CRIPA Investigation of the Lubbock State School

The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division investigated conditions at the Lubbock State School (LSS), in Lubbock, Texas in accordance with the guidelines of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). LSS is a residential treatment facility for persons with developmental disabilities or serious mental illness. It is owned and operated by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS). An on-site review was conducted on  the week of June 13, 2005, and the investigative team also reviewed medical and other records relating to the care and treatment of the residents. At the time of the on-site review, LSS had 344 residents between the ages of 15 and 75. Nearly 75% have a diagnosis of severe or profound mental retardation and about half have a seizure disorder.

Key findings included:

• Nursing records for individuals failed to include preventive measures, identification of the individuals risk factors, and details of the individuals signs or symptoms that could indicate the start of a serious medical complication
   
• Nursing plans centered on actions to be taken to respond to apparent, acute, health problems, rather than focusing on preventive activities
   
• Psychiatric assessments lacked components of standard assessments. Many mental health diagnoses did not conform to standards in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
   
• Behavior programs were not based on adequate functional assessments, not implemented as written, and were not
  monitored, evaluated, and revised adequately