Author Topic: Another death last week at an Aspen program  (Read 21848 times)

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Offline RMA Survivor

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #15 on: September 25, 2009, 07:07:55 PM »
I know back when I was sent to RMA, my parents got all their information in one phone call to the school. Everything they heard sounded so wonderful and they soon paid the tuition and sat back waiting for the magic to happen.  Many parents just don't take enough time to investigate on their own.  Many assumptions are made such as that the place wouldn't exist if it wasn't licensed and properly staffed.  And many parents assume these "consultants" who are paid by the industry to recommend placements for teens, are actually independent, so they take their word for it and don't seek outside information.  People still join Scientology despite everything people have posted about it.  

And of course, the all present problem that most of these parents are desperate and at what they think is the end of their wits and are ready to make any new decision as long as it is made by someone else for them.
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Offline Oscar

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #16 on: October 20, 2009, 09:05:54 AM »
After having read this article, I will have to say that they couldn't have done a better job killing him. There were so many warning signs.

Investigator calls wilderness school reckless in teen’s death (Bend Bulletin)

And the parents: Who is believing what they see on television? Brat Camp was a show, not a documentary. Some of part of me feel for them being naive beyound any measurement but to choose residential treatment with a problem that could have been fixed 10 times faster and better with in-home counseling makes me wonder if they wanted to be a part of the solution in the first place at all.
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Offline Troll Control

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #17 on: October 20, 2009, 10:23:06 AM »
We all agree that ASPEN programs negligently kill many kids every year.  All programs, but specifically ASPEN, should be strictly avoided.  They already argued in court that they provide no treatment, so why would anyone send their kid there?  Just to roll the dice on your little one being snuffed?  Makes no sense to me.
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Offline Ursus

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Investigator calls wilderness school reckless...
« Reply #18 on: October 20, 2009, 11:11:03 AM »
Investigator calls wilderness school reckless in teen's death
A 16-year-old collapsed and died on an August hike in Lake County; a sheriff's deputy says interviews indicate the school may have skirted disaster before

By Erin Golden / The Bulletin
Published: October 20. 2009 4:00AM PST


The investigation into the death of a 16-year-old Portland boy who collapsed on a hike with a Redmond-based wilderness school this summer is focusing on reports that the boy may not have had proper nutrition and medical care before and during his hike through a remote area of northern Lake County.

In an affidavit requesting a search warrant to seek documents and other evidence from SageWalk Wilderness School's Southwest Obsidian Avenue office last month, Lake County Sheriff's Deputy Chuck Poré wrote that he believes Sergey Blashchishen's death was a homicide and the result of criminal mistreatment and reckless endangerment by the school.

No charges have been filed against SageWalk or any individuals, and the investigation is expected to continue for another few months.

But Poré said Monday that the information he gathered to make his case for a search warrant — including interviews with school staff members who said Blashchishen started showing signs of distress hours before anyone called 911 — are still pointing him in the direction of a crime.

"I have not changed my course from what I saw when I made the application for the search warrant," Poré said.

Blashchishen died on Aug. 28. About two weeks later, SageWalk Executive Director Mike Bednarz said the Oregon Department of Human Services had ordered the school to send all of its students home.

On Sept. 14, the Lake County Sheriff's Office executed the search warrant, taking more than 400 files and Blashchishen's camping equipment.

On Monday, Bednarz said no students are currently at the school, but declined to comment further, citing the ongoing law enforcement and state Department of Human Services investigations.

Surprise pickup

SageWalk is one of a handful of wilderness schools in Central Oregon for teens dealing with emotional and behavioral issues or other problems, including substance abuse.

According to the affidavit, the boy's mother, Lyudmila Blashchishen, wrote on a school form that her son was aggressive, sometimes rude and uninterested in studying or thinking about his future. On Aug. 26, Blashchishen's parents enrolled him in SageWalk without his knowledge.

On Aug. 27, between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., two "transporters" contracted by SageWalk woke Blashchishen at his home in Portland to take him to SageWalk, according to the affidavit. Blashchishen's parents, who had been told to be away when their son was picked up, watched from a neighbor's house.

Poré wrote in the affidavit that surprise early-morning pickups are a frequent occurrence for new SageWalk students.

Blashchishen arrived in Redmond around 9 a.m. and was later transported to a medical facility for blood tests and a drug screening, according to the affidavit. He tested positive for THC, a substance found in marijuana, but a staff member present for the testing said no additional questions were asked about Blashchishen's drug use or his two-year cigarette smoking habit, which his mother had listed on a school medical history form.

Around 1 p.m., Blashchishen was blindfolded and put in a vehicle headed to the school's base camp in Lake County. Around the area of Hampton Station, Blashchishen said he wanted the blindfold removed, and staff members agreed to take the blindfold off and let the boy lie in the back seat if he'd look only at the vehicle's ceiling.

Blashchishen was never told where he was going or what would happen to him, according to the affidavit.

Once he arrived at camp, Blashchishen met other students. The conversation turned to drug use, and Blashchishen talked about purchasing the drug OxyContin.

Calorie count

The students later had a meal of rice and lentils. Though some students were allowed to ask for up to five cups of food, Blashchishen, as a newcomer, was offered just two, according to the affidavit.

DHS regulations for wilderness schools require all students to be offered no less than 3,000 calories of food per day.

Poré wrote that SageWalk staff members could not provide information about what else, if anything, Blashchishen ate before the meal of lentils and rice. He wrote that the boy could have had as few as 400 calories during the day.

That day, Blashchishen wrote a poem, in which he described the camp scene — "squirrels/running around/blue skies/green bushes and trees/but I'm still hungry."

Staff members Poré interviewed later said they did not recall Blashchishen saying he was hungry.

The next morning, at 11:45, Blashchishen, the other students, and three staff members had breakfast and set off for a hike south of Hampton.

Blashchishen carried his camping gear, food, water and clothing in a pack that weighed between 40 and 50 pounds, according to the affidavit. He set out at a "good pace" in the front of the rest of the group, though he didn't know how far he'd be hiking that day. The terrain was dusty, with tall brush and little shade.

About an hour later, one of the staff members noticed Blashchishen walking strangely. The group took a break and Blashchishen drank water and consumed electrolytes.

When the hike continued, another staff member noticed that Blashchishen had started carrying his backpack in a different way, and he was "not resting efficiently," but did not ask the boy if he was having problems, according to the affidavit.

Staff members told Poré that they did not push Blashchishen to continue on, but added that other students encouraged him to continue.

As the hike went on, the staff members said Blashchishen fell several times, but pulled himself up and kept walking. Just after 2 p.m., staff members called the school's field supervisor to report that Blashchishen had vomited, but the hike continued.

Less than a half-hour later, about one mile from where the hike had begun, Blashchishen collapsed and lay on his back in the sun. The other students moved to the shade and began preparing lunch.

Blashchishen declined the offer of food and shortly after began flailing his arms and yelling in a foreign language, according to the affidavit. Staff members said the boy began to hyperventilate before his breathing slowed and then stopped altogether.

Call for help

One staff member told Poré that by the time Blashchishen stopped breathing, he'd been thinking about calling for help, but had not. At 2:36 p.m., staff members called a school nurse, who then told another staff member to call 911.

In the affidavit, Poré wrote that the call came much too late.

"This was not a call in progress explaining that Sergey was doing weird things and then during the conversation he collapsed," Poré wrote. "This call began with the announcement of the cessation of life and the beginning of CPR. This is a call that should have gone first and directly to 911."

Two staff members trained as emergency medical technicians performed CPR for about 45 minutes before an AirLink helicopter arrived from Bend. But by the time the helicopter arrived, Blashchishen was already dead. Deputies from the Deschutes and Lake County Sheriff's offices were called to the scene.

Poré arrived around 7 p.m., nearly five hours after staff members had begun CPR and more than three hours after they'd stopped lifesaving efforts. He rolled Blashchishen onto his side to examine him, and was surprised to find the boy's body still warm.

"Never before have I encountered a body that was warmer than my own touch, and it was especially remarkable as it was overcast and had been hours since death. ... Although I was gloved I was wearing short sleeves and could feel the heat radiation against my own skin," Poré wrote. "My senses likened the feeling to touching someone who had just gotten out of a hot shower."

The investigation continues

The State Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released the results of an autopsy, and in a preliminary death certificate signed on Aug. 30 by Dr. James Olson, the deputy state medical examiner for Southern Oregon, Blashchishen's cause of death was listed as "pending."

But on the certificate, Olson listed hyperthermia — the condition that occurs when a person's body temperature rises to abnormally high levels — as a possible contributing factor.

In his affidavit, Poré alleges that SageWalk was negligent on several counts. He wrote that school staff members should have asked more questions about Blashchishen's tobacco and drug use before sending him off on a hike. In addition, he said the school failed to consider the stress that could have been created by the previous day's early-morning pickup and blindfolded transport to the campsite.

Finally, Poré wrote that the staff members should have responded more quickly to Blashchishen's signs of distress on the hike.

Gordon Gannicott, a Portland attorney representing Blashchishen's family, said his clients agree with Poré's conclusions.

"I think the family is upset about what happened to Sergey, and they have concerns about these type of programs. ... There's a real possibility for danger with these camps. It appears that the behavioral focus is placed maybe above the medical focus in the food chain, and you end up with situations where the counselors, the people involved with the camps, are involving straightforward medical symptoms and signs in an attempt to shape behavior, and they should be responding more properly to medical issues."

The state began licensing outdoor schools after the death in 2000 of a 15-year-old student, who was being held facedown on the ground by a counselor while on a hiking trip in Lake County. The student was attending Obsidian Trails, a Bend-based wilderness school that closed several years after the incident. A civil suit filed against the school by the boy's mother was settled for an undisclosed amount.

No criminal charges were filed in connection with the 2000 incident.

DHS spokesman Gene Evans said his department's investigation into Blashchishen's death is ongoing, but declined to comment further.

Poré said he still needs to conduct more interviews and sort through the hundreds of pages of documents seized from the SageWalk office before he can decide if he will recommend that the Lake County District Attorney's office pursue criminal charges.

But in the affidavit, Poré wrote that his interviews with staff members had led him to believe that problems had occurred at the school.

"The pattern suggests that SageWalk, as a day care facility having a seemingly special right to press children to their maximum and beyond, is without the capability to separate symptoms of misbehavior from symptoms of approaching death," Poré wrote. "(My) interviews strongly suggest that, at least for the last nine months, SageWalk may have taken children to the precipice of disaster and been lucky. On Friday, August 28th, 2009, this luck ran out."

Erin Golden can be reached at 541-617-7837 or at egolden@bendbulletin.com.


Published Daily in Bend Oregon by Western Communications, Inc. © 2009
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #19 on: October 20, 2009, 11:31:23 AM »
Was the boy sent there by STICC?  One day, John D. Reuben, you'll have more than your family's blood on your hands, if you don't already.

Notice how Lon Woodbury and John Reuben are leaning toward the description of troubled teens with "behavior" problems since Aspen was forced to admit it provides no mental health treatment to save their sinking asses.  Throwing paper airplanes in class is no reason for a kid to die in a money sucking scam that victimizes entire families.  As noted in the Surgeon General's report in the other thread, admissions to RTC's need to be closely monitored - pigs like Aspen take anyone who can afford the tuition, and the proof is in the deaths.
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Offline Ursus

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excerpt fr. Surgeon General's report
« Reply #20 on: October 20, 2009, 11:35:30 AM »
Quote from: "Guest"
...As noted in the Surgeon General's report in the other thread, admissions to RTC's need to be closely monitored - pigs like Aspen take anyone who can afford the tuition, and the proof is in the deaths.

Excerpt re. long term efficacy of RTCs from Surgeon General David Satcher's report.
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Offline Troll Control

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #21 on: October 20, 2009, 12:24:40 PM »
Quote from: "Guest"
We all agree that ASPEN programs negligently kill many kids every year.  All programs, but specifically ASPEN, should be strictly avoided.  They already argued in court that they provide no treatment, so why would anyone send their kid there?  Just to roll the dice on your little one being snuffed?  Makes no sense to me.

Me neither.  What's wrong with these parents?  They can't READ??  Aspen is piling up kiddie carcasses at several of it's facilities and the parents just step over the bodies without noticing?  That's crazy.

ASPEN: Stacking Dead Kids Like Cordwood.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #22 on: October 20, 2009, 10:23:46 PM »
James Ray uses teen wilderness program techniques on adults: Interview with Brett Merle
October 20, 6:40 PMPhiladelphia Speculative Fiction ExaminerCassandra

          The participants in the James Ray sweat lodge tragedy are intelligent, rational, strong and powerful people. Every time I see someone call them “weak-minded” or some such nonsense I start flipping the bird and swearing like a sailor. Today I interviewed Brett Merle, also known as Sagewalker. He is the former owner of Sagewalk School for Troubled Teens (no longer affiliated), licensed PCS instructor (Positive Control Systems), instructor in verbal de-escalation and non-violent physical intervention and is certified in NLP (Nuero-linguistic programming). He has been espousing both the benefits and dangers of unregulated programs similar to James Ray’s sweat lodge for over a decade.

          I contacted Brett because I thought it might be nice if we had some professionals on record talking about this stuff since wilderness programs have a lot in common with James Ray’s teachings.

          One major similarity is in the use of NLP. Now, scientists are still not in agreement about NLP, but it is a concept that makes sense when you think about it. Brett describes, “It's the relation between how we speak, how we hear, and how we process that information. The way that I say something might not be the way you hear it and the way you hear it might not be the way you process it.” Now, that is clearly a highly subjective experience based on each individual which would explain why it’s hard to pin down scientifically.

          NLP, at its heart, is a highly effective communication technique based on the different styles of learning. People learn visually, through auditory listening, and kinesthetically but everyone is more receptive to one particular type. James Ray and other experts trained in this can maximize results by using all three methods and continually judging what is working best for which individuals and then reinforcing that learning. This is why it is so important to pay attention to the individual person using these techniques; it places masters of NLP in a conversational position of power that can be used to great benefit or great harm. Brett explains it as “People tend to speak the way they think, and you change the way you’re speaking to gain rapport with them.”

          NLP is a valued technique in wilderness programs for its effectiveness in behavior modification of Troubled Teens. As early as 2000 Brett is on record speaking out about the dangerous lack of accountability in these fields, "We don't have to answer to anybody, and that scares the hell out of me. Oregon needs some (regulation) before children die." In wilderness programs there are two main dangers that need to be constantly guarded against – physical and mental.

The very process of behavior modification can leave participants vulnerable psychologically at the point of transformational shift, even when they themselves are leading the change within. It is very important to ensure the person leading these modifications is not abusing that temporary vulnerability, whether it’s physical abuse or psychologically adding their own agenda.

Wilderness programs can use these techniques to great effect on some of the most difficult teen cases because the unpredictability in nature resembles the natural flow of life in any community. This very unpredictability can lead to emergencies – even if well prepared. James Ray tried to duplicate some of these techniques to gain greater sway over the most financially capable, intelligent, powerful, and transformative people he could find. It’s not just that he failed to safe-guard them in any capacity (although he did, I will address that as well), but that James Ray twisted and warped valid techniques and amazing experiences with his own subtle messages. Well, they were subtle, until he used his technique to cook people to death. It’s kind of hard not to notice now, huh?

I asked Brett what kind of safety nets he used while running his own wilderness program, because (as far as I know) he has never had any accusations brought against him. When I asked him about that he informed me that the current owners of Sagewalk are working to reduce coverage of a recent suspicious death of one of their students. This highlights Oprah’s problem right now perfectly – I can say Brett ran Sagewalk with every safety measure in mind, but that does not mean it will continue. These programs are effective or dangerous depending on who’s in charge.
Brett set up several levels of accountability for the well-being of his charges. First, all the field staff were trained in CPR/ basic first aid, as well as the head instructor being either a Wilderness EMT or Wilderness First Responder. They were also given warning signs to look for – physical and psychological signs that something is amiss. Every student was also under the overall care of licensed doctors. For the most part this included people with PhD’s in Psychology, but there were also several Master’s level people working at the direction of the doctors to contribute to the accountability and hands on understanding that is needed in this work because of the highly individualized nature of it.

Sounds expensive right? The numbers are surprising. James Ray Spiritual Warriors paid $10,000.00 to attend the five day retreat and $5,000.00 or so in additional expenses (flight, room and board, preparatory materials, etc). For $13,000 they could have participated in Brett’s program which was 45+ days and also included things like vision quests. Of course, Brett doesn’t live in a Beverly Hills mansion either.
Want to be notified of new articles? Subscribe to email notifications here.

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In case the FTC is wondering, I do not endorse James Ray and he has never compensated me in any way. Nor Have I been compensated by Sagewalk, although they did send me some information about their company once.
http://www.examiner.com/x-11245-Philade ... rett-Merle
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Offline Ursus

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James Ray uses teen wilderness program techniques on adults.
« Reply #23 on: October 20, 2009, 11:02:44 PM »
Quote
James Ray uses teen wilderness program techniques on adults: Interview with Brett Merle
October 20, 6:40 PMPhiladelphia Speculative Fiction ExaminerCassandra
Full name of the author of that piece is Cassandra Yorgey (it got cut off).
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Offline Ursus

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SageWalk responds to recent Bend Bulletin article
« Reply #24 on: October 30, 2009, 11:15:16 AM »
SageWalk responds re. the above posted article, "Investigator calls wilderness school reckless in teen's death":

-------------- • -------------- • -------------- • -------------- • --------------

Breaking News
Posted: Oct 29, 2009

Sagewalk Wilderness School
Bend, OR

Sagewalk Responds to Posted Article

Contact:
Michael Bednarz, MS, MBA
Executive Director
541-316-4800
http://www.sagewalk.com

October 22, 2009

The below is a statement from SageWalk in response to a posting of the article titled "Investigator calls wilderness school reckless in teen's death" on strugglingteens.com yesterday:

The circumstances surrounding the death of one of our students on August 28 are part of an ongoing investigation. We maintain that we took every step possible to ensure the safety of this student, as we have every student over the course of our 12 year history, and disagree with the Lake County Sheriff's Deputy's view of the events. We expect that, once all the facts are known, they will show us to have acted carefully and responsibly, and we will be fully vindicated.

We do not have further details of the investigation but remain confident in our reputation and adherence to the highest standards of care. Should more information become available, we will update you.


Copyright © 2009, Woodbury Reports, Inc.
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Offline Troll Control

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #25 on: October 30, 2009, 11:23:49 AM »
SageWalk's founder and previous owner says that Aspen has been neglegent and reckless with the program since they took it over.  He states safety controls and proper personnel were cut.

ASPEN kills children.
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Offline psy

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #26 on: October 30, 2009, 11:28:52 AM »
Quote
In an affidavit requesting a search warrant to seek documents and other evidence from SageWalk Wilderness School’s Southwest Obsidian Avenue office last month, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chuck Poré wrote that he believes Sergey Blashchishen’s death was a homicide and the result of criminal mistreatment and reckless endangerment by the school.

Needs no comment.
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Offline psy

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #27 on: October 30, 2009, 11:30:44 AM »
Quote from: "Guest"
SageWalk's founder and previous owner says that Aspen has been neglegent and reckless with the program since they took it over.  He states safety controls and proper personnel were cut.

And it's ironic they try and teach the kids to take "responsibility".  There can be no excuse whatsoever for what happened.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Benchmark Young Adult School - bad place [archive.org link]
Sue Scheff Truth - Blog on Sue Scheff
"Our services are free; we do not make a profit. Parents of troubled teens ourselves, PURE strives to create a safe haven of truth and reality." - Sue Scheff - August 13th, 2007 (fukkin surreal)

Offline AuntieEm2

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #28 on: October 30, 2009, 11:33:28 AM »
Guest wrote:
Quote
SageWalk's founder and previous owner says that Aspen has been neglegent and reckless with the program since they took it over. He states safety controls and proper personnel were cut.
Hi, is there a link to this? I missed this.

Auntie Em
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Offline Ursus

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Re: Another death last week at an Aspen program
« Reply #29 on: October 30, 2009, 11:50:11 AM »
Quote from: "AuntieEm2"
Guest wrote:
Quote
SageWalk's founder and previous owner says that Aspen has been neglegent and reckless with the program since they took it over. He states safety controls and proper personnel were cut.
Hi, is there a link to this? I missed this.

Auntie Em
It was a blog entry containing material from an interview with Brett Merle posted above, regarding the three deaths at James Ray's sweat pit which happened recently. Merle's interview was probably considered pertinent to the age-old and industry-wide question of:

    "Just how extreme can conditions be, when you want to deliver a transformative experience, yet not kill off the marks?"[/list]

    Link to original
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