DHS responds in wake of child left in van’s death

DHS responds in wake of child left in van’s death

Facility was already scheduled to be closed this week due to outbreak of Shigella

ralphhardin@gmail.com The Arkansas Department of Human Services issued a statement Tuesday afternoon Regarding Monday’s child fatality at a West Memphis Child Care Center. Christopher Gardner Jr., 5, was found dead in an Ascent Children's Health Services van Monday afternoon, apparently having died from being left in the van for approximately eight hours. The West Memphis day treatment clinic is located at 413 W.

Tyler Cv., in West Memphis.

“This is a heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts are with the child’s family,” said Brandi Hinkle, DHS Deputy Chief of Communications. “We promise to conduct a thorough licensing investigation and to put in place any safety measures that are needed. Our Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education licensing staff is at the facility today for the beginning stages of the licensing investigation and will work with local law enforcement to ensure our work does not interfere with the West Memphis Police Department investigation.”

Ascent is a Child Health Management Services provider, which means it offers services for children with complex health needs in addition to day care. In addition, Ascent serves as a subcontractor to a Medicaid- funded Non-Emergency Transportation (NET) provider called Southeast Trans, meaning Ascent provides transportation to medical appointments, treatment and services for Medicaid beneficiaries. So in addition to a child care licensing investigation, a Medicaid contract monitor also will conduct an investigation into what happened from a transportation perspective. Until that contract monitor can complete its investigation, DHS has ordered that the van not be used and that both the driver and attendant on the van yesterday not be allowed to work. Additional personnel action may be taken. DHS also will ask that Southeast Trans and all Non-Emergency Transportation providers re-educate drivers and attendants about the importance of following transportation safety processes outlined in state licensing regulations.

Both investigations will try to determine where there was a breakdown in the safety processes designed to prevent children from being left in a vehicle, whether individuals were properly trained on those procedures and whether center staff had a process to confirm that policies such as these are routinely followed.

Hinkle noted that all child care centers in Arkansas are required to follow the following requirements related to transportation and child safety:

• Rosters listing the date, the names and the ages of all children shall be used to check children on and off the vehicle when they are picked up and dropped off at home, school, etc. and when they arrive at and leave a facility.

• To ensure that no children are left on the vehicle, the driver or a staff member must walk through the vehicle and physically inspect each seat before leaving the vehicle.

• To ensure that children have safely arrived in the appropriate classroom, the transportation roster shall be reviewed by the Director or designee and compared with classroom attendance records.

• Any vehicles used to transport more than seven (7) passengers and one (1) driver must have approved child safety alarm devices installed. These devices must be properly maintained in working order at all times. The alarm system shall be installed so that the driver must walk to the very back of the vehicle to reach the switch that deactivates the alarm.

Ascent has licensed child care facilities in Arkadelphia, Batesville, Benton, Blytheville, Jonesboro, North Little Rock, Mountain Home, Paragould, Trumann and West Memphis.

The West Memphis location is licensed to care for up to 189 children. The facility in West Memphis has been licensed since July 2006.

Hinkle said DHS staff conducted a routine licensing visit at the center March 20, 2017. (Licensing staff visit every child care center three times a year.) Two minor issues were discovered during that visit, but none were transportation related. Site visits on Nov.

7 and 30, 2016, resulted in no findings. A site visit Aug. 30 discovered one issue, also unrelated to transportation.

“Historically, this facility has had a high level of compliance with licensing requirements,” she said.

In addition, the Medicaid contract monitor inspected the van in February 2017 and found that the safety alarm was working at that time.

Though the center has been closed this week, Hinkle noted that the closure may not be entirely due to the child’s death.

“It is important to note that DHS is not closing this facility due to this incident,” she said. “The center was scheduled to close Wednesday through Friday due to an outbreak of Shigella, which can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

Despite following all recommendations to prevent the spread of the disease, there were still children being affected, according to the Health Department, and center management worked with the Health Department and agreed to close in order for staff to sanitize the center.”

By Ralph Hardin