Cincinnati-area woman's slit throat exemplifies issues for developmentally disabled people

FAIRFIELD, Ohio (WKRC) - Local 12 is following the struggle of local families to find safe and affordable care for their loved ones with developmental disabilities.

There is new information on the life of a local woman who sustained a slit throat while at a facility, and whose life exemplifies issues faced by thousands more like her.

It's been a year since Local 12 last updated viewers on Lauren, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at three weeks old.

In February 2023, the father of the 36-year-old woman had just moved her back home after filing a lawsuit against the facility where she was living.

There were allegations of abuse ranging from cuts and burns, to leaving Lauren on buses for hours, to an unexplained slit throat.

An appeals court ruled just before the weekend that Lauren's case could move forward to a jury trial.

It's a win for the family that has been struggling to navigate the complex rules of Ohio's Department of Developmental Disabilities since she was a baby.

Kerstin Sjoberg is the president and CEO of Disability Rights Ohio.

“When it comes to the family members themselves providing the care, if they live with the individual, there are limitations on the amount of reimbursement -- that is less than you would pay an external provider,” she said.

Sjoberg says Lauren's struggle is not unique. Lauren's father says he has now had to place her back in a facility, because he could not sustain the 24/7 care she needs while working.

However, finding a place that would allow cameras in her room has been an issue. So, he is trying to find a lawmaker to sponsor a bill that would require it.

“Do you think there is sufficient teeth at the DODD, or a sufficient number of people checking up on these facilities?” Local 12 asked Sjoberg.

“Overall, the system works reasonable well, in that there is at least an independent level of investigation happening, but is it resulting in the types of corrective action that families and individuals want? I think that might be open to question at this point," she said.

State lawmakers recently passed a law that increases caregiver pay from an average of $12 an hour to $18. It goes into effect in July.

State Rep Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) championed that raise, and now, she's considering introducing a merit-based reimbursement system.

“If you get an excellent rating on level of care, you receive more money than if you don’t,” she said. “We don’t do that for the Department of Disabilities. Maybe that’s something we should do.”

In past coverage of Lauren and her family, Local 12 showed there are thousands of Major Unusual Incidents (MUIs) like Lauren's slit throat, and very few consequences for caregivers.

Disability Rights Ohio says its often because substantiating claims is difficult when the victims are often unable to articulate what happened to them.

Rep. Schmidt says she is going to call the head of the DODD back into her office to see if further oversight is necessary.

Local 12 will continue following Lauren's story, the efforts to improve her quality of life, and the lives of people who have similar struggles.