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OnTrack hires interim director, submits corrective plan OnTrack has submitted a plan to state authorities for fixing housing units where safety hazards were found, including this one on King Street in Medford. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Monday Jan 30, 2017 at 5:30 PM Jan 30, 2017 at 6:24 PM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm OnTrack announced Monday it has hired Dr. Kerri Hecox as its interim executive director to help the organization regroup after state investigators uncovered serious problems at housing provided to recovering drug addicts and their families. The OnTrack board also announced it hired Hammonds Construction Friday to remodel crisis housing apartments at 11th and 12th streets in Medford after "deplorable" conditions were found by Department of Human Services and Oregon Health Authority investigators in January. Hecox is a family practice specialist who has been affiliated with Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center and La Clinica. She also was a physician for Jackson County at the Children's Advocacy Center from 2008 to 2013. Rita Sullivan, the outgoing executive director who spearheaded the growth of OnTrack for 39 years, is on paid leave and is not expected to return in her former capacity. According to a release from OnTrack, Sullivan was relieved of her duties when the board concluded serious issues needed to be addressed. Hecox will work with OnTrack former board members Rick Nagel and Tonia Moro to reform OnTrack's organizational structure to deal with employee retention, chronic understaffing and deferred maintenance. Nagel and Moro stepped in as interim executive directors after Sullivan left. State investigators found "deplorable conditions" at housing units owned by OnTrack. The organization responded Monday by sending the state a corrective action plan. The crisis housing units had rodent feces in bedrooms and beds, and standing water in a basement with a washer and dryer. Responding to a long list of concerns, OnTrack, in a letter Monday to DHS Deputy Director Reginald Richardson, said it will invest $250,000 to upgrade the 11th and 12th street properties over a six- to nine-week period. Repairs include replacing all windows, new doors, flooring, painting, electrical work and other items. A sewage leak is in the process of being repaired, according to OnTrack. Case managers have been told to enforce client cleanliness policies. Apartments on King Street are more complex to resolve, but OnTrack plans to fix damaged walls, paint and replace heaters, appliances and other fixtures. OnTrack indicated to DHS that it might need to operate with fewer units than it does presently while repairs are underway. Apartments on Holly Street that are used for transitional housing also will be renovated. OnTrack acknowledged in its plan that it wasn't providing round-the-clock supervision of the crisis housing program. Four new employees will be hired to staff the housing at King and 12th streets. In the meantime, OnTrack plans to use current staff to cover the shifts by paying overtime. DHS found no background checks in some personnel files, and OnTrack has since placed those workers on leave until the checks can be completed. Other workers who did not obtain preliminary approval or were later denied were terminated. In the case of a maintenance worker with an out-of-state warrant, the plan states, "We were remiss, however, in not terminating him immediately on (sic) after his denial as we did the service providers who were our focus." A teen program housing facility on Holly Street was closed recently after black mold, water leaks and other problems were found. The teens were moved to another facility. OnTrack is trying to make other arrangements to retain the child-caring state license and is continuing treatments at its West Main Street location. — Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm.