On 8/13/12, Jessica Alopaeus via Change.org wrote:
I’ll never forget the day I got the phone call: My brother Peter Price,
who suffered brain trauma from a bicycle accident, had swallowed 5 fish
hooks and 22 AA batteries, in a desperate attempt to escape the
rehabilitation center where he was abused. [Video Shows Alleged Abuse of
Disabled Patient http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/investigations/Video-Show-Alleged-Abuse-of-Disabled-Patient-Prosecutors-165986446.html ]
I was devastated. Not long after Peter had been placed in the Florida
Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation (FINR), he had begun complaining
that staff would frequently hold him down and punch him in the face and
groin. He said he was locked in a tiny cabin for weeks.
The
conditions Peter described were horrifying, and I tried to get him
moved quickly. But he was in so much distress he couldn’t wait. He
risked his life because he saw no other way out.
Today,
Peter is doing well at a different rehabilitation center where he is
tended to by a caring staff. But I was haunted when I learned that
dozens of defenseless patients at FINR continued to face abuse.
That’s
why I started a petition calling on the Department of Health to
investigate and shut down Florida Institute for Neurologic
Rehabilitation in light of hundreds of abuse allegations that have
surfaced: http://goo.gl/XqVBP
You can imagine how I felt when I read a Bloomberg News article last week that
highlighted the stories of those abused: Danny Silva, an autistic
patient assaulted by staff on camera; Michael Lieux, a Marine killed
after staff pinned him down until he suffocated; and Reginald Hicks, a
tube-fed patient who died after staff fed him food that lodged in his
lungs.
Those stories are just the tip of the iceberg -- there have been more than 477
allegations of abuse at FINR since 2005. A congressional investigation
found that staff prolonged the stays of patients to boost profits. Yet, FINR continues to operate and even accept new patients.
State agencies have swept the issue under the rug, but if thousands of people sign my petition calling for a federal investigation, the Department of Health won’t be able to ignore us.
My brother is proud I’m speaking up for
vulnerable brain injured patients like him – no one should have to go
through the abuse that he did ever again.
Thank you,
Jessica Alopaeus
MARY NEAL RESPONDED:
I'm sorry your brain damaged brother suffered abuse and others are still being abused in the facility where he was warehoused. Mentally ill people and everyone with brain injuries are at risk for losing all human and civil rights. Do not forget that Florida is the state where a brain damaged woman was starved to death in March 2005. See "Schiavo's feeding tube removed" at this link www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/18/schiavo.brain-damaged/ . Brain injuries and mental illness are "illegal" health conditions punishable by death in USA. My own brother was murdered after being hidden in secret arrest - kidnapped - for 18 days in Shelby Co Memphis Jail. Google "WRONGFUL DEATH OF LARRY NEAL." I am very surprised they let you tell about your brother, Jessica. Are you being gangstalked and censored like I am yet? The responsibility to protect Americans' civil rights falls on the USDOJ, which helps cover up my brother's murder. Nevertheless, I am forwarding your complaint to the USDOJ and others. God bless you for trying to help brain damaged people like Kelly Thomas, Larry Neal, Tim Souders, Mitrice Richardson, Timothy Bulldog Allen, Patrick Toney, and a million others who are killed or jailed for their ILLEGAL health defects. I reported some of these abuses in my interview with PressTV this week. Unfortunately, there are cyberstalkers hired to prevent the truth about oppression going forth online. This article, for instance, is full of codes that may affect your access to the data at the five(5) links. More about Jessica's justice quest for brain damaged people is at this link http://www.change.org/members/jessicaa2
DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE TREATED LIKE AMERICANS WITH BRAIN INJURIES AND MENTAL ILLNESS.
Patients at Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation need DOG JUSTICE.
