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Sullivan won't be coming back to OnTrack The Department of Human Services has found safety hazards at three of OnTrack's housing units, including this one on King Street in Medford. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Friday Jan 27, 2017 at 1:28 PM Jan 28, 2017 at 12:43 PM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm OnTrack Inc. board president Jim Maize said Rita Sullivan won't be coming back to work at the nonprofit organization, but he disputed reports she'd been fired. "The board has taken no action at all to fire Dr. Sullivan," Maize said Saturday. "To have somebody not coming back doesn't necessarily lead to being fired." When asked whether Sullivan was asked to resign and the board was still waiting to hear from her, Maize said he couldn't comment. "Sometimes you're in a very sensitive period when people are talking and you don't want to create aggravation where there isn't any," he said. Sullivan was placed on paid leave in November, two months after a tort claim was filed by current and former employees alleging Sullivan berated them in public and in private. OnTrack is also under investigation by the Department of Human Services for "deplorable conditions" at its crisis housing. Twenty families are being moved out of OnTrack housing because of safety risks, according to DHS. Maize said the board will provide DHS with a plan for corrective action by Monday as required by DHS. Maize said he couldn't discuss the details of Sullivan's departure other than to say it was announced to OnTrack staff Friday morning. Sullivan, who built OnTrack into Southern Oregon's largest provider of addiction recovery services since its founding 39 years ago, had been on paid leave since November. Her annual salary was $120,000. Sullivan couldn't be reached for comment Friday. More details have emerged about the problems at OnTrack housing. During surprise visits to OnTrack facilities Jan. 17-19, eight investigators from DHS and Oregon Health Authority uncovered myriad safety risks to clients, according to a Jan. 24 letter DHS Deputy Director Reginald Richardson sent to Maize at OnTrack. The Mail Tribune obtained a copy of the letter through a public records request. "Upon completion of the investigation, DHS has determined that there are currently children and families at risk of harm who are receiving services from OnTrack," Richardson wrote in his letter. DHS required that 20 families be moved into other living situations. The state contracts with OnTrack to provide a variety of drug treatment programs. DHS paid OnTrack $2.81 million from July 1, 2015, to Jan. 10; the Oregon Health Authority gave OnTrack $1.13 million in 2016. Teenagers housed at Holly and Fifth streets were moved to another facility after DHS investigators found inadequate heating and water leaking into the girl's dorm through the walls, ceiling and floors. Black mold was found throughout the facility. "As DHS noted, OnTrack has relocated residents in the Teen treatment facility to a safe and suitable location,” Maize said in an email to the Mail Tribune. DHS and OHA investigators discovered an OnTrack maintenance worker who had contact with children and families had an out-of-state warrant. The worker did undergo a background check, but the results indicated he shouldn't be working at OnTrack, Richardson's letter said. A sample of other OnTrack employees found they didn't have background checks in their personnel files. “The maintenance person described in the report is no longer employed by OnTrack," Maize said. A DHS inspection of OnTrack crisis housing units on 11th, 12th and King streets found other health problems, including rodent feces in the beds and bedrooms of recovering addicts and their families. Many units used space heaters, which can pose a fire hazard, because the heating system wasn't adequate for the buildings, Richardson's letter said. When a baby was burned by a wall heater, OnTrack installed fencing around the heaters as a temporary solution. Standing water was found in a basement with a washer and dryer, posing potential safety risks. Another unit had a sewage leak. Cords on mini blinds were too long, posing a choking risk for children. "The units that were toured by the team were found to be dirty, in need of paint, new flooring, new fixtures, new doors and new finishes," Richardson wrote. The inspection found leaky plumbing, "bouncy" floors where the subflooring "was obviously rotten" and exposed wiring, among other maintenance issues that hadn't been addressed. Crisis housing is required to provide constant supervision of recovering addicts under OnTrack's Strengthening, Preserving and Reunifying Families contract with the state. "It is clear that staff are not providing 24/7 supervision in the housing crisis program, as required by the SPRF contract," Richardson wrote. Investigators also heard reports of possible child abuse that are being investigated by DHS, Richardson wrote. Maize didn't respond to questions about how long the organization has known about problems in the buildings. He said in a short phone interview that OnTrack doesn't plan to dispute the findings of the DHS review. He explained in his email, “The OnTrack board cares deeply about the children in the agency’s care and is acting swiftly to address the safety and facility issues raised by the Department of Human Services. We plan to submit a corrective action plan as requested no later than January 30.” The Mail Tribune has requested a copy of OnTrack's corrective action plan when it is submitted to DHS. Maize said OnTrack is conducting a thorough organizational audit to address issues that have been raised, from staffing to facility maintenance. He said the organization is attempting to resolve management issues. "Meanwhile, we are continuing our work to help men and women suffering from addiction reclaim their lives, families, careers and self respect," Maize said in his email. The Sept. 8, 2015, tort claim filed by current and former staff members alleges abusive behavior by Sullivan toward employees. The claim alleges Sullivan kicked or slammed her hand against things close to employees while yelling and cursing at them and berated them in public and private. Two months after the tort claim, Sullivan was placed on paid leave. Maize sent a letter to staff Nov. 26 stating that investigators had been looking into allegations that "management have inappropriately interacted with some OnTrack staff." State Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, worked as deputy director at OnTrack for seven years. "Up to the time I left OnTrack five years ago, I had not observed the sort of egregious health and safety violations that Oregon child welfare officials discovered recently," she said in an email to the Mail Tribune. "However, I was aware of management practices that could have resulted in a breakdown of this sort." At the time, she said she informed OnTrack board members of her concerns. Marsh said she is confident that the board will take responsibility for rebuilding OnTrack and sustaining its vital role in the community. "These citizen volunteers have my full support in their efforts to restore public trust in an important provider of services to the many Jackson County residents — parents, children, friends and neighbors — who are struggling with substance abuse," Marsh said in her email. — Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm. Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect OnTrack board president Jim Maize's comments Saturday that Sullivan was not fired.