Who knows why it took an investigative reporter 1,200 miles away in Boston to discover and expose the drumbeat of abuse going on at the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation.
Bloomberg's David Armstrong discovered one malevolent little secret at FINR, then another and another. And by the time last week rolled around, he had taken the lid off a series of atrocities at one of the most prestigious brain treatment facilities in the country.
Armstrong's report, "Abuse of brain-injured Americans scandalizes U.S.," details the abuse, neglect and confinement of FINR patients -- some of whom were sexually abused, some beaten, some tortured and more, say 20 current and former patients and their family members, criminal charges, civil complaints and advocates for the disabled.
Armstrong doesn't skimp on powerful examples of the alleged abuse and neglect. He includes instances where patients have died, or have reportedly swallowed fishhooks and batteries to escape the institution, as well as testimonials from former patients, including videotaped evidence of apparent beatings by caretakers.
Take all this testimony and add it to the more than 2,000 pages of court and medical records, police reports, state investigations and autopsies and you've got to wonder how on God's green earththe 20-year-old, for-profit Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation is allowed to remain open for business.
And don't be misled by FINR's hidey-hole location in Hardee County. In spite of the Podunk-just-east-of-Stumblebum address, this is one pricey joint for patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, anything from bullet wounds to traffic accidents. It is perhaps the largest facility of its kind in the country, with 196 beds. And, says Anderson, its marketing is focused not on who among the 5.3 million brain-damaged Americans needs it most, but on the relative few who can pay bills that reach $1,850 a day.
The report also outlines that Floridas Department of Children and Families received 477 allegations of abuse or neglect at FINR since 2005. That includes 36 that were verified by investigations. According to the state agency, the verified claims and others were referred to law enforcement.
That's a lot of time, a lot of abuse left unchecked, since authorities had those reports in their hands.
But thank the Lord, somebody is finally doing something -- though it's not the political leadership it should be.
Walter Dartland, executive director of the Consumer Federation of the Southeast, issued an emergency call on Friday for state and federal authorities to send a protective services team to FINR to make sure each resident is safe.
He also advocated for a state or multi-state and/or federal forensic audit of the place. What he wants investigated, too, is its possible misuse of any federal and state tax dollars, or any possible fraudulent activity that would milk or bilk patients premiums.
In a written statement, Dartland said of Bloomberg News,"One of the nations most trustworthy media organizations has documented what it asserts is a horrific, outrageous and heartbreaking series of heinous acts at a facility that is supposed to be providing care to some of the country's most vulnerable patients.
"The desperate cries for help from behind FINR's closed doors are an urgent alarm that should resonate at the highest levels of federal and state government and law enforcement. Families rightfully are deeply concerned and deserve to know their loved ones are in a safe and secure environment."
Dartland's outrage is so appropriate. Protecting public safety really is the top priority and responsibility of government. If authorities need to take over control of the facility to ensure the patients are safe, he says, "then thats what needs to happen now.
"If state action now can prevent any further abuse of a single patient, then action is justified today," said Dartland.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
