But some of the worst abuses of patient rights were committed against his own son. During one of her daily visits, Mrs. De Martino was told by staff that her son was "all cleaned up" for her visit. When she pulled the blankets down, WayneJohn was covered in excrement.
"My son wasn't fed anything but water for 21 days and went from 191 to 100 pounds," said Mrs. De Martino. "This was the most extreme case of gross neglect I've ever seen."
While in the facility, their son also was put on 20 different psychiatric drugs including Haldol and Chlorpromazine. The De Martinos' family doctor ordered that WayneJohn be taken off every drug except one.
While in the facility for one year, WayneJohn received physical therapy only twice, which led his limbs and joints to atrophy. According to De Martino, the facility had only one rehab therapist on hand for 80 or more brain injured patients.
When the De Martinos complained about their son's treatment, New Medico sought to send WayneJohn to a New Medico facility in Massachusetts because the company could have billed Medicaid 50% more money for out of state patients -- upwards of $2,000 per patient, per day. The De Martinos refused and told New Medico they would take their son home and care for him there. New Medico officials responded by stating the parents were misguided and "in denial" for wanting to care for their son at home at no cost to Medicaid.
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