Kicked to the curb

North Central Health Care ended its adult day services, handing it off to Opportunity, Inc. Now many of those cognitively disabled adults have been evicted after parents say service faltered.

Terry and Mary Brynjulfson didn’t know what to think when they, along with other adult disabled residents of Jelinek Apartments, received word from North Central Health Care last October that NCHC would be switching its programs assisting the adults with cognitive disabilities to non-profit Opportunity Inc.

At least according to NCHC, nothing would change:

“NCHC and Opportunity Inc. are working very closely together to ensure the highest levels of care and services during this transition and are confident these changes will have little to no impact on the individuals served in these programs. Both NCHC and Opportunity Inc. are prioritizing the support of the residents, their families, and the staff during this transition,” states Gary Olsen, NCHC Executive Director.

The change came as part of NCHC’s plan to pare down to core services in order to stem the bleeding after years of budget deficits. NCHC started losing money in 2021, as The Wausonian was first to report, and has been hemorrhaging money since (though the org presented a balanced budget for 2024).

The move transferred 76 residential clients, including 58 day service clients from North Central Health Care to Opportunity Inc.

The statement sounds nice but the Brynjulfsons, whose daughter Renee lived in the Jelinek apartments with very few problems, are among a number of parents who say that’s not what happened. The Wausonian spoke to more than half a dozen parents of cognitively disabled adults who say their children didn’t get the care they had received under NCHC.

Instead, they say, Opportunity Inc stopped doing most of what was done previously: assisting in cleaning resulting in mold in some apartments; following previous plans for grocery shopping; properly providing correct medications; and even providing transportation to jobs. Parents say Opportunity even cut transportation to the Special Olympics. Worse, those parents say, they would stop by to see their children and no Opportunity Inc staff were in sight; startling considering adults with cognitive disabilities need to be monitored for their safety.

When they brought those concerns to the attention of Opportunity Inc staff and leadership, parents say they were either ignored or, worse, their children were eventually evicted from the apartment. Others ultimately left of their own accord.

At least two parents filed a complaint with the state. Many say they wanted to move on. The Brynjulfsons told The Wausonian they believe they’ve been blacklisted from other group homes as they’ve already spoken out publicly via another news outlet. They say they’re stuck on waiting lists where others haven’t had a problem getting in. And one parent found another place for her child two hours away, making visiting a challenge. Many spoke to The Wausonian on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution from Opportunity Inc.

The Wausonian reached out to NCHC to ask if they were aware of the situation and what kind of oversight they would have over the contract. According to spokesperson Jessica Meadows, they were not aware of the concerns. Meadows in a statement to The Wausonian said they have no oversight past the hand-off, except for in the very early days of the contract. That now falls under the Department of Health Services, Meadows explained. During the brief window, Meadows says NCHC was not made aware of any concerns.

The Wausonian reached out to Sarah Satterfield, Director of Opportunity Inc, laying out the concerns of those parents. As of this publication, The Wausonian has not received a response.

Meanwhile, parents speaking to The Wausonian paint a troubling picture of what happened once services were transferred from NCHC to Opportunity Inc.