On Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006, administrators at St. John’s Regional Medical Center reported to the Division of Family Services, an alleged superficial biting incident involving a child and staff person. The staff person is no longer employed by St. John’s Mercy Discovery Center.
We take this situation very seriously, and have initiated a comprehensive internal investigation surrounding the allegation. We are further cooperating with authorities in their investigation of the incidents.
Effective May 24th, 2006, the Mercy Discovery Center was placed under new management. We have conducted and will continue to conduct employee in-service training on our policy on disciplining children at the Mercy Discovery Center, and we have reminded staff of the Ethics at Work Hotline established for St. John’s employees. Additionally, an alert number has been set-up for employees of the Mercy Discovery Center to report any issues related to child safety.
The Mercy Discovery Center is a licensed facility and operates in accordance with state guidelines. As stated in the parent handbook, our policy on discipline for biting is as follows:
“We do not spank, shake, bite, pinch, push, pull, slap or otherwise physically punish the child… In case of a problem with your child such as biting, hitting, or some other behavior disorder, we may be required to ask you to remove your child from the center… We use time out as our only means of punishment.”
The safety of our children and the preparedness of our staff are our top priorities. We have provided an information line for parents to call with any questions or concerns about their child, or our policies at the Mercy Discovery Center. We will also be in contact with each parent to address any concerns they may have.
|
