ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A urine-soaked couch, bed bugs, lice, and filthy carpet where kids sit and play. That’s how New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families leadership describes some of their own buildings in Albuquerque. Now, Secretary Teresa Casados has spoken with KRQE News 13 about the situation.
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On August 19, 2024, Deputy Division Director Romaine Serna wrote to Deputy Secretary Henry Sandles that the “carpet in the visiting rooms are filthy and stained. That’s where our children sit and play. Where our youth sleep is generally dirty. Our lice room and bed bug-infested couch was supposed to be sprayed over the weekend, but it wasn’t. So, Mr. Deputy, these areas impact the quality of visits and isn’t very comfortable for my youth sleeping in the office.”
KRQE News 13 obtained 145 pages of emails between CYFD workers describing terrible conditions at the CYFD Pine Tree Center in Albuquerque where kids are taken when they’re removed from their homes and waiting for foster placement.
Deputy Secretary Sandles, who is in charge of operations, pointed out the same problems including bed bugs and lice infestations which he said are health and safety concerns that must be addressed by the end of the day. He also wrote that during his interaction with various units and divisions at the Pine Tree Facility, he noticed numerous areas that needed attention.
CYFD Secretary Teresa Casados said the state spent $13,000 cleaning the facility for lice and bed bugs. “There was talk and as you know rumors… somebody says something about a bed bug and before you know it… we have an infestation. There was concern and we addressed it immediately,” said Secretary Casados.
She added that they replaced the carpet which was already in the works. She said there was lice but not an infestation and a report from exterminators said they didn’t find bed bugs. Secretary Casados blamed rumors that spread fast. “We have had issues. You know, we have kids who come in that, you know, they go into houses to do investigations that you know sometimes are not the cleanest, and you know that potential is there. And so we want to make sure that you know here that we’re maintaining and the facilities are up to par,” said Secretary Casados.
The email also pointed out other problems with a CYFD admin supervisor who asked a local nonprofit to buy more lice spray for CYFD. They said lice were really becoming an issue. The non-profit ordered it on Amazon for her and the admin supervisor responded in part, “I can’t even express how grateful we are for you….also at the same time I struggle with why we don’t have a budget through CYFD to be able to do these things for children in our care.”
Secretary Casados said they have a budget for what supplies are needed and that the admin supervisor should have known that.
Another email from the state Transportation Division told CYFD that one of its employees went to a home infested with bed bugs and did not notify them so they issued the car to another employee without cleaning it and it wasn’t the first time. That led to a slew of emails from appalled employees.
Secretary Casdados said she’s doing all she can to recruit foster parents and employees. For more information on how to foster, click this link .
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