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

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Ursus:
Comments for the above article, "State Suspends Tampa Bay Academy's License" (by Adam Emerson; The Tampa Tribune; Jan. 9, 2009):


Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 01/09/2009 at 02:33 pm.
Adam, Please also take the time to report on the other facilities owned by other groups within the state. Didn't several of the kids get moves to Manatee Palms? Wasn't their license revoked not so long ago? What about the status of other facilities? ANd what about not-for profit agencies. I understand that they get HUGE tax breaks and donated land, buildings and money, yet charge the same amount as Tampa Bay Academy. The state has got to take control of where they are placing the children in their care, and not place them in facilities that are not equipped to handle them. The state knows these kids when they place them there, better than the facility receiving them. Where is their accountability? Looks to me that this was a way for the state to avoid egg on their face. Their "Tipster" probably threatened to go to the media, so they thought, "if we act first, it will look bad on them, not us." PR training at it's finest.Posted by ( RRR ) on 01/09/2009 at 08:25 pm.
Unfortunately its a $$$ thing.Posted by ( Malobou ) on 01/09/2009 at 09:28 pm.
Good call ~ MyThoughtsToday!Posted by ( cjtwigs ) on 01/09/2009 at 09:35 pm.
Simply stated these are the neediest children in our county that require the most intensive care. Supporting the philosophy that a community is only a strong as its' weakest link; this is a sign of the times. It is more then a money issue, it is about the well being, safety, and future of our children. HEY CHARLIE - how about using the Chiles endowment for what it was intended for HELPING CHILDREN... not balancing the books so you look good!Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 01/09/2009 at 09:45 pm.
I would like to see how much of the $788,000 that Mr. Cabrey got for a settlement for a DCF child that he won a lawsuit for. Let's talk about "for profit" oganizations. There are attorney out there preying on these places for pay days. Hopefully he does offer representation like this pro bono. Anyone that calls themselves an "advocate" for children should. But I would bet that is not the case. Open your books. Let's make sure that you are not grandstanding with your quotes in newspapers. I mean getting quoted in these articles assures that parents that may want to sue will have your number. Pretty slick.Posted by ( big_chip ) on 01/09/2009 at 10:50 pm.
I have an acquaintance who cooked there....it was scarey !Posted by ( stratoblaster ) on 01/10/2009 at 01:33 am.
My Thoughts:

You are an obvious apologist for TBA; I have no problems w/that. You are absoulutely right that other facilities likely have the same/similar problems. However, your bias for TBA and against the actions taken against make it difficult to take you seriously. Coming frm the standpoint of foster children placed in TBA, I'll tell you: the care and treatment at the facility stunk. Kids went in w/problems and they came out as bad or worse. I know they were tough kids, bit taking 200-300 a bed per day and then blaming the kids for not getting better is reprehensible.Posted by ( stratoblaster ) on 01/10/2009 at 01:41 am.
MyThoughts: Looking at your first comment, I see you are blaming the State for placing the kids in the first place!!! Your comment, "The state has got to take control of where they are placing these kids..." To borrow a phrase from you, "Pretty slick." They shouldn't have placed the kids in the first place because TBA was not "eqipped to handle them?" Jeez...I don't know what to say. If the kids were easy, they wouldn't need TBA!Posted by ( Saulray ) on 01/10/2009 at 09:46 am.
How am I going to get the bumper sticker off my car that says "My kid was psycho of the week at Tampa Bay Acadmy" Anyone have any Goo Be Gone?Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 01/11/2009 at 07:26 am.
stratoblaster, I wonder if you truly understand what I am trying to say. I worked there many years ago when the facility accepted children that were having difficulties functioning in their homes and in their schools because of behavioral and emotional problems that had a diagnosis that was treateable in that type pf setting. They did not accept students that had "conduct disorder" as a diagnosis. These days, the state wants to place children with that diagnosis in a facility like TBA. Not sure if you understand the difference between conduct disorder and other diagnoses, but they are very different. Once Florida began placing kids with conduct disorder as their main issue, the facility saw a different type of child in their facility. Also, in the late 1990's and early 2000's managed care changed dramatically, and the facility went from being a qualified provider for many insurance companies to mainly a state placement facility for their most severe children. There is a huge difference between kids that are placed by insurance and have families that want to be involved than a child who's parents are minimally involved and they have state case workers and criminal charges, and may not even have parental involvement. You see, I also used to work in a foster care placement office. I am not an apologisr for TBA. I am calling them on their mistakes, and I am angry and disappointed in them for allowing this to happen. I do however feel that they are being unfairly ripped in the media. I feel that the entire story is not being told. That is irresponsible journalism. That is headline seeking journalism. I have never been one to say that kids at TBA should be easy. I have been punched, kicked, spit on, had feces thrown at me and on me, I have had to physically restrain a child for long periods of time. I know the difficulties that come with those types of kids. I also know that there were psychological reasons for their behaviors. Kids that are placed there now have little to work for because a lot of their families are never going to want them back. If that is what TBA is becoming, a home and a holding cell, then they need to change their program. they need to adapt to that type of client. That is not the type of place it was when I was there. And I would never go back if that is what it is becoming. Hope that clears it up for you.Posted by ( stratoblaster ) on 01/11/2009 at 10:25 am.
Rutherford: Well put. I agree w/many of your points. However,if what you say is accurate then TBA continued to accept kids for which you say they were not equipped to treat, and that is unethical. As for my undesrtanding of various disorders and such: I have almost 30 years experience in the field in various capacities from direct care to master's level practitioner. I was in the position to work with and/or review the cases of about 100 kids who had contact w/TBA and were from the dependency system. I have an opinion, based on much experience, and will admit that I am biased against RTC's in general because I have seen so much bad treatment. As to the journalisitc integrity of Emerson, et al: they are doing what journalists are supposed to do. Most people have NO IDEA what kids in this arena go through and this series of articles doesn't even scratch the surface. Kids, even the "conduct disordered" ones, deserve the benefit of the doubt and the public needs to know.Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 01/11/2009 at 05:38 pm.
stratoblaster, your opinion is respected. I strongly disagree with you regarding the journalist doing what he is supposed to do. I cancelled my subscription to the Trib because I found that their stories were one sided and only reported stories like this when something bad happened. That is not responsible journalism. They never called and asked to do a story on any of the good things that TBA accomplished over the years. The public is very unaware of what positive can happen in a facility like this. I worked there for 10 years in many different departments. Direct care, marketing, supervisor, education department, among others. I received calls from dozens of kids that had been transferred for many months and years after they left. I know of many more positive stories out of this facility than any journalist would care to write about. Perhaps the Trib should reach out to me to write an article about the positives. Would that attract readers? I think it would. But apparently they are of the stereotypical newspapers that believe that negativity sells papers. Perhaps they are right. Very sad. Very very sad.Posted by ( undisclosedname ) on 01/15/2009 at 08:06 pm.
what they do run out of news? Put an old story back up?

©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.

Ursus:
The "companion piece" to the just above article, "State Suspends Tampa Bay Academy's License":

Academy Problems Aren't Unique
By ADAM EMERSON aemerson@tampatrib.com
Published: January 10, 2009


(There were no comments for this article, as of yet.)

Anonymous:
Thank you "Bear".  My friend isn't a computer guy, so I'll bring him these articles tonight. Though I'm afraid he  might even more worried when he reads this stuff. I tried to explain my time in the seed to him, but like most people who never went through a program he really dosen't get it.

Ursus:
Ah, but there is more... Tampa Bay Academy was able to subsequently work out a settlement with the state, and hence slip back into business:

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

Tampa Bay Academy Reaches Settlement, Must Meet Standards
By ADAM EMERSON aemerson@tampatrib.com
Published: January 15, 2009

The state has reached a settlement with the troubled Tampa Bay Academy, which will be allowed to admit patients into its long-term mental health care program when it shows it meets every standard set by regulators.

The academy must pay a $50,000 fine and bring everything in its facility up to standards within the next 180 days, said Shelisha Durden, a spokeswoman with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration.

If it wants to run its residential treatment program, it has to fix everything – even deficiencies regulators didn't cite before suspending the academy's license Friday. It can't even have a cracked window, Durden said.

Despite the settlement, the state still hasn't approved the improvement plan the academy submitted last week.

The Health Care Administration reported last month that conditions at the academy's residential treatment center were "substandard." Inspectors found evidence that residents sexually preyed on workers and on each other - all made easier by the failures of a poorly trained and inadequate staff.

Fifty-four children were enrolled at Tampa Bay Academy's residential treatment program, and all have been placed in other centers. A group home program and a charter school on the academy's campus in Riverview were not affected by the agency's order.

Because of the treatment center's closure, the academy recently laid off about 140 workers – more than a third of its staff.

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


©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.

Ursus:
Comments for the above article, "Tampa Bay Academy Reaches Settlement, Must Meet Standards" (by Adam Emerson; The Tampa Tribune;" Jan. 15, 2009):


Posted by ( bearfan ) on 01/15/2009 at 06:25 pm.
That's a good thing to hear cause I feel bad for the worker's who lost there jobs. I know someone who worked there and the past 5 months the stories i got was not good, like they was told to stop putting the kids in restraining holds they was train to do when the kids got out of line. Working with troubled kids you have to have some kind of control over them. Most of those kids just want someone to talk to or be treated like a normal kid, but you can't never let your guard down cause Kids can since when they are in control, also working in that kind of environment you need to get paid alot more than $9 an hour.what they need to do is let those jerks that worked in the HR office go cause they don't know what the "----" there doing. As far as the workers you need strong and not weak "---" workers so I feel the only one's they should call back is the one's that can hold their own and not let the kids run all over them.Posted by ( TheBottomLine ) on 01/15/2009 at 11:54 pm.
I hope that the previous post is not indicative of the quality of staff that have been hired at this place. That would explain a lot. And whomever wrote it knows a lot more than just having a friend that worked there. I dont mean to be rude, but if you can't speak better than that, you have no business in the field of psychology.Posted by ( TheBottomLine ) on 01/16/2009 at 12:06 am.
OK, now that I am done picking on people, I wonder where that $50K fine goes. I mean, the state of Florida is $2.5 billion short of it's budget, they shut down this facility where it is expensive to place kids, hence saving a lot of money, they then slap a monetary fine on the facility that just laid off 140 employees. I mean is it a coincidence that these money saving and money making issues all occurred in the middle of the worst economic time this state has ever seen? Who oversees where this money is spent? Is it used to repay some attorney fees incurred by the state to shut them down, even though their attorneys are full time state attorneys anyways. I would like an all out investigation into where these monies are going. Floridians want to know.

©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.

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