July 9, 2007
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Yes, you read that right -- drug running!
The South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) was forced to dismiss two employees after it was revealed that they had run a drug running operation out of the Sage House at 61 Clinton Street, smuggling drugs into state prisons. This is the latest in a series of black eyes for SMOC that calls into question their entire business model of hiring former clients, keeping worker salaries as low as possible, not paying attention to quality, and cutting costs to allow management to receive huge raises.
It also calls into question the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services' business model of encouraging growth at the expense of quality, handing out contracts to favored companies almost like a "good old boy" netword, and then completely neglecting their responsibility to provide close oversight.
STEPPS obtained and released a report by the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services into drug running charges against Sage House employees that culminated in SMOC being forced to fire three employees after they were recorded discussing importing drugs into prisons run by the Massachusetts Depeartment of Corrections. The report was done by the Department of Public Health's Bureau of Substance Abuse Services after Framingham police notified the Department of Social Services (DSS) that children at the Sage House were in danger. This was the first DPH had heard of the case, as SMOC had failed to notify them of the DOC investigation. Although angered that SMOC had not notified them, the DPH placed no sanctions on SMOC, and it is not clear what action, if any, they will take.
What is clear from reading the report is that SMOC interfered with any potential
criminal charges against their employees in this case.
The report states DOC informed Cuddy about the drug running on 02-14-07.
He suspended 2 Sage House employees during the next 2 days and fired them
a couple of weeks later. Although SMOC was required to notify DPH of the
incident, SMOC executive director Jim Cuddy decided not to do so.
DSS were actually the ones who notified DPH of this case, not SMOC or DOC
and this was 6 weeks later presumably after DSS found out!
DPH was told by Cuddy that his reason for not notifying DPH was to not jeopordize
DOC's criminal investigation. Who is Cuddy to make that determination? And
what idiot would believe that one state agency would interfere with another?
DPH learned SMOC conducted their own investigation on this matter, DPH called
SMOC's investigation insufficient. DPH conducted their own investigation
and found out that SMOC told other Sage House employees about the DOC investigation
the day after Cuddy found out. How would he know if these other employees
were involved or not? Based on DPH's report, at least 1 additional employee
was fired. The question remains, how many more were involved but were informed
of the investigation by Cuddy? When investigating any crime, especially a
drug conspiracy, the last thing you do is wander around telling people who
might be involved that they are being investigated!
Cuddy clearly compromised this matter himself by suspending/terminating these
employees under the cover of darkness and by informing Sage House staff about
it yet not informing DPH, their funding source for the Sage House. The fact
that he told DPH they weren't notified because he didn't want to jeopordize
the DOC case is crystal clear to me he is being less than truthful and I
would suggest he didn't want to lose his license and contract for the Sage
House (and jeopardizing a large percentage of their other programs) with
DPH by alerting them to this.
Many in Framingham who are familiar with SMOC's *integrity* track record
are not surprised by Cuddy's actions. Just look at when Cuddy tried to defend
the educational components of his Dover protected wet shelter at 105 Irving
St. The town investigated
and found "not much going on" (to quote the Building Commissioner)
as far as educational activities. The shelter was quickly closed by the town
and rightfully so. There are many other examples, such as
the time SMOC refused to attend the Selectmen's "Social Services Summit," claiming
everyone was on vacation, yet during that time SMOC attended meetings in
Worcester and Millbury. Or when SMOC complained to the newspaper about misinformation
when someone reported that there was asbestos at 517 Winter, and then it
turned out that SMOC had removed asbestos from 517 Winter.
SMOC knows most of its supporters are naive to their business tactics, so
they play on the idealistic sentiments using misty eyed pronouncements about
how everyone deserves a chance, they want to rebuild society, etc., when
in fact their main goal is chasing government taxpayer dollars. If the Dover
Amendment went away, they'd probably reincorporate as a for-profit, talk
about how they're a growing $50 million powerhouse, and go public with a
splashy IPO.
I know that after paying gobs of money to their directors and managers, social service non-profits have very little left with which to hire actual hands-on personnel. I guess you get what you pay for.
Some of the more egregious violations by SMOC:
The report and corrective action plan are alarming. The report shows a recovery house run largely without real supervision and accountability, placing residents as well as neighbors at risk. It makes us wonder exactly how the director earns his money.
The corrective action plan does little more than encourage SMOC to obey the law and follow the rules -- something that outsiders would take for granted. However, in this specialized and protected "service" industry, it seems that the few laws that do apply, or that the industry is not excused from following, are more like guidelines, to be followed when convenient and ignored at will. And as always, anyone who would dare demand compliance will be branded a bigot or a hater.
When we suggested to DPH that they terminate their contract with SMOC for the Sage House, their answer was, essentially, "we can’t, we would have no place to put the residents.
But the question is not whether these residents are better off on the street, it is whether they should be ina facility that is better run and adequately supervised.
Unfortunately, town officials, while likely as outraged as the rest of us over SMOC allowing a drug running operation to flourish right under their noses in a supposed drug rehab shelter, have very little power to do anything. Thanks to exceptionally poor decision making by the state legislature, all the power sits in the boardrooms of SMOC, Wayside, etc., and the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and since all of them profit from the status quo, none of them wants to rock the boat. SMOC is supposed to be watching over its employees but isn't, and Health and Human Services is supposed to be watching over SMOC, but isn't.
So who's watching the watchers? No one, it would seem.
Perhaps the most shocking aspect of this case, and the Department of Public Health investigation, is just how low everyone's standards are. SMOC failed to report the hiring of employees with criminal records as required by DPH. (Amazingly, SMOC's Director of Human Resources claimed to be unaware of this requirement.) SMOC then allowed a drug operation to flourish right under their noses, and when they were told about it, tried to hide it from the DPH. When DPH found out and investigated, they found that SMOC's Sage House, the program they want to double in size and move into a residential neighborhood, had numerous safety and health violations including poor food handling procedures and use of prohibited heating equipment. So it's not just heroin addicts we need to worry about, but drug smugglers on staff, rats, and fire danger!
So what was the outcome of the investigation? A verbal warning from DPH.
Anyone think if an ordinary citizen did what SMOC did, we'd get off with just a verbal warning? No, I don't think so either.
This drug smuggling operation inside SMOC is just as shocking, and just as dangerous, as those horrific lapses by DSS involving the death or abuse of a child in their care. The difference is that when DSS fails, the media is watching and changes are made. In this case, the media has paid virtually no attention to the scandal.
The state needs to hear from all of us. If you think this is outrageous, please call the people who actually have some power to fix it. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services pays SMOC and provides little meaningful oversight. They answer to the governor. The legislature, if it does its job, can change the law in meaningful ways to prevent further abuses by SMOC and other massive government contractors. We can't count on the media -- we have to do it ourselves.
Governor Deval Patrick & Lt. Gov. Tim Murray (617) 725-4005
Health and Human Services Sec. JudyAnn Bigby (617) 573-1600
Sen. Karen Spilka (617) 722-1640
Rep. Tom Sannicandro (617) 722-2210
Rep. Pam Richardson (617) 722-2582
Please call and demand accountability and oversight for both SMOC and the Office of Health and Human Services.
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