Center of Hope staff, parents outraged over lack of answers

By David Carkhuff

Parents of developmentally disabled clients of Conway's Center of Hope say administrators and board members of the nonprofit state service-provider are leaving them in the dark about a rapidly approaching consolidation."Right now our immediate concern is what the hell is happening to our kids on Jan. 2?" said Ruth Clough of Tuftonboro, who wrote a scathing letter to the Conway Daily Sun blasting the center's board and administration.John Stephen, commissioner of Health and Human Services for New Hampshire, insists the Conway-based Center of Hope is working toward a "seamless" consolidation with another agency. Under the plan, unveiled more than a year ago, services of Center of Hope will become part of Northern New Hampshire Mental Health and Developmental Services, which is based in Conway and has satellite offices in Berlin, Colebrook and Littleton.The board of directors for Center of Hope came out against the consolidation plan, stating in an Aug. 17 letter to Stephen that a consolidation is "not in the best interest of individuals and families that we serve and who have long-standing relationships with this agency and its staff."Since then, however, Stephen has met with board members of both agencies to nudge forward the merger while he has shored up legislative support for the plan.Stephen, in a Nov. 28 interview with The Conway Daily Sun, said, "The staff at the Center of Hope that provide the direct care, the direct service, should be commended for continuing to provide quality services during these times and for being able to look above all these issues and only care about the needs of the client. During this transition, we have always said from the very beginning that we are going to do everything possible to ensure that the direct services are not interrupted."Direct-care staff includes family providers, a group that is "the core of the direct-care network," Stephen said.According to the center's Web site (www.centerofhope.org), "The Center of Hope is a not-for-profit corporation designated by the State of N.H. Department of Health and Human Services as the area agency for Region 11. As one of 12 area agencies in the state, the center offers family-centered supports to Carroll County residents of all ages with a developmental disability or acquired brain disorder."But, by law, Jan. 1 is the date of an official designation of Northern New Hampshire Mental Health and Developmental Services as the area agency for serving Center of Hope clients, Stephen said."It does not mean that the transfer of all services must occur on that day," Stephen elaborated.At a Dec. 8 Center of Hope board meeting, the board and administrative team are expected to discuss the consolidation and work on a memorandum of understanding, Stephen said."Both boards recognize the need to make sure we make this consolidation as seamless as possible," Stephen insisted.But parents of center clients and even an employee, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of being fired for speaking out, painted a far bleaker picture of what's going on at the center. While generally in support of the merger, they say the center's administration and board have left them in the dark and ignored the needs of clients in a rush to form a new nonprofit agency, reportedly one geared toward serving the elderly.In her letter to the newspaper, Clough wrote, "As a parent/guardian, I am in full support of the merger between region 1 and 11. Due to the lack of communication from the board of directors and the directors of the agency of the Center of Hope to the parents and guardians we have been kept in the dark over the details of this merger and the effects on the stakeholders. If I am correct, to date, neither has sent out letters to keep us informed or inquired of us whether or notwe have concerns."Clough, in a Nov. 29 interview, said, "We don't even know where our kids are going Jan. 2, or if they're going anywhere."Clough's son is developmentally disabled. For four years, he has attended a Center of Hope facility in Wolfeboro, she said.Others echo these complaints of ugly, internal politics and what they call a persistent disregard for clients by the center's leadership.The Conway Daily Sun contacted Ira Lynn, president of the Center of Hope board, but he said he has been out of town recently and referred questions to Margie Matthews, executive director for Center of Hope. In a telephone interview on Dec. 1, Matthews said the Center of Hope board and Northern Services board would be meeting on Dec. 8 and 9, and she said more information should be available following these meetings.Matthews declined to comment on criticisms from Clough and others.In her letter, Clough wrote, "The current administration is dishonest andlacks commitment to the descriptions of their jobs and spends more time exercising their power and control over parents and guardians then with improving lives of our disabled people. Their attitude is, 'I answer to no one.' Well, taxpayers and government personnel, I think it's time for a change. Why? Because every individual in this state is affected by the elderly and disabled population, even if only as a taxpayer. Area agencies have been given too much power and authority and as taxpayers we must put a stop to it."Asked to respond to Clough's letter, Matthews said she preferred not to comment at this time.Asked to describe what will happen with Center of Hope property and services, Matthews said, "We have been working very diligently with Northern trying to develop a plan. Until the boards approve that plan, I can't really share that."Complaints by parents about being left in the dark are understandable, Matthews acknowledged."I certainly can understand that; we've been working with Northern, and when the boards have acted, we'll be happy to share that information," she said.Parents say that isn't good enough. Questions were raised during a meeting earlier this year about what will happen with land, buildings and other property of Center of Hope, they recall. Worries are building that the Center of Hope will hold onto its buildings and possibly withhold other property such as desks and computers currently used to serve clients.A parent of a client, who preferred to remain anonymous out of concern about continued delivery of services, complained, "So far there's been absolutely no information."According to this parent, Center of Hope board members say they don't know what's happening, either.Parents and even staff are disillusioned, this parent said."We parents haven't been told anything either, and Jan. 1 is not that far off," she said."The board is supposed to be there to serve the clients in order to make sure that the very best decisions are made in the clients' behalf. I wonder if they can look at themselves in the mirror," she said.Eleanor Stokes of Freedom, whose son works at Hunters Market in Wolfeboro and is served by the Center of Hope facility on Route 28 in Wolfeboro, agreed to speak openly about the situation. She said she supports the consolidation but is troubled by a lack of communication."We parents haven't received any information from the Center of Hope. That's a bit disturbing; even though we have a lot of confidence in Region 1, we still would like some information on what's going to happen," she said in a Nov. 30 interview."We haven't gotten any word from the Center of Hope about anything," she added.Parents have tried to gather information on the other end of the proposed merger by going to Dennis MacKay, executive director for Northern New Hampshire Mental Health and Developmental Services. Parents, in a meeting with MacKay over a year ago, received reassurance that services to their loved ones would not deteriorate, Stokes said."We parents felt very confident that our services are not going to change at all," she said, referring to assurances received from MacKay. The Conway Daily Sun's efforts to talk to MacKay were unsuccessful.Stephen also offered assurances that the consolidation plan would involve minimal disruption."Both boards have begun working collaboratively together. I'm expecting a report from both of them," he said in a recent interview. Stephen reported on Dec. 2 that he would send out a letter to all individuals receiving services "just to let them know how committed I am to making sure that the services in that area are not interrupted." Stephen acknowledged receiving calls from parents of clients who wanted to know what was going on."The number one issue is that the services that the area agency provides to the individuals with disabilities and their families are not interrupted. That is our number one priority right now," he said.An employee of the Center of Hope, who asked to remain anonymous, said staff are demoralized and even tearful over the situation."If we don't have buildings and if staff don't know what their future holds and they look for other jobs, if they feel they are clueless and powerless, then they are going to go someplace else. That means the people we serve will have other people serving them," this employee said."I think that having new leadership will bring in a lot of hope ... but right now it is a gloomy, gloomy time at the Center of Hope. We are consistently told that there are no answers," she said.An alleged plan by the Center of Hope leadership to create an agency for serving the elderly "has been a major distraction since August, September," this employee asserted.Asked if there is such a plan in place, Matthews said, "I really can't say anything until the boards act."The employee said, ""We have no information about where people will be receiving services, where they will be providing them, who will be leading the company, employees don't know what their health providers will be. Our business is people, but unfortunately we have four management members who run the company, and their business is not people, their business is something that is more self-serving. I believe that they are creating their own non-profit."The employee also alleged that directors will receive hefty severance packages."I was told that there was a confidential agreement with our management members telling them that if they stayed with the Center of Hope until the merger happens, they would be given a very healthy severance package," she said.Instrumental in that clause is that they not join Northern, she claimed.Again, Matthews said she can't comment on the allegation of a severance agreement with administrators.The employee asked, "Ethically and morally, where is their allegiance to the people they have been serving for 30 years?"Stephen said that boards of both agencies know that they need to uphold the interest of clients first and foremost."The regions were encouraged to look at working together, and we'll continue to encourage them to work together, again on behalf of the individuals that we serve," he said.Parents and staff say they learn about what's going on at the center from newspapers."What we have left is a completely disconnected Center of Hope right now. We have nobody running the Center of Hope," the unnamed employee said. "They have checked out months ago, we have no leadership. And we all fear that we're going to get fired if we speak out."TheN.H. Bureau of Developmental Services is charged with working with the state's developmental services system "to ensurepublic resources are used effectively to support individuals and families in their community." A call to that agency, however, resulted in notification that all questions about the Center of Hope need to be routed through Stephen's office.