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February 06. 2008 9:00AM
Former NFL star to fund group home proposed for county
By SETH STRATTON
The Dispatch
The Davidson County Board of Commissioners, by a 4-3 vote, approved a
rezoning request for a group home by Premier Services, a Concord-based
company which is primarily funded by former National Football League star
Natrone Means.
Reece Harris and Leslie Mussington, representing Premier Services, told
the board they plan to build a 12-bed, "level IV" facility on more than 3
acres on Front Street, about a quarter-mile west of Lowell Street in Tyro
Township. Premier Services will have to apply for a special use permit,
detailing the business' operations, before it can begin operation of the
facility.
Mussington told commissioners the secure type of group home his company is
planning to build is badly needed in the area. He said the facility
primarily would treat patients from 6 to 18 years old, and some as old as
21, for a period of up to 30 days at a time. Mussington said the facility
would be a locked facility with heavy landscaping and a residential facade
to blend in with area homes.
The board raised concerns about the facility because it was being proposed
for a site that is close to some neighborhood areas. Commissioners Sam
Watford, Larry Allen and Chairman Larry Potts voted against the rezoning.
Commissioners Dr. Max Walser, Billy Joe Kepley, Don Truell and Fred
McClure, who sits on the local board of directors for Piedmont Behavioral
Healthcare, voted for it.
"I know we need them in the county, but I'm not sure this is the proper
place for it," Potts said.
Paula Harrison, an administrator for Davidson County Department of Social
Services, said there are few level IV facilities across the state, the
closest being one in the Charlotte area. Harrison said a referral to a
level IV facility is often the "last stop" for treatment before a patient
is referred to a mental hospital.
N.C. Health Choice defines a level IV facility as one that has the
"ability to manage intensive levels of aggressiveness" and "continual and
intensive interventions designed to assist the consumer in acquiring
control over acute behaviors." They are used to treat patients with a
"history of eloping from unlocked facilities or inability to become
stabilized in anything but a locked facility."
Mussington said these facilities treat patients with psychological and
psychiatric consultations along with school, vocational and recreational
activities. The state requires level IV homes to be staffed during sleep
hours with continuous supervision. Each facility typically has locked
"time out rooms" which contain "physical restraints" to secure patients'
safety.
The facilities are often expensive to operate due to the staffing of
several medical professionals. Mussington said the facility, which could
house a dozen patients, could have up to eight staff members working
during a shift.
Once a patient has demonstrated improvement to function in a lower level
of treatment or is determined to no longer benefit from the services, he
or she will be discharged.
Walser said group homes are "controversial" especially when they are
proposed in a primarily residential area. The former superintendent said
he cares for the well-being of all children but also has a responsibility
to let the homeowners in that area know that Premier Services is a
legitimate, bona fide company.
Mussington, a former Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare employee, said PBH
encouraged him to come to the county and open the facility because of the
need. McClure said PBH is "very particular" in who they refer their
patients to and have even shut down some group homes in the county.
"I'm currently partners in another such venture that I've been with since
2000. We've been trailblazers in providing quality services to the
Piedmont area," Mussington assured the board. "We would be good citizens
of the community, never a nuisance."
Harris said he got involved with the project because he was once a
troubled teen. He said he met Means through a cousin who worked in a level
III facility. Harris said Means would be the primary owner and financier
of the project and said Premier Services "won't spare any expenses" to
make the facility as attractive as possible. He expects the facility to
create about 60 jobs.
Means, a running back from Harrisburg, played for the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill before being selected by the San Diego Chargers in
the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft. In 1994, Means led the Chargers to
the Super Bowl and went on to be named a Pro Bowler. That year he rushed
for 1,350 yards and 12 touchdowns, his best year as a pro.
He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars before ending his career with
the Carolina Panthers in 2000. Over his eight seasons, Means rushed for a
total of 5,215 yards and scored 45 touchdowns.
Seth Stratton can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 226, or seth.stratton@the-dispatch.com.
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