Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Unregulated Residential Treatment Facilities Exploit Children and Families, Say Mental Health Experts and Advocates; Urge GAO Inquiry, Passage of Legislation
10/18/2005 3:00:00 PM
To: National Desk, Health Reporter, Congressional Reporter
Contact: Tammy Seltzer, 202-467-5730 ext. 116 or
[email protected] or Lee Carty, 202-467-5730, ext 121 or
http://cfs.fmhi.usf.edu/projects/ASTART.htm .
Among speakers at the briefing was Christine Gomez, who had unknowingly placed her son in unregulated facilities in Montana and Jamaica, where he was kept from communicating with his family for over a year and from which he emerged physically and mentally traumatized. Gomez describes "the guilt I felt over having been so na?ve and trusting." She now reaches out to other families, including "some who liquidated their assets and sold their homes to get help for their children" only to find that help was not on the program at the facilities where their children went.
In addition to professionals and advocates, speakers at the briefing included a former staff member of an unlicensed treatment center and a young woman who had been placed in such a facility. All of the speakers' remarks are online at
http://cfs.fmhi.usf.edu/projects/AStart ... sbrief.pdf . To reach former program participants and families who are willing to share their stories with the media is available, contact the Bazelon Center or the Florida Mental Health Institute (see above).
"To induce families to send their children to these programs, parents have been told that they must make immediate placements before it is 'too late,'" said Dr. Robert Friedman, chair of the Department of Child and Family Studies of the University of South Florida. "Tragically, it is now 'too late' for many young people who have died in these programs or suffered great harm. Congress must act quickly to protect other children whose families are being told the same lies."
While most experts agree that even children with serious emotional and behavioral problems can and should be served in their homes and communities, the speakers agreed that there is a place for residential care. "Residential treatment facilities should be reserved for children and youth whose dangerous behavior cannot be controlled except in a secure setting," concluded Tammy Seltzer, senior staff attorney at the Bazelon Center. "They should not be opportunities for unscrupulous and unaccountable entrepreneurs to get rich quick at the expense of children and families who need responsible and effective mental health treatment. We ask Congress to protect children and families by improving access to appropriate mental health treatment and increasing oversight of those who only pretend to have children's best interests at heart."
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is the nation's leading legal advocate for the rights of children and adults with mental disabilities. For more information on the Bazelon Center, visit
http://www.bazelon.org .
The Florida Mental Health Institute's Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health serves as a resource for other researchers, policy makers, administrators in the public system, and organizations representing parents, consumers, advocates, professional societies and practitioners. For more information, visit
http://www.fmhi.usf.edu .
http://www.usnewswire.com© 2005 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
posted by Barbe Stamps at 1:58 PM
Barbe
TAUSA
