The largest developmentally disabled services company in Rio Arriba County has closed its Española office and ceased most services, Mosaic Family Living Coordinator Lorraine Herrera confirmed Tuesday.
Mosaic handed off 40 of its clients June 1 to Anthony Wayne Services (also known as AWS), of Fort Wayne, Ind., Herrera said.
AWS now manages what had been Mosaic’s 13 group homes in Northern New Mexico, including three Rio Arriba County group homes: two houses in Española and a third in Ojo Caliente, Herrera said. The state had paid $5 million a year for operation of 13 group homes, Mosaic Regional Executive Director Rick Klotz and State Health Department spokeswoman Deborah Busemeyer had said in February when news of Mosaic’s departure first broke.
Mosaic now runs only the family living or “host home” program, in which Mosaic recruits residents to open their homes to developmentally disabled clients, from its Santa Fe office, Busemeyer said.
“We didn’t know they’d closed their Española office,” Busemeyer said Tuesday.
Mosaic has cut most services for its remaining 34 clients in Northern New Mexico, eliminating such assistance as job coaching, employment assistance, social skills development and respite services that afford family caregivers breaks and transportation assistance, Herrera confirmed.
“AWS is just in charge of group homes in Rio Arriba County now,” Herrera said. “Mosaic is keeping the family living program. AWS has not taken over any family living homes from Mosaic. None of our clients or guardians have changed over at all. They were happy with Mosaic’s services.”
But Española resident John Foster said his home, previously leased to Mosaic as a host home, will be leased to AWS.
“Both Mosaic and AWS have been great to work with,” Foster said. “And we’re happy our house will continue to be used in this way.”
AWS Spokeswoman Barb Wachtman said she would call back with comment regarding AWS’s services in Rio Arriba County, but did not call back by Tuesday night.
Mosaic replaced ResCare in 2006 as a provider of group living services for County residents with developmental disabilities. Both companies faced allegations of neglect and abuse of clients, according to Department documents. Department investigators confirmed at least 79 cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation of Mosaic clients elsewhere in New Mexico between 2003 and 2006, Department documents show. However, no legal action was taken against the company.
Mosaic’s Española office had taken van-loads of developmentally disabled clients to Santa Fe Feb. 4 to lobby legislators for more money for the company, Mosaic employee Juan Ortiz, Chimayó, said Feb. 9.
“We loaded up all our clients to make it look good and went to the Round House to ask for more money,” Ortiz said. “Mosaic Santa Fe is closing also, so they took clients too. We had 20 to 30 staff there and at least 50 to 60 clients. The rotunda was full.”
Innovative Closes
County Operations
A separate not-for-profit company, Innovative Health at Home, Inc., which provides home care for 50 elderly and disabled patients in the County, it will cease operations altogether due to financial difficulties, according to Innovative Executive Director Rick Zamora.
“The dollars are dwindling and there are not a lot of new clients coming in,” Zamora said Tuesday. “It’s been a convergence of issues.”
Innovative reported revenues of $4 million for 2007, the most recent year for which the company’s tax filings are available. The company provides home care, hygiene and cooking services to help clients avoid moving to nursing homes, according to Zamora and tax forms filed by the company.