Indira Vazzalwar, M.D., is a psychiatrist currently in charge at the Kiley snake pit. She makes a salary of more than $300,000 a year which the taxpayers are on the hook for, presumably along with benefits, pension, etc. I have been advocating on behalf of a mother whose disabled adult child is one of Dr. Vazzalwar's slaves there in Waukegan, although Dr. Vazzalwar only just came to my attention today as an overseer. I'm not sure how long she's been "Medical" (the quotation marks are sarcastic, of course) Director of Kiley snake pit, perhaps several years. From a quick internet search, she doesn't seem very proud of that position, and she doesn't apparently promote it as any sort of professional credit. It's hard to blame her for that.
Kiley is one of several state-operated facilities housing developmentally disabled ("DD") adults in Illinois. I don't know whether it's the worst of them all, or (God forbid!) the best, because I have spent almost all of my 20+ years in this business of abolition at forensic mental health (rather than DD) facilities. But Kiley is bad, that's for sure. It's bad because the staff there (not all, just some) are bad or badly intended, not because they don't get enough of our money. They cannot improve the conditions or the lives of the people they call their "patients" with any "treatments" they pretend should be medically or scientifically helpful. They are not worth what the public pays them. They lie, incessantly, necessarily and unnecessarily (without knowing the difference), to the public and to themselves.
The situation of my client's adult child at Kiley is one good example among many, on a list offering an unlimited supply. Only a few years ago she was mildly impaired, verbal, social, clean and physically healthy. Now she strongly prefers to sequester herself in her bedroom at Kiley for up to 22 hours a day. She suffers from occasional seizures, is essentially non-verbal, and most of the clinical staff are afraid of her. They cannot convince or help her to maintain acceptable hygiene. She throws things, refuses medications, and worst of all, she accuses people of physically abusing her, pushing her down, hitting her. Her mother believes the abuse allegations against staff, and causes trouble.
One reason this "patient" is believed by her mother, is that once a week or more, she is actually injured in some way that plausibly evidences physical abuse. On April 19th, 23rd, 27th, and May 1st, 2026, there were fresh bruises or lacerations. Three of those four occasions prompted emergency room visits for stitches or other treatment. Hospital clinicians not affiliated with Kiley are generally horrified.
The Illinois Department of Human Services' (IDHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is supposed to protect against abuse and neglect of vulnerable people in state institutions. They don't do it; they are useless at best, or worse, complicit in coverups. And this despite elaborate rules and training for reporting and investigating any and all suspicions of abuse. The regime is known as OIG Rule 50. My client the mother was not told about Rule 50 or how it is supposed to protect her child, until recently (probably by me). When she learned that all staff at Kiley snake pit are required to report any suspicion of abuse to OIG within four hours, she started asking questions. Some of her questions were directed toward Dr. Vazzalwar, e.g.:
Dr. Indira, did you report the injuries to my daughter which we saw on 4/19, 4/23, 4/27 and 5/1 to OIG... or did the nurses who were present call OIG?
The Kiley "Medical" Director was evasive about that, but eventually she answered:
It was reported to ISI and ISI reported to OIG.
This curt, passive-voice answer was not satisfactory. As a matter of fact, in my opinion it was evidence of deflection and cover-up. "It was reported...." Oh really..? By whom? When exactly?
The acronym ISI is for Kiley snake pit's own internal security staff, who are probably useful most of all to obscure the strict responsibility of each and every individual staff member, including Dr. Vazzalwar herself, to personally call OIG, about any allegation, even if it is only based on mere suspicion of abuse. Having staff report allegations to ISI and designating ISI to report to OIG is what Rule 50 calls "screening", and it's illegal.
My client's child continues to be tortured, made worse rather than better; and my client herself is incessantly insulted, threatened and gaslighted by people who are supposed to be helping professionals and reasonably honest public servants.
Indira Vazzalwar seems more like a criminal to me.
