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Nothing to See Here...

Creating a chronical of Bellwether's journey is at times daunting. Blogs drum up traffic by rapid posting. However, the twists and turns of the path least taken - which is the path Advoserv/Bellwether has trodden - makes rapid posting almost impossible. Perhaps, that's why the company, throughout and despite the various iterations of its name, has been the subject of extensive research culminating in multiple news exposes and podcasts.

Bellwether wasn't built to be blogged about. It's a book in the writing, a cautionary tale of what happens when department oversights finds their hands tied for by federal mandates while those same federal laws fund for profit facilities that boost hedge funds. While Bellwether generates column inches here and there in print publication on online, the truth behind the façade is built in linking those pieces together and verifying the facts revealed. It's hard to stay chronological when so many news points are happening in real time.

After a year of hibernation, Echo came back to life on Independence Day 2019. We jumped right into New Jersey and Bellwether's then-current status. 
A for-profit company that runs group homes for the developmentally and intellectually disabled has changed its name from AdvoServ to Bellwether Behavioral Health, following ProPublica articles on three teenagers’ deaths and staff’s frequent use of physical holds and mechanical restraint devices.  - Heather Vogel, ProPublica, March 28, 2017, https://www.propublica.org/article/bellwether-behavioral-health-is-controversial-group-home-operator-advoserv
Some have opined that Advoserv changed its name to Bellwether in order to slip back under the radar. However, the company had actually been sold to a private equity firm prior to the closure of its Florida an Delaware facilities. The new name came with new faces, entirely new leadership which quickly steered the company out of Florida and Delaware after facing very public criticism, licensing challenges, and revocations. It appears to maintain its incorporation in Delaware, likely because of Delaware's very business-friendly practices. Ironically or diabolically, Bellwether spent its last years operating in the midst of several states that refused to license them after inspections found substantial violations, neglect, and abuse - Maryland, New York, and it's home state of Delaware. Bellwether ran to New Jersey, a state with a housing/placement crisis, and completely surrounded by other states who had pulled their licensure. They also tried to get a foothold in Virginia though that was not met with much success.

However, in the ten years prior to Advoserv sale to a new private equity firm, someone had been quietly purchasing homes in New Jersey. Yet, the sales appeared unrelated to Advoserv and Bellwether. They were owned by another company/ies. Homes, like the one at 240 Long House Dr. West Milford, Passiac County. It was purchased May 17, 2001 by Somerville LLC. Nothing to see here

Except...


Somerville LLC is registered to 2520 Wrangle Hill SU 200, Bear, DE 19701.
Bellwether/Advoserv is also registered to 2520, Suite 200, Wrangle Hill Rd. Bear, DE 19701.

An umbrella? A subsidiary. Why not? By this point, Mazik was a real estate maverick both in Delaware and Florida. Always thinking one step ahead, he had to foresee the challenges coming such as tightening the laws around aversive therapy and restraint. I suppose, it could be opined that he appreciated art of the deal. And New Jersey was ripe.


The assessment found that BW facilities were reporting "unusual incidences" 2.3 days after staff became aware of such incidences. OPIA also found BW was missing approximately 42 percent of its reports required by the state. There were 63 abuse/neglect investigations with 18 substantiated and 4 of those 18 people were repeat victims. 

But this was the tip of the mountain and every mountain has a foundation. New Jersey's Department of Human Services' Division of Developmental Disabilities wasn't so sure that Bellwether's foundation was all that strong. After an onslaught of complaints, the state finally acted.



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The 911 Mystery Solved

Reporters in New Jersey cracked the code for an anomaly that occurred with tremendous frequency at Delaware's Advoserv/Bellwether's residences.

According to the Record, New Jersey officials have logged hundreds of 911 calls from homes owned by Bellwether. During early research, Echo found that in the old days, when the News Journal published fire calls, the Gingerbread House often had dozens if not more during the week.  Why? Why did a facility staffed by people supposedly trained to care for the most severely disabled need to call 911 so often?

Ringwood New Jersey Police Chief, Joseph Walker, explained in the Record expose that his office receives 911 calls from the four Bellwether homes in its jurisdiction at least four times per week. The most frequent request is for officers to restrain clients.  Walker urged officials for the residences to hire more experienced staff that could assist his officers.

This is the dilemma faced by police agencies responding to these 911 calls: HIPAA prevents first responders from knowing the diagnosis of the resident in crisis. Thus, responders enter the home without critical information that could inform how they deal with a particular client. Walker believes that better trained staffed would be an asset to his force when responding to these calls.


From January 2017 to March 2019, 10 homes and one day program in New Jersey made more than 360 911 calls according to NorthJersey.com and USA today. The Longhouse Dr. residence accounted for approximately 100 of those crisis calls. Often, police were informed first by concerned resident before the Bellwether facility responsible for that client contacted the police. On at least one instance, a helicopter search had to be performed in order to located a lost client.

Other police reports accuse Bellwether employees of speeding, being on drugs or alcohol while on
the job and possession of illegal substances. NorthJersey.com also found one incident in which a resident was left for 45 minutes on a van on day with temps that met or exceeded 93 degrees.

What concerns officers like Ringwood's Walker is that the townships rely on volunteers to staff their fire houses and ambulances. Some only have one ambulance. The Bellwether calls are burden that can be addressed without outside intervention if basic security measures were installed in homes and staff were properly trained.

But, Bellwether's lack of effort provides little hope to local departments.

And it reinforces a pattern started first in Delaware decades ago. Understaffed? Undertrained? Call 911. It's far cheaper for a care provider to call 911 than to train and staff facilities in a manner that ensures clients receive the proper and most appropriate interventions when needed.

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The Whistleblower

Former employee, Edward "James" Boyle, filed a whistle blower lawsuit against Bellwether after his sudden termination in March. Prior to his separation from the company, Boyle, a home manager, became aware of a sexual assault of one client by another. Per state laws, he made the proper notifications. Bellwether, in turn, chastised him for notifying the victims guardian. He was let go shortly thereafter. Bellwether insists the termination was non-retaliatory, although the company provided an excuse for it's decision - Boyle had allegedly told staff at his previous home that they should not call 911 if a client was choking on food. According to the New Jersey record Boyle strongly disputes this claim. He also shares much more information about the status of the management of the New Jersey residences.

As a house manager, Boyle had a daunting job - ensuring his home was fully staff.  However, according to The Record, Bellwether often refused to provide the minimum number of employees to meet client needs. Boyle's home required 16 staff members, yet Bellwether only provided up to eight employees. Unable to leave his clients unattended, Boyle often spent the night or weekends at the home to ensure there was at least one adult present.

Boyle's account of staffing shortages was verified by a second employee who asked to remain anonymous due to a non-disclosure clause. However, this individual described arriving for work to find clients wandering about with no staff on site. Family members also echoed these sentiments. The truth was further confirmed by residents of the town of West Milford, who, in March, announced they were being "terrorized" by residents of a nearby residence. According to the New Jersey Record, residents recounted how in the previous November in the middle of the night, a naked man broke four garage windows, damaged a door, and tried to rip out a lighting fixture in his effort to break into a home located near his residence. In March the same Bellwether client was found in the neighboring community slamming his body into a door in an effort to gain entry. When the resident tried to intervene, the client turned violent. A similar incident recently occurred.  The frequent interruptions have caused many homeowners to invest in home security camera systems. At least one family intends to sue Bellwether; another home owner has security camera footage of a resident during a nighttime elopement.
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/west-milford/2019/03/22/west-milford-neighborhood-terrorized-escaped-bellwether-group-home-patients/3222467002/




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