2 Anaheim Care Homes Accused of Violations

Two board-and-care homes providing shelter for former mental patients have been operating without state licenses and may have violated other state regulations concerning the handling of food and medicine, an official with the California Department of Social Services said Wednesday.

The operator of the facilities failed to meet a Saturday deadline to apply for a state license or cease operations, said Sergio Ramirez, supervisor of the department’s Community Care Licensing program. He added that noncompliance could result in a $200-per-day fine for each facility.

Warning notices were issued late last month after state inspectors made an unannounced visit to one facility at 722 Modena Ave. and discovered a board-and-care home for six clients.

Ramirez said the inspectors found one client who said he had not seen a doctor in about a year but “is being forced to take medication against his will.” The label on one prescription tranquilizer, Thorazine, had been removed and another person’s name written on it, Ramirez said.

Other alleged infractions included the failure to keep medicines locked up, and locking the doors at 10 p.m. when a curfew is imposed, he said.

The clients told investigators they pay $500 a month, including meals, Ramirez said, although the food is locked in a refrigerator--another possible violation of the state regulations.

A neighbor’s complaint about the Modena Avenue house prompted the state inspection, the official said.

Through their interviews with clients at the Modena Avenue house, investigators confirmed that the program’s headquarters is in another house at 1604 E. Elm St.

The state had already received complaints about the Elm Street board-and-care house from neighbor William Boyer, who acted as a spokesman for the neighborhood Tuesday evening when he asked the Anaheim City Council to investigate the operation.

In a statement presented to the council, Boyer said he and his neighbors have observed “public urination, public vomiting, street brawls, thefts, patient-versus-patient assaults, peddling merchandise door-to-door and questionable behavior by patients with neighborhood children.”

Boyer said in an interview Wednesday that the proper licensing would force the facility to operate under strict regulations.

“How would you feel if you had people fighting in the street, yelling that they are going to kill each other?” he said.

Ramirez said another unannounced visit is required before the state can begin issuing citations for alleged violations.

The operator of the homes, David McCartney, works at Sparr Village, a transitional housing center for former patients. He was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

However, Rita Hughes, who claimed to be another facility manager, said five separate houses make up the program called the Brotherhood.

She said that facility also was not licensed, “but we will be.”

“It’s a complete support system where houses communicate with one another. You have to be a recovering mental patient and you must be able to function on your own,” Hughes said. “We try to keep our clients out of the hospital.”

She said she often cooks for the residents at the facility she manages and other residents help clean the house.