Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry

tampa bay academy

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Anonymous:
So after all this went down, how and when did this place reopen?

Ursus:

--- Quote from: "none-ya" ---So after all this went down, how and when did this place reopen?
--- End quote ---
Ahhh... bear with me for a bit.  :D

I shall tell that story, but in some accordance with the sequential revelations brought about by reporter Adam Emerson. Here is another of his articles, about a week later:

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DCF Found Same Problems At Tampa Bay Academy in 2005
By ADAM EMERSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 29, 2008
Updated: 12/29/2008 11:08 pm


DCF officials at one point prohibited the children's mental health center from admitting patients.

RIVERVIEW - Three years ago, the Department of Children and & Families found many of the same problems at the Tampa Bay Academy that other state regulators found this month: Iinadequate staffing, abuse complaints and an alleged sexual assault.

Today, the state wants to shut down the academy's mental health center. In 2005, the academy faced similar threats as DCF officials prohibited it from admitting new patients, according to records obtained by The Tampa Tribune.

There wasn't enough staff to protect the ones patients they had, DCF officials said then.

A dearth of qualified employees made it easier for one male worker to creep into an area housing female patients without detection and sexually assault a young girl, DCF officials said.

Letters from DCF lawyers show the academy further angered state officials by waiting days to report the incident to law enforcement.

"It has reached the point that the department has lost confidence in Tampa Bay Academy's ability to protect the health and safety of the clients we entrust to your care," DCF officials wrote to corporate managers of the for-profit mental health center in 2005.

Within weeks, the academy's long-serving administrator resigned and its corporate parent hired the additional staff members the state demanded. DCF officials, satisfied with the results during subsequent inspections, let the company resume admitting patients.

But many of the problems one state agency unearthed three years ago are the same being investigated now by have come full circle to another.

Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, which now regulates the Tampa Bay Academy, moved this month to suspend the mental health center's license. Agency officials noted that children and teenagers there lived in "substandard conditions," which investigators found after acting on an anonymous tip.

Allegations Have Similarities

The academy is appealing the order, but on Monday, the Second District Court of Appeal denied its emergency request to stop the state from seizing its license. Academy executives declined to comment on DCF's allegations from three years ago.

In its Dec. 11 order to shut down the academy, Health Care Administration officials wrote that managers at the mental health center "failed to take actions to protect its clients from known and obvious dangerous behaviors."

Inspectors had found evidence that residents sexually preyed on workers and on each other — all made easier by under the failures of a poorly trained and equipped staff.

When asked whether the Health Care Administration knew of the issues DCF uncovered, spokeswoman Shelisha Durden said in an e-mail, "We would not have had any way of knowing about any problems before we took over the licensure of this facility." The administration took control of the academy's license in July 2006.

*The administration recently ordered the removal of 54 children and teenagers from the academy's residential treatment program by Jan. 9 and, as DCF did three years ago, stopped the admission of new patients.

Regulators said the academy had its chances to correct problems. Letters and e-mail the Tribune received through the state's open records law show the Department of Children and & Families told the academy as long ago as 2004 that it lacked enough staff.

Department chiefs also noted at the time then that the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office received an "excessive" number of calls alleging abuse and neglect at the academy. They also said that many patients escaped from what was supposed to be close supervision.

In response, the academy's then-executive director then, Ed Hoefle, said his staff investigated abuse claims and found no merit to them. He also said he added workers to his staff to keep patients from wandering off grounds.

By late 2005, though, state officials expressed frustration with the academy's foot-dragging toward long-term fixes.

Neither the academy's residential treatment center nor its group therapy homes maintained "acceptable staffing levels," DCF officials wrote. By Oct. 15, 2005, that lack of supervision led to an alleged sexual assault, officials said.

"Inadequate and inappropriate staffing … permitted a young male employee to be alone in the presence of female clients," regulators wrote to executives of Youth and Family Centered Services Inc. in Austin, Texas, which owns the Tampa Bay Academy.

Past Supervisory Failures

Another child witnessed the worker molesting a girl, according to e-mail among DCF officials. Administrators at the academy, however, didn't call law enforcement immediately.

DCF officials wrote that one director at the academy chose, "in her own words, to 'wait until Monday' (two days later)" to report the incident. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office had no information Monday regarding its investigation of the case.

The department didn't suspend the academy's license, but kept it from admitting new residents, many of whom provide the for-profit academy with revenue from Medicaid reimbursements and insurance payments, among other sources.

Around the time DCF took action, the Tampa Bay Academy reported net revenue of $15.4 million, which exceeded its total spending of $14.3 million.

Hoefle eventually resigned and the academy overhauled the way it staffed its treatment center. DCF officials spent the fall and early winter conducting weekly inspections and were pleased with the changes managers made.

In January 2006, the department allowed the academy to resume admitting patients. By the following May, just before it transferred oversight to the Agency for Health Care Administration, DCF renewed the academy's license for one more year.

Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.


©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.

Ursus:
Comments for the above article, "DCF Found Same Problems At Tampa Bay Academy in 2005" (by Adam Emerson, The Tampa Tribune; Dec. 29, 2008):


Posted by ( Whackamole ) on 12/29/2008 at 08:54 pm.
Patients preying on each other is no surprise at all. The facility is designed such that the staff stations open on either side to long hallways. There is no way to tell what is going in each patient bedroom (2 to a room, BTW) without constantly pacing the halls.

Guess the "pod" design hadn't yet become popular when TBA was built in the late 80's.Posted by ( Mr_Verloc ) on 12/29/2008 at 09:27 pm.
Inspectors say residents sexually preyed on workers and on one another, and a poorly equipped staff did little to stop them. If an appeals court denied a request to close this institution, then the Agency for Health Care Administration failed to prove sexual abuse, if there was any, to begin with. The Tampa Tribune says it has found proof of sexual abuse, and if that is true, they have a duty to present that evidence in the form of a complaint to the State Attorney Office. Right now, Tampa Bay Academy denies the accusation against them and an appeals court agrees with them. So, who are you going to believe, The Department of Children and Families, who have a poor record of flat out apathy, and The Tampa Tribune, who say they have proof of misdeeds and that proof was dismissed by an appeals court. Or an appeals court who say nothing is wrong!Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/29/2008 at 09:42 pm.
Um, Mr_Verlock, the appeals court denied the request of the Academy to stop the removal of the children. They did not clear the Academy of any wrong doing.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/29/2008 at 09:52 pm.
If the facility was found to be unsafe in 2005, they apparently corrected those specific issues and this is a completely seperate issue. Three years is a very long time and it appears that they have changed their directors, and staffing has changed. The Tampa Tribune seems to be on a witch hunt and are digging up old news to create a news story. As for adolescent children walking away from the campus, I understand that the facility is unlocked. This is not a detention center, nor is it an acute care facility. If the staff were to physically restrain these children that attempted to leave the facility they would be charged with using excessive force. It is time for the State of Florida to get control of the parents of the kids in these programs, begin locking up the ones that need that level of supervision, and stop placing acute level kids in an unlocked residential facility. And by the number of current and former staff members that are posting on here when a TBA story pops up, it appears that they are hiring a bunch of cry babies that do not get to work on time, and feel that they are entitled to a job as opposed to having to earn it and perform in their duties.Posted by ( bohica75 ) on 12/29/2008 at 10:15 pm.
All I know is a friend of mine who was one of the psycologists on staff was stabbed in the head with a pencil during a group therapy thing. That woulda been my que to look into a private practice situation! Maybe even AA or someting along those lines. Those folks atleast seem content with only hurtin themselves.Posted by ( Joygirl1 ) on 12/29/2008 at 11:06 pm.
Most of the staff at these facilties get paid minimum wage or slightly above. I worked at a similar facility and it was a joke. Its all money, money! Its either Insurance or state funds, once you max out your money, you're gone, even if you need more help. The ones that really care leave, due to frustration with the system or the facility policies.Posted by ( Mr_Verloc ) on 12/30/2008 at 01:00 am.
MyThoughtsToday . . . agree, but I understand the appeals court dismissed Tampa Tribune and DCF request to shut down the Acadamy on the grounds of sexual abuse; the appeals court dismissed that. There are certain buzz words when hurled at anyone, are extremely hard to defend against. One of those is sexual abuse of a child. I say, execute anyone found guilty of hurting a child. When a business, however, deems it necessary to start flinging mud about just to make money, then we have a safeguard: the appeals court. The appeals court ruled, today, nothing is wrong with the Acadamy and they can remain open, business as usual.Posted by ( MRFRED ) on 12/30/2008 at 05:32 am.
If DCF is involved in its operation that answers the questions regarding the operation of the facility.Posted by ( kimbo ) on 12/30/2008 at 06:17 am.
My trust of DCF to tell the truth is zero. I have been their when they lied to the judge and got away with it.Posted by ( Stardog ) on 12/30/2008 at 07:46 am.
MRFRED,you hit the nail on the head!

I have met and observed DCF staff out in the field and was surprized that neither seemed,at all,to have a college background.When questioned about something outside of their job description they were baffled.When asked if they saw the connection between the "percieved" problems in the house and a lack of money their faces went blank.When asked if they had a liason between them and child support their faces went blank.

I also found out that child support does not visit the home.The client must go downtown in order for a sitdown.I think this practice is used to keep DCF at arms length to shield them.In fact self-preservation is job one down there.

I know that a continuing number of former foster children who age out of the system without ever being placed will come back and sue.The Tribune exposed this years ago with the story of a young woman.The suit is always settled out of court.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/30/2008 at 07:48 am.
Mr_Verloc Please tell me where you got your information about the appeals court ruling that the Academy can stay open. This article does not say that. It says that the court denied TBA's request to stop ACHA from taking it's license.Posted by ( jayjon ) on 12/30/2008 at 08:05 am.
Think about this: If DCF say's it's bad, then it must be REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BAD... DCF has a hard time keeping track of children, no less over seeing a childrens home.Posted by ( Momto3 ) on 12/30/2008 at 08:15 am.
I agree. I know someone who works for a DCF-type agency in another state (one with a far better record than Florida). Those casewrokers are so overloaded, only the most egregious cases are handled thoroughly and vigorously. If Tampa area residents haven't learned anything from recent news events, they should take heed: Where there is smoke, there is fire. Period.Posted by ( squirrelman ) on 12/30/2008 at 08:25 am.
those people r stupidPosted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/30/2008 at 09:54 am.
It is a good thing that the economy is doing so well, and that there is not a war in the Gaza Strip, and that there is not the most historical presidential inauguration in history about to happen, and that the auto industry is doing so well, and that we are not in the midst of our own war in 2 countries, and that we are not in the deepest recession since the Great Depression. I mean if any of those things were going on, a reporter would not be able to spend all of his time uncovering public records for a story that is old and irrelevant since the facility is closing it's doors. Great job exposing those public records Mr. Emerson. I am so glad that a facility that has probably helped thousands of kids and their families makes the front page of the Trib for a 10 year old mental health patient touching a woman's breast, and adolescents that are also mental health patients that are placed in an UNLOCKED residential program are wanting to run away and fight. I would imagine that if a child physically assaults a staff they would be arrested and put in juvenile detention and not returned to this UNLOCKED facility. Let's research that Mr. Emerson. Let us find out what happens to these kids if they are charged with assaulting a staff member. Are they detained or are they immediately returned to where they committed their crime? Let's do some true investigative reporting for a change, instead of pretending to work hard by looking at public records. Let's find out what happens to these kids once they are charged with a crime. Let's find out what type of kids are being sent to places like this (UNLOCKED FACILITIES) that in reality need a locked facility. Let's get a little dirty in your work and dig something up that means something.Posted by ( tampabayone ) on 12/30/2008 at 10:06 am.
I'm not shocked by this ordeal at all. This kind of matter has been circulating for a while. The staff are sleeping around with one another. There are some major issues going on at that facility. Supervisors and therapists are sleeping around with one another. Group Advisors are fooling around with other staff and children (patients).I know some staff are being investigated also. This is a sad story.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/30/2008 at 10:51 am.
tampabayone, I worked at Burger King and people slept around with each other, police departments have that same issue. Hospitals, professional sports teams, law offices. I currently work in a high end business setting and it happens here too. Everywhere you go people are sleeping around with each other. That part of your comment is irrelevant. Now, if there are staff members sleeping with students then you are an idiot for not reporting it or not stopping it. You are as much a criminal as the person doing it. Stand up and be heard you fool. If I worked there and saw that happen, I would be arrested for assault. It is people like you that cause faclities like this to fail. You sit there and do nothing when you see something wrong happen. Shame on you.Posted by ( tampabayone ) on 12/30/2008 at 11:55 am.
Thoughts for today: This issue seems personal with you. It seems like you are aware of a lot that's going on with that facility. Are you an employee at Tampa Bay Academy. You are responding to a lot of the comments.Posted by ( FessUp ) on 12/30/2008 at 03:25 pm.
Thoughtless-You know way too much about the situation, sounds like you might be losing your job at TBA?

BTW, Congrats on graduating from the BK gig.Posted by ( WatchfulJustice ) on 12/30/2008 at 06:16 pm.
I feel really sorry for the children who are put in this facility, or any facility where their mental health will never change because of their environment, and because of the staff being so unprofessional. These children have been through a lot, and none of you know what these children suffer at the hands of people who are unqualified, and people who do not care.

I am so glad that this facility will be shut down, and I know that God will judge all who have abused these children, and who have abused their power in their positions to make life harder for these patients. A lot of these types of places are bad like this one. I hope all these children get a chance in life, somehow. Don't judge those who are there, they did not ask to have the parents that they have, or to be dumped somewhere.Posted by ( WatchfulJustice ) on 12/30/2008 at 06:18 pm.
Emerson, thank you for making the public aware of what is going on. Good job. Keep reporting, and informing.Posted by ( RiverviewRaysfan ) on 12/30/2008 at 07:12 pm.
TBA DISPLAYS FURTHER INCOMPETENCE IN THE FACE OF CHARGES!!!!!!!!!!

Less then two weeks after being reassured by the administration that staff would not be layed off as representatives from YFCS appealed the emergency suspension of the license, TBA has decided it is in the best interest of the facility to lay-off practically all of the direct care staff. The decision to place more then 100 people out of work comes as a complete shock to individuals like myself who were promised that through the investigation, "nobody would loose their jobs". This came as a complete shock to staff as many of us were not given any type of notice from TBA that they would be loosing their primary source of income, instead many of the staff recieved impromtu phone calls telling them that they had been laid off, and dont come back to work. Two weeks ago management talked about a plan to fight these charges, as well as provide further training to staff. There was a plan. They made us believe that the children, as well as the staff were in their "best interests". Instead, the same day that they loose the appeal they immpulsively decide to gamble with the future of the staff and the patients. Is laying off the majority of the staff instead of developing a stronger core of values, and further training, and reassuring the community, trully a sign of progress? Its easy to see why TBA would loose the appeal. They do not deserve to get the kids back. Rather then keep an employee base of trained staff, many with several years of dedication and expereince to the make the improvements necessary in order to reassure the state that further incidents do not happen, management decides to "gamble" by laying off staff in hopes that they will return in a month or so, when they believe they will be allowed to start admitting children again. Two of the greatest problems at TBA is high turnover, and unprofessional staff. Does letting go of what qualified staff you do have seem like a rational decision? Does TBA expect its employees to simply sit around and wait for the phone to ring, when they say, "OK come on back". Whatever staffing issues that TBA had before this current crisis happened, will only become more severe. I am sure most of us will come back, but there will be trully wonderful, devoted, caring workers, who did make a difference, who decide it is not in their best interest to come back, much the way TBA decided it was in their best interest to let us go. Its obvious that through this entire situation, the only thing that matters to TBA, and YFCS, is what is it going to cost, to put this behind us. Are we suppsoed to tell the children and families we serve that we are serving their" best interests" by laying off the majority of the staff while dealing with this crisis? I understand that "for profit" means exactly what it says, but at what cost should it be to remain "for profit"?Posted by ( bohica75 ) on 12/30/2008 at 08:24 pm.
I think that was the longest post I have ever seen.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/30/2008 at 08:28 pm.
Some of you have asked so I will tell you that I dedcated many many years of my life working at this facility, and in other programs in the area. These children are placed in Tampa Bay Academy because they are victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Many of them at the hands of their own parents. Many of them have no parents and find very little hope to work towards. For the most part, this facility has been known as a wonderful, nurturing, safe place for children. A lot has changed over the years and a lot of it has to do with the quality of staff that are interested in working with this type of child. It takes a special person to do that kind of job. It is unfortunate that something like this had to occur to hopefully correct the problem. And people like WatchfulJustice post their comments not having a clue what the issues are. Never having committed your life to the wellbeing of these kids. It is very easy to sit back and read these articles and judge. It is another thing to have lived it.Posted by ( wuzthere ) on 12/30/2008 at 09:33 pm.
While there are a fair number of things the management of the Academy needs to be held accountable for, as usual, things are taken out of context, and blown out of proportion, and that is unfortunate. The fault lies in management at the very top who resisted the efforts of management on site to make the changes that needed to be made. It is sad for the staff, who, for the most part are caring, genuine people who want to help. There are better ways to make $9.00 an hour than to get kicked, bit, spit on and verbally abused by out of control children that the state of Florida refuses to adequately fund for treatment. The therapists and other professional staff try their best but aren't given the support, tools and backing from administration and are expected to work ungodly hours with inadequate resources. Many of us who left there, left with mixed feelings of relief and sadness due to the potential there was of that facility. I hope it can be turned around. A well-run facility is sorely needed here.Posted by ( catloverintampa ) on 12/30/2008 at 10:14 pm.
riverviewraysfan...this is another example of the incompetent direct care staff that you call them that work at Tampa Bay Academy, not the management. How could you be shocked? Are you that stupid? No kids, no money equal no staff. Maybe you should go back to McDonald's or picking up trash in your orange jumpsuit. Thank you mythoughtsfortheday for helping us understand the truth about what this company is trying to do.Posted by ( RiverviewRaysfan ) on 12/30/2008 at 10:17 pm.
I agree with a lot of the points in the previous post. (wuzthere). A big problem at TBA, and a lot of facilties today is the belief that providing the medication that these children need is seen as a "restraint". Nurses at TBA are afraid to medicate these children out of fear of reprecutions, or even loosing their job. I watched a child go off one night for over 5 hours and the nurse refused to medicate him because she did not want to call the doctor to get the order, to give the child what he needed to help calm down. These children are there because the have an illness. The medication helps them return to a state where they can process and exhibit productive behaviors. Denying medication and treatment to these children, especially when they are in a facility to receieve care, is a form of neglect. Unfortunately, society, and other entities such as healthcare licensing agencies, have pushed facilities toward a "restraint free" enviornment, but there comes a point where a medical professional such as a Registered Nurse has to be able to recognize that a patient needs more help then just trying to verbally intervene. Another problem at TBA is the lack of consequences for the behavior that a patient exhibits. They have no level system in place for kids to be held accountable for their behaviors. The "big deal" system that they had in place was a joke, but at least it was something. Too often kids would act out, and later that day be off campus on a field trip. So much for accountabilty.Posted by ( RiverviewRaysfan ) on 12/30/2008 at 10:35 pm.
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Posted by ( stratoblaster ) on 12/30/2008 at 10:43 pm.
RaysFan: TBA has never had a working positive behavior management system in place. Meds, restraints, yelling, humiltiating, so-called "processing" with kids all made up the "behavior management" that I saw at TBA for several years. Not much different than most of the other facilities in the area. The backlash against the use of meds and restraints came about because facilites abused them, TBA included.

Also, RN's typically do not order chemical restraint, whcih is what you are talking about. If the RN's were ordering it w/o a doc, then that's another reason TBA should be scrutinized.

Next, the kid who "went off" for 5 hours? What happened? Kids don't typically "go off" w/o some precipitating event.Posted by ( stratoblaster ) on 12/30/2008 at 10:58 pm.
MyThoughtsForToday:

I have been in the same business as you for a number of years. We have probably crossed paths. I saw many kids released from TBA who were no better than the day they went in; some were worse. I don't doubt that many staff were caring and committed. However, the entire model was built to keep kids sick. From the "processing" to the constant reminders from the staff to the kids that they were sick, to the nearly worthless school prgram, to the the way staff interacted with kids. I feel bad for the kids and the people wh lost jobs, but TBA was about 10 years past being good.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/30/2008 at 11:05 pm.

stratoblaster, I am not sure when you worked there, but when I started there and for the many years I was there, we (as staff members) implemented a comprehensive behavior management system that had rewards and consequences. The kids worked through a level system that rewarded positive behavior and consequenced negative behaior. It was a great success when implemented correctly. Every child there had their own individual treatment plan and we met weekly (doctors, nurses, therapists, and direct care staff) to discuss each individual kids needs and their plan for their behavior management system. Kids were active in groups such as drama club, equestrian club, tennis club, and many other clubs. They held fundraisers for special outings and helped the staff decorate the facility for the holidays and other special times. The kids were encouraged to participate in talent shows, air guitar competitions, and writing competitions. There was a huge production of the musical Grease that saw about a 90% reduction in consequences for the time that the play was in production. Kids put together a TBA newsletter that had articles written by the kids. Now, it was not always great times. Kids in this type of setting are going to act out, they will fight, they will bite, they will kick and scream. We were fully trained in the art of de-escalation and how to physically intervene as a last result. Medications were used on a case by case basis and not every time a kid acted out. The administration and supervisors were direct lines for support and were there when needed. That was my experience for many many years there. I took pride in what the place was. So did all of the people that worked there with me, many of whom I stay in touch with and we all have fond memories of the place we used to work at. What it is like today I do not know. I read these articles and I can judge based on what they say that a lot has changed. I can see how the staff talk on this site and see that the quality of staffing has changed. I know that it is wrong to say things like they have never had a behavior management program, and the place has always been bad. Those statements are 100% false. TBA is in a situation now that they must make changes or close their doors forever. I hope that they make those changes. The state is running out of place to put these types of kids.Posted by ( RiverviewRaysfan ) on 12/30/2008 at 11:16 pm.
(stratoblaster)

The Pysch nurses that I have worked with over the years, were never afraid to call in an order. I know they have to have a DR. order to give the medication. The situation that I spoke about with this particular child, it involved trying to reason with this child why he could not stand on a table, trying to break a light cover. When we wanted to take the child down from the table, the nurse interviened and refused to let staff place the child into a theraputic hold, to deter the behavior. Her response when asked about getting an order was, " I dont want to wake the Doctor". If you cant provide the appropriate treatment that these children need at that given moment, then maybe you need to go push a med cart in a nursing home. I know there were other nurses at TBA that were not afraid to make decisions, including knowing when to interviene, however you cant provide appropriate treatment, if your afraid to do your job.Posted by ( RiverviewRaysfan ) on 12/30/2008 at 11:39 pm.
My thoughts today

The comments in your previous post point out the success that having productive theraputic activities have. I am sure when you were at TBA the employees took a lot of pride in working there, as well as, the progress with the children. Unfortunately, over time those same programs were phased out. There are still some wonderful staff that do their best to provide a positive enviornment for these kids but lack of resources provided to them, and the abolishment of any type of consequence, gave these kids very little reason to have accountability for their behaviors. Why dont you consider coming back to TBA, when they eventually reopen the doors to the RTC. It sounds like your experience and knowledge could be a great resource to the young staff to provide a more productve enviornment. I do agree with you though that some changes need to be made in the selection of potential candidates to work in direct care with these kids. The dress code, cell phones, staff taking the kids Ipods home to put music on them, staff bringing in inappropriate movies, all caused by having an open door policy of hiring basically anything that walks through the front door. Yes, these are common sense issues that should not even be issues, but its important to have a code of professional conduct in place, and for it to be enforced by all staff, more specifically the supervisors.Posted by ( happiness2005 ) on 12/31/2008 at 12:08 am.
I'm in the medical field and have had occasional contact with TBA. I always found it sad and a bit frustrating when seeing these residents as patients. These children would arrive with a "transporter" who knew no medical history. They were having a 10 year old fill out forms regarding medical history that a lot of adults struggle to fill out completly and accurately. The RN at TBA wasn't able contribute much more! When asked to sign the consent for treatment forms, the "transporter" refused to sign or would only sign TBA. The part that really upset me though, made me feel so sad for these kids, I had to contact one childs mother who lives out of state to have her fax a consent for treatment form (which I would think TBA would have authority to consent but they had no form on file), I asked for his medical history. His own mom had no idea. This poor kid had been shuffled between so many relatives, his own mother didn't know whether he even has asthma. I have worked with children with an array of special needs and have a family member with Downs. I know that caring for them can be trying and I'm not speaking badly of these parents. I'm glad that they were trying to help their children and hoping that TBA would be the place to help them. I hope for these kids sake that there is a resolution for them. No offense to any of the workers there, but you can find a job somewhere else. These kids are going to struggle with their new environment. I just worry that they feel like they are just being shuffled again.Posted by ( wuzthere ) on 12/31/2008 at 06:53 am.
The "old days of producing plays like Grease" were way before my time in 2005. While I was there, it was a fight to get money allocated for patient activity money even for basic supplies like art supplies or games. There was no transparency with the budget and even managers didn't know what they had to spend. It was tightly controlled from YFCS. My opinion is that the problems with TBA are symptomatic of the problems the state of Florida has all over re; prevention and treatment of mental health for both children and adults. I guess that happens when you are 48th in the country in providing dollars for mental health and the general philosophy is that privatization is good, and for-profit agencies will do it better.Posted by ( stratoblaster ) on 12/31/2008 at 08:15 am.
If I can walk into a facility and watch staff argue back and forth w/a kid while the kid is being out into "time out" and then have the staff tell me, "We're supposed to 'process' with them," to explain why they were arguing with the kid, then I know the behavior management system is not "comprhensive." If staff are taught that the word "consequence" refers only to punishment, then I know that the training is inadequate. If restraints and so-called therapeutic holds don't decrease after training in "de-esacalation" then whatever was trained didn't work very well. Look, I know RTC's are tough going, and I know that many staff people are caring and kind, but again, for $200 to $300 dollars a day PER BED outcomes ought to be better. TBA's problem 10 plus years ago was that clinical and management staff thought that they were the pinnacle and could do no wrong in their respective areas, thus ignoring new approaches until they were forced to half-a!# their way through.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/31/2008 at 10:55 am.
stratoblaster, I wish I knew who you were, because it sounds like we may have worked there at the same time. And our views of how the facility operated are completely different. I respect your opinion, but strongly disagree with it. I am close friends with at least 10 people that worked there at the same time, some of whom were in management, others were therapists, and most were direct care staff. All of us remember a solid behavior management program that we saw as mostly successful. It sounds like perhaps you were in the minority and perhaps that is why you felt that the program was not successful. I know that there not so great times there, but overall it was a good place for kids and a good place to work.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/31/2008 at 11:24 am.
wuzthere, Well said. I am sure that times did change. You made mention of for profit organizations. I know a lot about the not for profit organizations that are out there, and I think it is important for you to understand the difference. There are 3 other "non-profit" facilities out there. Those facilities had the land donated for their facilities, get not for profit tax exemptions, are allowed to raise hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars to support their "non-profit" organization. They get a lot of donations of supplies. Yet, their rates for the state to place a child with them are the same or even higher than TBA. TBA gets no freebies, no tax breaks, and had to buy their land and invest the money to build the land. Today, the land was sold by a previous ownership group to and YFCS has to lease the land from the current owners. Where does all of this money go that the non-profits are getting. Well, I have seen one of their corporate headquarters in Orlando. It is easy to see where their money goes. Why is Mr. Emerson not writing about the fleecing of Florida tax dollars. Well, because words like sexual assault and abuse makes for a better story. But you are correct, while $200-$300 a day sounds like a tremendous amount of money, when you consider the number of staff, nurses, psychiatrists, medical records staff, RT staff, billing staff, business office staff, HR staff, admissions and case management staff, therapists, housekeeping, maintenance, kitchen staff, supervisors, electric, water, trash, phone, internet, and cable. $300 a day barely covers those expenses. And I would guess it does not cover those expenses unless they maintain a certain number of clients. Hope this helps.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/31/2008 at 11:29 am.
Oh, and I would go back to TBA, but they could not afford me anymore. I did my years of investing my time into children, now I must invest my time for my family. If I could make the same money that I do in my current job, I would go back. I miss the kids.

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Ursus:
I'm not going to copy out the "companion piece" to the just above article, "DCF Found Same Problems ... in 2005" as -- save for the correction of a typo* -- it is the essentially the same article. Here is the link, however, for what it's worth:

Tampa Academy Safety Failed Past Evaluations
By ADAM EMERSON aemerson@tampatrib.com
Published: December 30, 2008


* Corrected paragraph now reads:
"But many of the problems one state agency unearthed three years ago are similar to those being investigated now by another."[/list][/size]
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Comments for this article:


Posted by ( stratoblaster ) on 12/30/2008 at 02:43 pm.
How many kids who go into these places come out any better than when they went in? Not many, I'd bet.

It'd be great to aske a couple of them what it was like inside.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 12/30/2008 at 10:45 pm.
stratoblaster, you can ask me. I received phone calls while I worked there for many years from many of the students that I worked with. Some calling for suport, others calling to update me on their success in school, or continuing on to college after leaving the school. I have seen many in the community with their families that come up and hug me. So, not sure if that is the answer you were apparently hoping to get, but it is the truth. And I was one of hundreds of employees, and I am certain that many others got the same phone calls from other students.Posted by ( MikeForrest ) on 01/01/2009 at 02:51 am.
Tampa Bay Academy just laid off about 150 people today. This is truly sad, because these are dedicated, loving, and hard-working folks who care about the kids. Most of them weren't around in 2005 when the alleged assault occurred. In fact, a recent upper management change was starting to make very positive improvements. Remember, the current crisis started when a 10 year old boy fondled a female employee. Now, that boy has been transferred to a different facility, and that staff member (along with 149 others) is unemployed. Seems the State has lost all sense of humanity by exacerbating the problem and ignoring the needs of the child and the staff.

©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.

Ursus:
A summary of recent events, put into context (no comments posted thus far):

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

A Mental Health Center in Turmoil
The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 30, 2008

PAST AND PRESENT


* In late 2005, the Department of Children & Families stopped Tampa Bay Academy from admitting new patients after finding inadequate staffing, abuse complaints and an alleged sexual assault. DCF renewed the academy's license after subsequent inspections.
* Two weeks ago, the Agency for Health Care Administration, which now has oversight, ordered the removal of 54 children and teenagers from the children's mental health center. Inspectors say residents sexually preyed on workers and on one another, and a poorly equipped staff did little to stop them.
* The academy disputes the allegations of sexual assault and denies it has exposed children to danger. It has appealed the state's order to suspend its license, but an appeals court on Monday denied its emergency request to halt the suspension before it takes effect Jan. 9.

©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.

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