O’SCANLON: GOVERNOR MAKES RIGHT DECISION, FINALLY, IN STOPPING THE APPOINTMENT OF FORMER ANCORA CEO TO OVERSIGHT POSITION

SHOCKING LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY AT HUMAN SERVICES 

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon today said that while he was pleased to hear Governor Corzine is backing off from the appointment of former Ancora Psychiatric Hospital CEO LaTanya Wood-El to a statewide oversight position with the Department of Human Services, he wonders how the decision-making process allowed the proposed appointment to get this far.

“It is shocking that someone who was criticized for being unable to exercise proper oversight at one hospital, was this close to being put in charge of five hospitals statewide” said O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth and Mercer. “Given Wood-El’s performance in her last job, the department and the administration never should have even been considering this appointment.”

Despite leaving her post at Ancora amid controversy last year, the state Department of Human Services has now put Wood-El in charge of overseeing statewide investigations at all five state psychiatric institutions.

Wood-El’s was forced to step down as chief executive officer at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital last December, after two patients had escaped, one patient committed suicide, and a female patient was smothered to death by another with a pillow. State officials said Ancora lacked routine procedures for tracking, reporting and preventing violence. Since being removed from Ancora, Wood-El has continued to be paid her $115,857-a-year salary which will continue in her new job.

“If this appointment had not been stopped, not only could it have placed these facilities at risk for the same mismanagement that occurred at Ancora, but it would have sent a message to the public that there is no accountability in state government,” O’Scanlon said. “Luckily the Governor read our mind in withdrawing this appointment before it could become effective. Maybe he will apply this new-found common sense to issues such as taxes and tolls in the near future.”

#####