On Friday, the New Mexico Department of Health announced it had completed health and safety wellness checks on all of its 6,815 clients in state Developmental Disabilities Waiver programs.
“This was a huge and necessary undertaking to visit in-person all 6,815 waiver clients in a short period of time,” NM Department of Health Secretary Patrick Allen said in a news release. “I’m very grateful for the help several agencies and many staff provided to get these visits done.”
The wellness checks found 111 sites with possible concerns. All of those sites are now under investigation, the news release stated.
The 111 sites includes 61 sites with reported allegations of potential abuse, neglect and exploitation and 50 sites with issues such as home repairs, damages or other environmental concerns, the news release states.
“Individuals who receive services from our Developmental Disabilities Waiver Programs, are among the state’s most vulnerable residents,” Allen said. “We have a responsibility to make sure they are receiving appropriate services and that we are doing our job to make sure that those services are happening, and that people are well cared for. Most DD Waiver providers do. Our job is to make sure that they all do.”
Anyone suspecting abuse, neglect, or exploitation of any person who is on one of the state’s Developmental Disabilities Waiver Programs, or anyone else, please call the Adult Protective Services Central Intake Unit toll-free at: 1-866-654-3219.
