State officials on Wednesday said they have placed 11 employees on leave at the Pueblo Regional Center — which treats those with developmental disabilities — amid allegations of physical and verbal abuse and unlawful sexual contact.
Officials in Pueblo County and the Colorado Department of Human Services are investigating reports of “significant care concerns” at the center, which provides specialized services to adult patients.
Many of the allegations “appear to have been unreported or underreported,” state department executive director Reggie Bicha said in a statement.
Eight Pueblo Regional Center employees, including those in leadership and management, have been placed on paid administrative leave as authorities investigate the allegations. Three staff members were placed on unpaid leave earlier in the investigation.
Also, the facility’s director has been replaced.
The state human services department announced the investigation Wednesday at a joint news conference with the county sheriff’s office in Pueblo. The sheriff’s office says it is investigating any possible criminal violations by employees.
Authorities would not elaborate on the nature of the allegations and declined to name those placed on leave.
“It’s very early in the investigation,” said Laurie Kilpatrick, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. “We have nobody that has been charged with anything at this time.”
A third-party agency has been hired to assist in the investigation into the center, which serves 62 residents. Authorities say every employee at the center — which has up to 187 staffers — will be interviewed.
“It’s disconcerting,” said state Rep. Dave Young, D-Greeley, whose sister lives at a group home served by the center. “We all want our loved ones to be safe and well cared for. Our impression all along is that she has been in a safe environment.”
Young said his sister told him she was “investigated” late last month against her wishes and was given what staff called a “body audit,” or search of her skin. Young said it’s unclear if the search was part of the current investigation or the allegations that led to the inquiry.
“We were not contacted ahead of time,” said Young, who along with his wife serves as his sister’s guardian.
Young said he was notified of the investigation into the abuse reports last week. He said he is awaiting the results of the inquiry but indicated he was upset about the search.
The human services department says Teresa Bernal, the former interim director of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, has been named interim director of the facility. Additional staffers are also being brought in to help operate the center.
“I want to make very clear that as soon as we found out about these allegations, we took immediate action,” said Alicia Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the human services department.
Caldwell said the allegations came to light in the past several weeks.
“The allegations and concerns were of such a nature that we determined the need to review all of the interactions where the sheriff’s office was contacted regarding individuals at (the center),” Sheriff Kirk Taylor said in a statement. “We consider these individuals to be some of the most vulnerable in our community, and we want to ensure they are well cared for and protected.”
The Pueblo facility is one of three state-operated regional centers for adults with developmental disabilities. The others are in Wheat Ridge and Grand Junction.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
