The fence at the Juniper Ridge Acute Care Facility is leaning and weakened in sections due to being built on non-compacted ground.

The Grant County Court took a tour of the Juniper Ridge Acute Care Facility in John Day Monday afternoon to see how the facility is addressing the recent escape of a patient earlier this month.

The escape was the third known incident since the mental health facility opened in 2013.

Kimberly Lindsay, executive director of Community Counseling Solutions, the company that operates Juniper Ridge Acute Care Facility, showed the three commissioners how the current fence in the yard is flawed because it was built on non-compacted ground. In some spots, the fence is leaning and weakened.

The patient earlier this month and another in January both broke through the fence, through a flaw in its design.

Lindsay explained how the facility is in the process of installing a new fence, and is currently in a lawsuit against the contractor who built the original fence.

In addition, Lindsay said, the facility has recently changed its protocol to not allow a patient outside without a staff member present.

Commissioner Chris Labhart said he is pleased with the facility’s efforts.

“CCS is definitely trying to solve the problem and they changed the policy,” he said. “I obviously believe the public is safe with these policy changes.”

The Blue Mountain Eagle asked Lindsay and Rory Schilling, the facility administrator at Juniper Ridge, to further describe what is being done to improve the safety and security of the facility.

Eagle: What precautions/protocols have changed since the escape?

CCS: Residents can no longer be outside without a staff member present. Staff presence provides direct line-of-sight supervision.

Eagle: What are Juniper Ridge’s plans moving forward with the fence?

CCS: Materials for a new fence will arrive at Juniper Ridge November 11. Our contractors have been notified of this. This fence has been crafted specifically for Juniper Ridge. Modifications in the design of the fence have been adopted in consultation with designers, contractors and engineers that will minimize impact to the new fence should the ground continue to shift. Juniper Ridge is also exploring other ways to increase community safety such as additional cameras, fence movement sensors, and possibly an additional fence surrounding the perimeter of the property to compliment the security fence around the exercise yard.

Eagle: What has Juniper Ridge been doing prior to the escape to get the fence repaired?

CCS: Proactively, we’ve made alterations to the existing fence, such as adding mesh screen around the top of the fence to hinder handholds and climbing. We also identified some weaknesses that were fixed prior to the escape. When an issue has been identified it has been fixed. Resident and community safety has been our top priority. And we’ve actively pursued replacement of the existing fence with a secure fence since January. This has been a challenge given our soil issues. Once we identified a fence that provided the needed security, our engineer worked with the fence manufacturer and a local contractor to build “sleeves” or “pockets” that will house the posts and allow them to move with the shifting soil without compromising the security or structural features of the fence. This fence was scheduled to arrive in August and should already be in place. However, the manufacturer ran into a design flaw that required additional work before installation could begin. This delayed shipment of the fence.

Eagle: What alert system is now in place with police, etc. so the public can be made aware as soon as possible?

CCS: Juniper Ridge management and staff regularly assess the risks that our residents present to the local community and larger public. We have a strong relationship with local, county, and state law enforcement agencies, who have proven to be extremely responsive to, and conscientious about, the community’s safety. We are scheduling meetings with these agencies to insure timely response and coordination between all parties to provide for the safety of the community as well as our residents.

Should another escape occur, we will notify law enforcement immediately and work with law enforcement to provide them the necessary information. We will also notify the Blue Mountain Eagle and KJDY so that they can spread the word as well. The safety of the community, our staff, and residents is paramount. We take this incident seriously and understand the community’s concern. Based on the research conducted, we fully expect that the new fence, coupled with other steps we are taking, should address identified issues and serve to restore community’s trust in CCS.