community education.