Suit: Abuse at Deaf Facility

There are accusations of serious abuse against Florida's National Deaf Academy in Mount Dora, north of Orlando. Repeated violations have not been reported to state authorities, say two former employees. They accuse managers of covering up what's going on--including choking, punching and pinning patients during takedowns. Rooms are not cleaned while rotting food and insect infestations are common. Licensed clinical social worker Kyle Gilrain and licensed mental-health counselorCarol Savage filed the suit. The facility is operated by Pennsylvania's United Health Services which responded by saying:

The deaf academy “takes the safety and well-being of its patients and employees very seriously. There has been erroneous information circulating about the facility, regarding allegations of abuse and neglect. These allegations are unfounded and have been unsubstantiated by the state regulatory agencies.”

Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration has issued the facility citations for 95 violations this year. There have been hundreds of calls from the facility to police in the last few years because of fights, missing patients, and other problems.