Published: December 31, 2008 09:27 am      

State shuts care home

Investigation revealed a pattern of neglect

BEAVERDALE — Officials with the state Department of Public Welfare closed a Summerhill Township personal care home Tuesday and immediately removed 15 elderly and mentally challenged residents and placed them in other facilities in the area.

Before noon, welfare officials accompanied by Summerhill Township police executed an emergency relocation order and moved the residents out of Brunnet’s Personnel Care Home, 134 Lance St. The facility is located between Beaverdale and Portage.

The closing followed an investigation that revealed a pattern of neglect, including a Nov. 30 incident of sexual abuse with an unidentified instrument by one resident on another resident.

“This is pretty severe,” said DPW spokeswoman Stacey Witalec. “We took this action due to gross negligence.”

The state said the home’s operators failed to develop a plan to protect residents from a known sexual offender residing at the facility. They also were lax in getting the victim medical and psychiatric help following an initial visit to the hospital earlier this month, officials said.

A total of 227 violations were documented. An October inspection revealed poor sanitary conditions, lack of privacy for some residents and mixing of facility and resident funds.

The facility is owned by William and Shirley Brunnet, and the administrator is listed as Cara Bennett.

A similar facility owned by the Brunnets in Everett was closed in 2007 due to resident neglect and abuse, Witalec said.

William Brunnet was at the facility when DPW officials moved the residents out. He said he received no prior notice of the state’s intentions.

He maintained he reported the resident assault and followed the law in handling the incident.

DPW staff have been working with residents’ families and county aging officials for several days to locate other homes, Witalec said.

“We make sure we are finding for each individual a facility that will meet their needs,” she said.

Brunnet’s Personnel Care Home was licensed to house 22 residents. At the time the decision was made for the state to force its closure, 20 men and women were living there.

Five had found homes elsewhere prior to Tuesday’s action, state officials said.

Summerhill Township police Chief Paul Bonfanti said the residents were removed from the facility without incident.

Bonfanti said he has been called to the home a number of times, most recently to investigate the alleged sexual assault.

The state’s violation report said facility operators ignored the declining health of the assault victim over a three-week period until family members visiting him on Christmas Day requested he get medical addition.

A medical report showed he had a fractured pelvis, septicemia and an abscess so severe he was unable to urinate.