General Interest > Feed Your Head
Death at Boys and Girls Town of Missouri
Oscar:
An 18 year old woman was found dead - from
Cause of teen’s death still undetermined, by Chris Daniels, Three Rivers Publishing, April 29, 2010
--- Quote ---Although more information has been released about the sudden death of a teenage girl at the St. James campus of Boys and Girls Town, the cause of her death has still not been determined.
Heather Marie Hopkins, 18, was found unresponsive in the commons area at about 4:40 a.m. on April 2. Medical attention was administered by emergency responders, which included the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the St. James Fire and Ambulance districts. Hopkins was taken to the Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla, where she was pronounced dead.
“She had a 103.8 degree fever the afternoon before,” said Debbie Hopkins, the girl’s mother. “She had been out at (the Wilderness Ranch in Steelville) and came back to (her) cottage. They gave her Tylenol and her meds. If she had been at home and was that sick, I would have taken her to the hospital.”
Debbie Hopkins and husband, Stephen, were informed early that morning what had happened to their daughter. Heather had been in the care of Boys and Girls Town for 35 days.
“The safety and health of our clients is our top priority,” said Marie McGeehan, senior director of communications for Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. “All Boys and Girls Town residential facilities have licensed nursing staff on campus or on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
In addition, McGeehan said, all of the youth care specialists working at Boys and Girls Town are fully trained in first aid and basic life-support techniques. The staff is also trained to respond promptly to any situations where clients indicate they are ill or may need medical attention.
“If there is any indication that a potential illness may be contagious, nursing staff is notified and appropriate clinical procedures are followed,” said McGeehan. “Procedures were followed in this situation and a nurse examined the child.”
Now more than 25 days since their daughter died, Debbie and Stephen Hopkins said they have received little information from anyone about what happened. They have been in contact with Phelps County Coroner Larry Swinfard, but autopsy results were not yet available as of Tuesday. According to McGeehan, Boys and Girls Town was “last in contact with the child’s parents at the memorial service held on campus two weeks ago.”
Funeral services for Heather Marie Hopkins were held April 9 at the West County Assembly of God in Chesterfield, Mo. She was buried at the St. Charles Memorial Gardens. Hopkins was born on March 31, 1992. Her family lives in the O’Fallon, Mo. area.
--- End quote ---
Ursus:
Another article which was also published that same day:
-------------- • -------------- • --------------
St. James Leader-Journal
Parents seek answers for death
By St. James Leader-Journal
Posted Apr 29, 2010 @ 12:38 PM
St. James, Mo. — More than three weeks after their daughter's death, Stephen and Debbie Hopkins of O'Fallon still are looking for answers.
The parents of Heather Marie Hopkins, 18, are trying to learn what happened to their daughter, who died April 2.
Heather Hopkins was enrolled at Boys & Girls Town in St. James.
According to Lt. Rick Hope of the Phelps County Sheriff's Department, "This is still an open investigation, and I really can't say much more than that. I can tell you we don't expect any foul play, and it was neither an accident.
"We do expect an end to the investigation in the very near future."
A statement from Vince Hillyer, president and CEO, Great Circle (the parent agency name for Boys & Girls Town) said, "It is with great sadness that we report a young woman who was a resident at the Boys & Girls Town St. James campus passed away Friday morning April 2.
"One of our female residents appeared to have stopped breathing while she slept. After our staff took extensive life-support efforts, she was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
"We continue to work with local law enforcement and local health authorities in the investigation. We are still awaiting test results from the Medical Examiner, but all indications are that she died from natural causes.
"Our staff members and other residents are devastated by the death of this wonderful young person," Hillyer said. "Her family remains in our thoughts and prayers. They joined us for a memorial service on campus to honor their daughter. Boys & Girls Town counselors continue talking with residents and their parents to help them through this very difficult time."
Boys & Girls Town officials said they couldn't confirm the name of the female resident or provide additional details because of HIPAA privacy laws and because the case is still under investigation.
In the meantime, the Hopkinses say they are trying to piece together what happened.
Debbie Hopkins said she received a call from B> at 5:07 a.m. April 2 saying her daughter was unresponsive and that she was being transported to Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla.
She said she received another call approximately five minutes later that her daughter had passed away.
Monday, Debbie Hopkins said she and her husband don't know much more than they did then.
She said she has talked with Boys & Girls Town but "they won't tell me what I want to know, which is what happened in that cottage."
She said she had talked with her daughter at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1, and Heather told her she "was feeling bad," complaining of being sick with a fever.
Debbie Hopkins said her daughter had been at Boys & Girls Town 35 days and was due to stay another 60.
She said Heather had been diagnosed as bipolar, with depression and ADHD and had been battling medication issues.
Prior to Heather being admitted to Boys & Girls Town, "There had been a lot of shuffling of Heather among hospitals," noted Debbie Hopkins. "She had been receiving excellent care" up until an apparent medication overdose resulted in another round of hospital changes.
Stephen Hopkins said the family had asked for an autopsy, looking for some definitive answers.
Debbie said she had been told it would take at least six to eight weeks before the results would be available.
Copyright 2010 Leader-Journal.
Pile of Dead Kids:
Ooh, another one for the... wait, no.
Ursus:
--- Quote from: "Pile of Dead Kids" ---Ooh, another one for the... wait, no.
--- End quote ---
Really?
She was at Boys and Girls Town... Celebrated her 18th birthday there. The next day she had a fever of 103.8°F. Somehow that did not warrant her being seen by a physician. The day after that ... she was dead.
Whooter:
--- Quote from: "Ursus" ---
--- Quote from: "Pile of Dead Kids" ---Ooh, another one for the... wait, no.
--- End quote ---
Really?
She was at Boys and Girls Town... Celebrated her 18th birthday there. The next day she had a fever of 103.8°F. Somehow that did not warrant her being seen by a physician. The day after that ... she was dead.
--- End quote ---
From what I have read they don't know the cause of death at this point. We are not sure what caused what or what treatment she received. We have no details around what occurred leading up to her death. I wouldn't assume she didn't get proper care at this point.
...
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version