State Closes 9 Mental Health Group Homes

The Alabama Department of Mental Health has decertified the owner of nine group homes in northern Alabama. The Decatur Daily reports that state officials delivered the notice Thursday to K&D Group Home executive director Katie M. Smith that the state was immediately revoking her license. Smith was licensed to operate group homes in Decatur that serve patients with intellectual disabilities. Mental Health Commissioner James V. Perdue wrote in the letter that the department certification was revoked because the deficiencies cited in the notice pose a serious threat to the safety and welfare of the consumers. The state removed most of the clients from Smith's home on Diane Street where she and workers had cooked breakfast for them.