The state was “unable to locate a necessary witness,” according to court documents. Law enforcement had been trying to locate the person ahead of court hearings.
After an abuse scandal, state inspectors continued to cite the Robert M. Greer Center in Enid for missing reporting deadlines. Delayed reporting can make proving allegations more difficult and allow abuse to continue, one expert says.
Police and Oklahoma Human Services confirm they are investigating the death of a client at the Robert M. Greer Center in Enid.
The governor cited a need for smaller government last year when he disbanded the mostly unfunded council made up primarily of volunteers and state employees. The group had worked to coordinate funding and services between providers as the number of unsheltered Oklahomans continues to grow.
Oklahoma Human Services will no longer operate an office that investigates mistreatment of people in state care. Lawmakers sent the bill to Stitt’s desk after reports of repeated abuse at a center for people with developmental disabilities.
There were complaints of abuse dating back more than two years before arrests of Greer Center staffers. Some staff provided false information about abuse or made reports about injuries only after they had healed, one former employee testified.
The Department of Human Services’ Office of Client Advocacy did not “do very well” watching over vulnerable adults at a facility in Enid, the chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee told fellow lawmakers.
The state lacks options for kids with developmental disabilities and mental health needs. Oklahoma spent more than $5 million to send 49 kids out of state for treatment in the past year.
