Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Anonymous on November 11, 2009, 10:15:57 PM
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My friend's teenage daughter was placed in the Tampa Bay Academy in Riverview Florida, for drinking and "behavioral difficulties". Does anybody know the real 411 on this place. I'm friends with her dad, but not with her mom, and she ain't talking to us.All we know is that the program minimum is 30 days, and he's not allowed to contact her. Any info would be helpful.3ru3a
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Thier website looks a brochure for a country club. I don't know about this one.
http://www.tampabay-academy.com/ (http://www.tampabay-academy.com/)
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My friend's teenage daughter was placed in the Tampa Bay Academy in Riverview Florida, for drinking and "behavioral difficulties". Does anybody know the real 411 on this place. I'm friends with her dad, but not with her mom, and she ain't talking to us.All we know is that the program minimum is 30 days, and he's not allowed to contact her. Any info would be helpful.3ru3a
Bob will do some research.
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Unless there are two "tampa Bay academies" I am surprised that they got their license back so quickly.
[url=http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/18/na-state-suspends-license-of-tampa-bay-academy/]State Suspends License Of Tampa Bay Academy (by Adam Emerson, Tampa Bay Tribune, December 18, 2008) (http://http)
State Orders Children Removed From Tampa Bay Academy (by Adam Emerson, Tampa Bay Tribune, December 17, 2008) (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/17/172002/state-orders-children-removed-tampa-bay-academy/)
They maybe have pulled the "job-card". Such a place needs staff and in a small community a closure could be equal with the closure of the entire community.
The problems: Rather surprising the residents attacks the staff wishing sex and seems to get away with it. Normally it would be the other way around. Two residents have sex with one of the HIV positive. There are precausions the residents could be told to use as sexual relationships are not unusual in residential programs. I am not saying that those things are OK, but really - in a lot of states it would not the basis for a closure or even a warning to the facility.
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There's an aerial-view pic of the facility on the article link. Unfortunately, it translates into a 2620px × 1276px monster when posted with IMG tags, and I don't know how to make it any smaller.
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State Orders Children Removed From Tampa Bay Academy (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/17/172002/state-orders-children-removed-tampa-bay-academy/)
By ADAM EMERSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 17, 2008
Updated: 12/17/2008 08:02 pm
TAMPA - State investigators ordered the removal of 54 children and teenagers from the Tampa Bay Academy in Riverview after finding the academy failed to protect its residents and staff from "known and obvious dangerous behaviors."
State officials suspended the license of the academy's residential treatment program after learning that a staff member had been sexually assaulted and police were never notified. They also found that workers failed to properly supervise the residents, who often fought with staff.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has opened a criminal investigation at the academy, which houses children and teenagers who suffer from severe psychological disorders and sexual trauma. The sheriff's office wouldn't say what it's investigating.
Officials with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration accused the academy of "gross mismanagement." Given the academy's "utter failure to take the appropriate corrective actions, it is unlikely that these deficiencies will be corrected in the absence of agency action," state officials wrote in a Leon County court filing.
The agency's investigators conducted their review Dec. 8 and found inadequate staffing at the residential treatment program and noticed workers behind closed doors and secluded from the teens' activities.
Allegations Include Sex Assault
Investigators found:
- In late November, on two occasions, one of the residents "sexually assaulted a staff member" in the absence of other workers who were supposed to be on duty. The academy didn't report the incident to health regulators until Dec. 4 and never notified law enforcement.
- On Dec. 1, a staff member was subjected to "sexually inappropriate and assaultive behavior" by as many as four residents, and management didn't get complete reports of the incident for several days. "No action was taken," investigators said, "to ensure that other clients were protected from such behaviors and dangers in the interim or thereafter."
- One resident admitted in late November to being infected with gonorrhea and HIV, and the staff was supposed to watch the resident constantly. Despite that, the resident had sex repeatedly with another resident.
Investigators also found cases where residents assaulted staff members and pushed them into work stations while blocking their escape.
The agency conducted its review a couple of weeks ago after receiving an anonymous tip about conditions at the academy, said Shelisha Durden spokeswoman for the Health Care Administration. Sheriff's deputies started their investigation about the same time, according to their spokesman J.D. Callaway.
Durden said some of the 54 youngsters in the academy's residential treatment program have been moved to other facilities, but she wouldn't say where. The rest of the youngsters will be moved by Jan. 9, the day health regulators officially seize the academy's license.
The Health Care Administration's order also prohibits the academy from admitting new residents.
Rich Warden, the chief executive for Tampa Bay Academy, declined to answer any questions from the Tribune, just releasing a statement:
The academy "takes the health and well-being of the children and the families we serve very seriously," Warden said. "We will work diligently to address any and all concerns that ACHA, our state licensing agency, may have and we will continue to provide high quality services to the children entrusted to our care."
The Health Care Administration's order affects only the academy's residential program. Tampa Bay Academy also runs a group home for youngsters with less severe needs and a charter school that serves as many as 200 students.
Services Are Unique Locally
Few other long-term residential programs exist that can serve the intensive needs these children and teenagers have. Tampa Bay Academy has the only residential treatment program of its kind in Hillsborough County.
The academy is managed by the for-profit Youth and Family Centered Services Inc., which is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Durden said the Tampa Bay Academy receives funding through Medicaid reimbursements, the Florida Department of Children and Families and private insurance payments, among other sources.
The academy's cluster of Spanish-style buildings opened in 1988 on 24 acres just south of the Alafia River. Its residential treatment center has the capacity for 100 children and teenagers.
Many of the youngsters are referred there for treatment by Hillsborough Kids Inc., the agency that oversees more than 3,000 children in state custody.
Jeff Rainey, chief executive for Hillsborough Kids, said the agency has checked on its children enrolled in the academy's other programs that provide lower levels of care. Officials didn't find an imminent safety risk, Rainey said.
Rainey said the agency already sends some children out of Hillsborough County to receive intensive, long-term specialized care. Without the Tampa Bay Academy, he said, that need becomes more acute.
Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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So let me get this right. It was the staff who attacked by the kids? Kids having sex with each other? Does this sound right, or
did they get caught screwing around and then BLAME the kids. Somthing here don't jive.
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So let me get this right. It was the staff who attacked by the kids? Kids having sex with each other? Does this sound right, or
did they get caught screwing around and then BLAME the kids. Somthing here don't jive.
Probably all of the above. This place has changed ownership, management, and operating philosophy a number of times over the course of its existence. Moreover, the local government agency responsible for oversight also changed during that same time period.
A number of former staff weighed in as to the currently dire state of affairs in the comments section of that article (see next post). Since that is but one point of view, take it for what it's worth and read between the lines...
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Comments for the above article, "State Orders Children Removed From Tampa Bay Academy (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/17/172002/state-orders-children-removed-tampa-bay-academy/)" (by Adam Emerson; The Tampa Tribune; Dec. 17, 2008):
Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 12/17/2008 at 06:17 pm.
While this article looks bad, I worked at this facility for 10 years and it has helped thousands of kids. They also run a group home and charter school on site that are still running well. It is interesting that TBA only makes the news when something like this happens. They never cover the kids that go on to college, or the kids that were severely abused in their homes and have gone on to live productive lives because of what this facility is able to do for them. I hope that Administration that decided on this removal of children is looking to help correct any issues by working with TBA and not just slamming their doors shut. The State of Florida needs this type of facility. Perhaps some changes need to occur, but this facility has had a great reputation for many years. Let's fix it, not quit on it.
Posted by ( whoorah8 ) on 12/17/2008 at 06:30 pm.
SRutherford - I worked for the state for 6 yrs & they are supposed to keep tabs on places licensed through the state. Looks like the state fell short with this group. I agree fix it, don't quit it.
Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 12/17/2008 at 08:07 pm.
It frustrates me when the state does not make comments like "this place can and will be a great place for kids again, and we will work with them to assure that that happens". Nope, they can only use strong superlatives like "gross mismanagement". Did they ever state, "The incredible work that they did with that child that allowed him to go to college". They have no idea what good they have done over there. If they do, they certainly have never made comments like these when things go well.
Posted by ( Claylisa ) on 12/17/2008 at 08:19 pm.
SRutherford..unfortunately there is NO money in "positive news stories". I understand you frustration. I highly doubt that they've been around for 20 years and haven't been doing something right.
Posted by ( Whackamole ) on 12/17/2008 at 09:26 pm.
I worked there when it first opened and they were taking kids who were railroaded in by their parents just because they have good insurance coverage. We were trained to offset assaults by residents, what happened to that training if a staff was sexually assaulted? :0
Posted by ( Whackamole ) on 12/17/2008 at 09:30 pm.
Oh, and the first few months they were in business, they faced a lawsuit by parents of a child who suffered a head injury.
Posted by ( mcmurphy7 ) on 12/17/2008 at 09:44 pm.
That's what happens when you just privatize for the sake of lobbyist cash... right Jeb?
Posted by ( bucsrock ) on 12/17/2008 at 10:00 pm.
It doesn't matter if they have been around a billion years and never did anything wrong,....this is wrong!!! Get control now!!!
Posted by ( justice33 ) on 12/17/2008 at 10:03 pm.
It is so very unfortunate that this situation occurred. However, the other unfortunate thing is that the Group Homes as this same facility are also practicing "gross mismanagement". There may have been a time when the Group Home facility was providing adequate support to both the staff as well as the residents. It is very safe to say that presently not only are the residents being bribed on a consistent basis but the employees are being treated very unfairly by the group Home Manager, Director as well as the Human Resources Director. The Human Resources Director should be an advocate for the employees. However, due to the lack of communication between all levels of management and the employees, several commendable employees have lost their jobs due to retaliation by higher level management. Employees are in fear of loosing their jobs after witnessing the discharge of other reputable employees due to their attempt to get fair treatment.
Posted by ( i2021 ) on 12/17/2008 at 10:38 pm.
I have personal knowledge of the facility and the RTC in particular. These are just some of the issues being investigated. TBA may have helped some kids, but it is horribly managed and some of the doctors associated with it are nothing more than dope dealers that push psychotropic meds on children.
Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 12/17/2008 at 10:45 pm.
Whackamole, if I am not mistaken, the head injury you are speaking of occurred during a fun athletic activity and the child broke his neck but did return to finish his treatment at the facility. It is comments like this that are misleading and cause people to believe that it is a bad place. And justice33, perhaps some people have lost their jobs as a result of situation like the ones mentioned in this article. Perhaps the terminations were justified and they were made for the safety of the children at the facility. But perhaps you are correct and changes need to occur. Whatever is wrong should be righted because this place is a great place for kids, when run properly. I know, I helped hundreds.
Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 12/17/2008 at 10:48 pm.
mcmurphy7, this facility has been around long before Jeb was governor.
Posted by ( mcmurphy7 ) on 12/17/2008 at 11:14 pm.
SRutherford--that's correct, it has. But it was PRIVATIZED while Jeb was governor and that's my point. Perhaps it wasn't clear enough for you to understand. Privatization isn't ALWAYS the most efficient and least expensive way. But legislators and elected officials don't care about that because the "privateers" kick back enough money to them to keep them shut up.
Posted by ( MikeForrest ) on 12/18/2008 at 12:41 am.
So what happens to the kids who assaulted the staff ? I hope the Sheriff's investigation is aimed at arresting the sex offenders. It's a shame that kids who are criminals get put into the same facility with kids who really need help. That shows the whole system is broken, and Tampa Bay Academy is only part of the problem.
Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 12/18/2008 at 07:21 am.
mcmurphy7 The facility has always been privately owned and operated. I personally know the original owners. This was never a state run facility.
Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 12/18/2008 at 08:59 am.
Deepfriedride, do you know the number of kids in this program that do not have families? I suspect you do not. I suspect a large number of these kids are in state custody and have been placed there because they are not able to be maintained in foster homes or group homes. Where would you like these kids to go. I agree, there appears to be some issues with that facility and they need to be fixed immediately so that these kids that have no other place to go, have a safe nurturing environment to go. While it is obvious that these issues need to be addressed, it should also be addressed that the state needs this place before these kids are put back in the community with the same issues that brought them there in the first place.
Posted by ( concernedparent2009 ) on 12/18/2008 at 09:53 am.
Obviously bucsrock and deepfriedride have never had to deal with an emotionally disabled child. One who is out of control through no fault of their own or no fault of their parents but due to chemical and physiological imbalances. While these allegations are horrible, TBA is not all bad. They have an outstanding program and the counselors and staff are A+ in my book. How do I know this? My child was placed there through the group home program and is a success. My child pulled up their grades, improved their behavior and was finally stabalized with the right medication. Anyone who has a child on psychotropic medication knows how hard it is to get the right medication and dosage. TBA does not need to be closed but they need to reorganize and get reinstated. Florida has a severe shortage of these type of treatment facilities and with all the state budget cuts, it will only get worse. TBA needs help and I pray that the state will come through.
Posted by ( TACT1 ) on 12/18/2008 at 11:41 am.
This is truly sad. Everyone must be accountable for the well being of these children. I was one of the original members of this facility and brought the very first child for admission in my own car. Someone previously mentioned that a lawsuit was filed against TBA in the first year of business due to head injury. This was true but nothing like it seems. The child jumped off the stage in the gym onto a giant "Earth Ball" and propelled himself into the iar, thus falling on his head. Truly an accident that was handled very well by TBA management.
My intention is not to defend TBA in response to the current situation. I know TBA is not what it used to be when the original owners had control. YFCS has not provided the needed safety for these children and staff. They changed the complete approach and philosphy, including the physical management of aggressive behavior. Good caring people have left this agency over the years because of feeling unsafe for the children and themselves. These types of facilities are truly needed but must be held accountable. They must provide the needed safety and security of their children and staff. The environment must be stable for the needed treatment that was once truly provided.
I to have seen many children leave this facility over the years and lead productive independent lives. They came to this facility completely out of control with no direction in their lives. I hope this will happen again!!
Posted by ( TACT1 ) on 12/18/2008 at 12:26 pm.
Many of you know me. Like some of you we have left blood, sweat, and tears at TBA. I have devoted my life to providing safe environments for all clients in healthcare. Creating new standards for safety and security through the Governing bodies (JCAHO/CMS).
Providing the therapeutic environment for these children to feel safe is the first step in their ability to recive treatment. Unfortunetly, this requires quality training and supervision by people that know what they are doing. The laws are pretty clear in that if someone is endangering themselves or others they must be stopped. There is no room for passivity and questions about liability. When you admit children with aggressive behaviors you must have a plan to address these issues. You can't allow them to continue these same aggressive behaviors toward themselves and others and expect them to just go away. Staff must feel empowered to control these behaviors as part of the treatment plan and not feel threatened that management will fire them for putting their hands on the children.
I don't feel that restraint is the answer to these children's problems but the issue is truly safety. Restraint when done appropriately by well trained staff can have significant therapeutic value.
The bottom line is that these behaviors were never acceptable at TBA in the early years and the children felt safe. When the environment is out of control no treatment is happening.
Posted by ( Mother47 ) on 12/18/2008 at 01:25 pm.
SRutherford I agree with alot of what you have said this facility has helped alot of children and because of the facility they have shown the children how to be respectable people in the community. My Daughter is employeed at TBA and has been for 10years. She has mentioned on several occassions how you have to be a special person to work with the challenging children that are there. She has also mentioned that everyone who has been employeed there may not fit with the type of chldren that are there. She has mentioned how hard it has been for some of the children and how they have been physically or mentally abusive by family members or being in a foster home. My daughter has also mentioned that there are times when a situation has happen and the police were called they would do nothing. They tell the staff that there was nothing for them to do and that is why the child is at the facility. So when it comes to being unsafe for the patients/staff and the police are called to assist and they don't help then what is the facility to do? I believe what they have been doing is to continue to keep the children and staff as safe a possible. My daughter has mentioned that in the last two years things have change with the adminstrative staff and they see things differently than the CEO(Mr. EH)who started the facility. I know that he really cared for the children and the staff. Now with new people in charge things change and I hope that they see what they need to do to make the facility the way it use to be. We need this facility to remain in the county to continue to help as many children as possible. The facility is also aware that they can't save/help them all but they have saved a whole lot of them. I hope that YCFS will use the old good staff to help train the new ones and get them to see how they can make a difference and keep everyone as safe as possble. For the people who are negative as SRutherford have stated: have you ever been at the facility to see the difference that has been made with the children or do you even have children with the difficultives these children have. It's not easy and if there are difficult parents as well it really is not easy to help.The staff enjoy working with the patient's there and if they didn't they would not have staff there has long as they have my daughter is one of them.
Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 12/18/2008 at 02:22 pm.
TACT1, I was just telling someone last night that they need someone like you to return to TBA to help fix this. It is heartbreaking to know that a facility that, like you said, we put so many years of blood sweat and tears into is now looked at in the light that it is. I am in contact with many of the people that worked there back then and all of them feel the same. Things need to improve over there, and they need to re-evaluate their program. Behavior management is just that, managing ones behavior. Without the tools and support allowing highly qualified and trained staff to do that, the faclity will fail. Liability is a huge issue in this country. But it has been put ahead of the safety of the children. That was not the foundation TBA was built on. Enough from me, hopefully the state and the powers that be in TBA will fix whatever they need to fix and return it to what it once was. The best RTC in Florida.
Posted by ( TACT1 ) on 12/18/2008 at 03:03 pm.
I would love to see the old crew come back and fix this. Unfortunetly, we are not as young as we used to be. EH and I were just emailing each other about that very issue.
We can only hope that the State and YFCS gets on top of this. Children need this level of care.
Posted by ( justice33 ) on 12/18/2008 at 04:22 pm.
Keep in mind that the group home could be ran more diligently with the appropriate management. You are right in the some of the staff members are not competent enough to provide these residents with the consistent support and dedication needed in order for then to get through their treatment. I should also mention that some of the staff that have become targets are staff that have provided the proper consistency care needed. I have witnessed first hand that the staff members that have the capability of minimizing the number of incidents in any particular house end up in some type of investigation leading to them being removed from the house that they have effectively helped many of the residents cope with their behavioral or psychological disorders if you will. Upper level management have put male staff in an all female house when there have been plenty of female staff to accommodate staffing the female houses. This is a new practice. Management has made working in the group homes very uncomfortable for so many of the staff. The staff is walking around on eggshells due to the lack of support from their management.
Posted by ( justice33 ) on 12/18/2008 at 05:41 pm.
srutherford-Does your daughter currently work in the group homes?
Posted by ( apple_red ) on 12/18/2008 at 06:19 pm.
I have a family member who was placed in TBA. She got the help she needed, but she says the conditions were deplorable. The staff that runs the halls were ridiculous and subpar, and she saw abuse happening right before her eyes...but nobody said anything about it, it was seen as typical. TBA was rooming severely ill children with even MORE severely ill children UNDER A DYSFUNCTIONAL STAFF WHO COULD NOT DO THEIR JOBS AT KEEPING AN EYE ON THEM AND MAKING SURE THEY ARE OK. This is where TBA went wrong; good intentions or not, the people watching the kids failed and destroyed lives. Thank GOD this place was shut down...no more kids can be abused there.
Posted by ( SRutherford ) on 12/18/2008 at 07:20 pm.
justice33, no my daughter does not work there. I no longer work there either. I did many years ago. A different time. I hope that this facility can get back to what made it good. I hope that all of you hope that. Employees, students, parents, former students, former employees. I hope that everyone pulls for this facility to be what it can be, and I hope that the state recognizes that as well. It is the State of Florida that has placed a lot of children there because of their faith and trust in the program. It should be the state that works with them to restore that.
Posted by ( RiverviewRaysfan ) on 12/18/2008 at 07:35 pm.
One of the things that seem to be forgotten in this whole story is that these children that are being treated at Tampa Bay Academy, are usually victims of some kind of abuse, many of the times the abuse is of a sexual nature. TBA even has a sexual maladaptive behavior unit that treats children with illnesses related about sexual issues. The incidents reffered to in the article as "sexual assault" has a severity to it that makes people think of it as rape. Although I do not condone what happened, most of the incidents in question probably involve situations of younger children groping a female staff. It is hard for me to equate that to the term "sexual assault" when these children are there being treated for illnesses, and this is the way they act out. I have worked in pyschiatric treatment facilities for many years and situations like this are very common, in fact they happen all the time at places like TBA. I am also aware that TBA has began to take steps in order to avoid incidents like this from continuing. They have removed all female staff from working in direct contact with the younger males. Unfortunately, situations like this are going to occur, these kids are sick, thats why they are being treated. The absolute wrong thing to do is to close the doors of this facility. It places a heavier burden on the other scarce available resources for families to turn to. Remember, one day these kids are going to grow up and have children of their own. We need to do what we can now to prevent the cycle of abuse from continuing. Provide support, learn from the mistakes, and support TBA and places like it to continue to improve the lives of the individuals they treat.
Posted by ( IceBreaker3000 ) on 12/18/2008 at 08:11 pm.
This article is blown way out of proportion. For example, None of the "sexual incedents" involved intercourse in any way however this article leads to to think that. The residents are always properly supervised. There is a ratio of staff to residents that is strictly inforced at all times. The staff are never left alone with any resident at any time. There are some acute cases at Tampa Bay Academy that involve some level of danger, but thats the normal hazard of working at a Psychiatric Facility! This is a very good example of how the media sensationalizes on a subject to sell a paper.
Posted by ( kidrock0976 ) on 12/18/2008 at 09:09 pm.
I'm glad the state has finally shed some light on the situations going on at TBA. Aside from the obvious endangerment of the children & staff TBA fails to provide appropriate medical attention to children. The facility is always unsanitary & the staff ordered to do last minute clean up efforts before inspections. The place is more like a daycare than a treatment center and the Staff are not adequately prepared or trained for possible violent outbursts from children/young adults. The current HR Director fails to provide equal treatment to pregnant staff by not placing them in a safe environment upon request during their pregnancy, furthermore forcing them to either leave the company or switch to parttime causing them to loose benefits altogether. Facility needs improvement in all aspects aside from what's currently being investigated starting with upper management. In emergency situations when there is no opportunity to get to the phone or loud speakers it is almost impossible to contact a manager or staff assistance. Although Walkie talkies are used in certain areas, they should be used in ALL departments for the safety of Staff & children but they are not. All in all, this place has great potential but needs to be restructured with rules & consequences put in place that are more effective so that bad behavior such as the sexual assault don't go unnoticed. I feel that if HR became more aware of the federal laws in place & there was better training for the Staff this facility would be a fun, safe & effective treatment facility for everyone.
Posted by ( MikeForrest ) on 12/18/2008 at 09:18 pm.
apple_red, you claim to know of kids who were abused at TBA, "...but nobody said anything about it".
If that is actually true, then you are morally and legally obligated to report the abuse. There is no statute of limitations on child abuse. The purpose is to get the real perpetrators off the streets.
Otherwise, if you don't report to the authorities, I can safely assume you are making false allegations.
Posted by ( IceBreaker3000 ) on 12/18/2008 at 09:47 pm.
I agree completely With you kidrock0976! The HR Director and the previous CEO fired all the seasoned staff because they were one minute late or for something else extremely minor such as that. Because of this there were no adaquate on the job training for the new staff. All of a sudden there were all new staff running the halls not knowing what to do. Then to top it all off, YFCS took away all of the consequences for the residents. If you have behaviorally challenged teens knowing they can do what ever they want with no consequences, then you will have trouble. I feel tampa bay academy has to corect the problem from the TOP first!
Posted by ( apple_red ) on 12/19/2008 at 01:14 am.
Mikeforrest, I asked my family member to report the abuse to the authorities. She refused. I was not personally involved in the situation, I just heard about it. I also was a young teen at the time and wasn't aware of how I should have dealt with the situation. Bottom line : If the staff had properly dealt with the abuse they SAW HAPPENING BEFORE THEIR EYES, then I would not have heard it through the grape vine from my family member and given the responsibility, as a young teen, to help this entire school of children from this abuse by forcing my family member to tell authorities what was going on. It is unfair to say that because I did not alert authorities about the abuse I HEARD about but didn't actually WITNESS, that I must be lying. I am not lying, and I am very glad (as is my family member) that this place has been shut down.
Posted by ( seminolekattie ) on 12/19/2008 at 12:21 pm.
Not only does the staff need to be proffesionals such as LCSWs, but local Sheriff's department are about to make treating SED children no longer possible for proffessionals, who's left? As an LCSW out of the school system I won't work with foster care children or SED children because of the abuse by these children and the local CPI's. Soon no one will treat or house or care for these children, then what? Certainly look at the day to day picture, but it might be time to look at the bigger and more important picture, they can't get qualified staff, WE DON'T want to work in these environments anymore, it's to dangerous, it doesn't pay well, and it's to much of a safety risk for our proffesional lives. Sooner or later someone will open their eyes.
CPI's should be LCSW's NOT attached to the local Sheriffs office, but attached to the State of Florida with training in family issues, not criminal investigations! Also working with SED children should require an LCSW and 2 years post licensure supervision and not be required to be on call 24/7 but get days off. Good luck glad I am in the school system!
Posted by ( Love4kids08 ) on 12/20/2008 at 02:45 pm.
It is great to see so many people have opinions about this program. I agree with so many of you on this one and the others not so much. I have also worked at TBA for 6 years and have had experience in all aspects of this facility from the residential program, the group homes, and administration. I agree that TBA is not the same place that I knew it to be. The days when SRutherford, EH and,Tact1 were there it was run by people who deeply cared about kids and staff's well being. TBA has gone through so many transitions in the past and I have seen it go from better to worse. Most of the problems arose when staff did not feel supported or backed by therapists and administration and poorly qualified staff allowed to work with these group sick children. I feel that many of the staff hired by TBA were not the best and did not always have the kids best interest at mind. Administration were aware of many instances that were detrimental to staff and children but staff were not properly reprimanded or dealt with in fear of not being able to find more staff to work with this population. I felt they hung on to many staff just because they did not want to let them go and have to search or recruit more. Over the years as the veteran staff left or moved on the support that used to be there no longer existed! We all had each other's back no matter where you worked but over the years I have seen the quality of staff deminish which is sad. I personally know of many other dangerous situations between staff members and clients that were never really addressed! managers were not always the best and unfortunately it trickels down to the staff and the children. No the state shoudl not turn their backs on this place but I do feel that TBA has been given ample opportunity by ACHA to fix the problems that existed years ago and make them right, and they have FAILED repeatedly at this! I feel sorry for the employees that will lose their jobs and the kids that will be affected and moved from place to place but it is time WAKE UP and stop brushing serious issues under the rug!
Posted by ( justice33 ) on 12/24/2008 at 02:09 pm.
AHCA needs to look a little deeper into the management of the group homes as well as human resources. YFCS (Youth and Family Centered Services) would not be happy with the way management treats the staff that are there doing the right things for the sake of the residents. Management is putting staff in uncomfortable situations and when it is brought to their (management) attention, the staff is targeted when in fact the management should assure the safety and well-being of the residents at all times. Meaning, if there is a house with all female residents, there should not be a male staff placed in the house. This is to protect the staff as well of the residents. To place a male staff in the house out of retaliation is wrong. AHCA should seriously consider investigating the management as I can assure you that so many issues have been swept under the wrong in the group homes.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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Here is another article, which appears to be more or less the same article with a different headline (plus separate Comments section), also maintained by The Tampa Tribune's online site. I am guessing the Tribune releases these in different publications, perhaps print vs. online version?
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State Suspends License Of Tampa Bay Academy (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/18/na-state-suspends-license-of-tampa-bay-academy/)
By ADAM EMERSON [email protected]
Published: December 18, 2008
State investigators ordered the removal of 54 children and teenagers from the Tampa Bay Academy in Riverview after finding the academy failed to protect its residents and staff from "known and obvious dangerous behaviors."
State officials suspended the license of the academy's residential treatment program after learning that a staff member had been sexually assaulted and police were never notified. They also found that workers failed to properly supervise the residents, who often fought with staff.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has opened a criminal investigation at the academy, which houses children and teenagers who suffer from severe psychological disorders and sexual trauma. The sheriff's office wouldn't say what it is investigating.
Officials with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration accused the academy of "gross mismanagement." Given the academy's "utter failure to take the appropriate corrective actions, it is unlikely that these deficiencies will be corrected in the absence of agency action," state officials wrote in a Leon County court filing.
The agency's investigators conducted their review Dec. 8 and found inadequate staffing at the residential treatment program and noticed workers behind closed doors and secluded from the teens' activities.
Investigators found:
- In late November, on two occasions, one of the residents "sexually assaulted a staff member" in the absence of other workers who were supposed to be on duty. The academy didn't report the incident to health regulators until Dec. 4 and never notified law enforcement.
- On Dec. 1, a staff member was subjected to "sexually inappropriate and assaultive behavior" by as many as four residents, and management didn't get complete reports of the incident for several days. "No action was taken," investigators said, "to ensure that other clients were protected from such behaviors and dangers in the interim or thereafter."
- One resident admitted in late November to being infected with gonorrhea and HIV, and the staff was supposed to watch the resident constantly. Despite that, the resident had sex repeatedly with another resident.
Investigators also found cases where residents assaulted staff members and pushed them into work stations while blocking their escape.
Agency Was Tipped Off
The agency conducted its review a couple of weeks ago after receiving an anonymous tip about conditions at the academy, said Shelisha Durden, spokeswoman for the Health Care Administration. Sheriff's deputies started their investigation about the same time, according to spokesman J.D. Callaway.
Durden said some of the 54 youngsters in the academy's residential treatment program have been moved to other facilities, but she wouldn't say where. The rest of the youngsters will be moved by Jan. 9, the day health regulators officially seize the academy's license.
The Health Care Administration's order also prohibits the academy from admitting new residents.
Rich Warden, the chief executive for Tampa Bay Academy, declined to answer any questions from the Tribune, just releasing a statement:
The academy "takes the health and well-being of the children and the families we serve very seriously," Warden said. "We will work diligently to address any and all concerns that ACHA, our state licensing agency, may have and we will continue to provide high quality services to the children entrusted to our care."
The Health Care Administration's order affects only the academy's residential program. Tampa Bay Academy also runs a group home for youngsters with less severe needs and a charter school that serves as many as 200 students.
Services Are Unique Locally
Few other long-term residential programs exist that can serve the intensive needs these children and teenagers have. Tampa Bay Academy has the only residential treatment program of its kind in Hillsborough County.
The academy is managed by the for-profit Youth and Family Centered Services Inc., which is based in Austin, Texas. Durden said Tampa Bay Academy receives funding through Medicaid reimbursements, the Florida Department of Children & Families and private insurance payments, among other sources.
The academy's cluster of Spanish-style buildings opened in 1988 on 24 acres just south of the Alafia River. Its residential treatment center has the capacity for 100 children and teenagers.
Many of the youngsters are referred there for treatment by Hillsborough Kids Inc., the agency that oversees more than 3,000 children in state custody.
Jeff Rainey, chief executive for Hillsborough Kids, said the agency has checked on its children enrolled in the academy's other programs that provide lower levels of care. Officials didn't find an imminent safety risk, Rainey said.
Rainey said the agency already sends some children out of Hillsborough County to receive intensive, long-term specialized care. Without Tampa Bay Academy, he said, that need becomes more acute.
Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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Comments for the above article, "State Suspends License Of Tampa Bay Academy (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/18/na-state-suspends-license-of-tampa-bay-academy/)" (by Adam Emerson; The Tampa Tribune; Dec. 18, 2008):
Posted by ( seminolekattie ) on 12/19/2008 at 12:28 pm.
Again in privitazation the state makes the treatment agency out to be the problem. The article states, "State officials say they have given the academy a chance to increase the quality and size of its staff, and it has failed. And the academy "has taken no action to protect its clients from the sexually assertive or assaultive behaviors of other clients." However the State of Florida DID NOT and WILL NOT pay what is costs to provide the specially trained staff needed to work with these children who have special needs. Instead the State of Florida, as guardians of many of the residents of Tampa Bay Academy, nickels and dimes these types of treatment centers to death. Many of the kids in TBA are foster care children and AHCA along with the State of Florida won't pay what it cost to provide a safe enviroment for the child and the staff. Instead they are paying Medicaid, AHCA, The For Profit Insurance Company managing the money, along with local mental health officals to stop admissions or discharge kids because they "have reached treatment benefits." Many of the children discharged are discharged against the advice and of the proffessionals treating the children. Also the State officials make the decisions to pay for treatment of these children have NO training in Mental Health, Sexual Abuse Treatment, Foster Care, Trauma Recovery or Substance Abuse. The State and Insurance officals are pulling kids out of treamtment and putting them back in the community to prey on kids that don't stand a chance against these types of children. Not that the kids in State care stood a chance, because the State didn't pay to get them the treatment they needed. As a community of parents, teachers, tax payers we have to stand up and fight ACHA and Medicaid and the State of Florida and demand that these kids get treatment, that the State pays organizations like Tampa Bay Academy what it cost's to treat these severe kids, and that we stop Privitazation and make the State of Florida own up to their responsibility for these children. It's time to charge the State of Florida with Child Abuse!
Parents in the Tampa Bay area should look out, the State is releasing kids into your neighborhood and schools that are dangerous! Not because the kids are better, because the State of Florida doesn't want to pay treatment centers like TBA what it really costs to treat these kids. Now they are closing TBA so now they don't have treatment centers and now they don't have to look for this type of care. As a professional I say we should demand that State of Florida be charge with Child Abuse for everyone of the children they WON'T pay what it costs to treat these children, instead they just discharge them into the community.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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So after all this went down, how and when did this place reopen?
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So after all this went down, how and when did this place reopen?
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 (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/29/292308/dcf-found-same-problems-tampa-bay-academy-2005/)
By ADAM EMERSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 29, 2008
Updated: 12/29/2008 11:08 pm
(http://http://media2.tbo.com/mediamanager/2008/dec/29/2558_122908academy.audio-resource375x215.jpg)
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.
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Comments for the above article, "DCF Found Same Problems At Tampa Bay Academy in 2005 (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/29/292308/dcf-found-same-problems-tampa-bay-academy-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.
Posted 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.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)[/list]
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.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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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 (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/30/na-tampa-academy-safety-failed-past-evaluations/)
By ADAM EMERSON [email protected]
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.
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A summary of recent events, put into context (no comments posted thus far):
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A Mental Health Center in Turmoil (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/dec/30/na-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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And then what? I can't believe this place is still open.
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Tampa Bay Academy is a reputable program.
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Getting close to D-day... The job losses are announced in the media (as opposed to being simply discussed in the previous Comments sections):
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Tampa Bay Academy Loses Staff Following Removal of Students (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/03/tampa-bay-academy-loses-staff-following-removal-st/)
By ADAM EMERSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: January 3, 2009
Riverview - A troubled youth mental health center in Riverview has laid off more than a third of its staff now that the state has removed many of the children in its care.
The Tampa Bay Academy let go 125 workers in its residential treatment center this week, even as it prepared a final effort to stop a state agency from seizing its license to provide round-the-clock mental health care to children.
Two weeks ago, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration reported that conditions at the for-profit academy's 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 equipped staff.
Employees got pink slips after most of the 54 children and teenagers previously enrolled at the treatment center were placed in other group homes or mental health centers, said Rich Warden, the academy's executive director. The last two children will be moved next week.
Most of the laid-off workers included therapists, counselors and support staff needed to provide 24-hour care to children with severe mental health needs. About 200 employees remain in the academy's group homes and charter school, which aren't affected by the Health Care Administration's order.
But the academy kept 15 staff members from the treatment center to help rebuild what its leaders hope will be an effort the state will accept. Warden said the academy and its parent company, Youth and Family Centered Services in Austin, Texas, will submit an improvement plan to the Health Care Administration next week.
The state, however, still plans to suspend the academy's license officially on Friday, said Fernando Senra, a spokesman for the Health Care Administration.
The troubles at the academy aren't new. Inspectors have found deficiencies at the academy during the past year, unearthing evidence that an inadequate staff with untrained workers repeatedly restrained children improperly and isolated them unnecessarily for days.
And the Department of Children & Families found many of the same problems at the academy three years ago, including inadequate staffing, abuse complaints and an alleged sexual assault on a patient.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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Notice how dismissive some former staff, previously so eloquent 'bout "really caring for the kids," are towards the few former residents who weighed in.
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Comments for the above article, "Tampa Bay Academy Loses Staff Following Removal of Students (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/03/tampa-bay-academy-loses-staff-following-removal-st/)" (by Adam Emerson; The Tampa Tribune; January 3, 2009):
Posted by ( thehonestchick ) on 01/03/2009 at 09:40 pm.
I was in this center in 1993, and I have to say when I was in this center, I felt worse while I was in there, than before I became a patient. I am happy that this hell hole is closing. I pray for the other people that have had harm come their way due to this place. I am not saying all the staff was bad, however I am not saying all of them should have been working there. It is in my opinion when you're working with "troubled children" you don't tell them to kill themselves if thats what the kids are trying to do. As a staff member their responsibility should have been preventing the thought when the thought arises to a child. I feel more training and definatly some more investigation on the staff members are WAY over due! --Thankyou!!!!
Posted by ( northofcuba ) on 01/03/2009 at 10:28 pm.
What a suprise! A reduction in staff following students being removed. I hope the staff wasn't caught off guard. Funny how when demand drops in a business, layoffs occur. What did they think was going to happen? An increase in staff.
Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 01/04/2009 at 12:08 am.
Let us hope and pray that ACHA and TBA work together to make the place a good place. The state does not have enough places like this.
Posted by ( Letsgo ) on 01/04/2009 at 09:45 am.
No, we were not surprised...Even after being assured we would have our jobs and would go through more training. I had not been there long and did my best, with the tools I was given. I knew there were problems with the way things were being run but you expect these problems will be addressed and fixed. That is why there are supervisors. Had I known of some of these problems, I may not have applied for the position to begin with. I needed a job and believed I could do some good. There were alot of staff that truly cared about these kids and their futures, including myself. Some were just there to collect a paycheck. As with any business, there is good and bad. These children had some serious issues and some you couldn't get through to, while others wanted someone to listen and not judge them. I had some problems at first but they didn't act up while I was there. Atleast not in the hall I worked. They were teenagers and tried to manipulate to get what they wanted. Some threatened to call and report abuse if they didn't get what they wanted. Some tried to get attention, no matter what the cost. The fact still remains, they were in this facility for a reason. I am not saying all reports of abuse were false. I am sure, however, some were. I personally did not witness anything as bad as the paper reports. I am not saying it is true or not true. I just wanted to let people know that alot of us did our jobs to the best of our ability and we do care about these kids.
Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 01/04/2009 at 10:56 am.
Letsgo, that was well said. The ability for any child at any time to call in an abuse report, regardless of the situation, coupled with TBA's mandatory obligation to allow every child the ability to make an abuse report, makes for a big problem. A problem that I cannot think of a solution for. Add to this that a sheriff's deputy has to come to the facility for every abuse report, and you are taking officers off the street to deal with abuse reports that often times are not abuse at all. The deputies get frustrated, the abuse investigators get frustrated, the staff often times have to be suspended so they are frustrated, and then they have to replace that staff on the unit during the investigation. If ACHA truly wants to help, they should investigate the proper procedures and develop new ways of doing this.
Posted by ( wanna_be_like_darth ) on 01/04/2009 at 12:46 pm.
Apparrantly some of the staff missed the part during orientation to report ANY abuse they witness
Posted by ( Letsgo ) on 01/04/2009 at 01:09 pm.
Apparently someone did not read my post thoroughly. I stated " I personally did not witness anything as bad as the paper reports". Had I witnessed what has been alleged, I would have followed proper procedure. Hope that cleared it up for you.
Posted by ( stratoblaster ) on 01/04/2009 at 04:25 pm.
No one commented on the honest chick's statement above. She lived at TBA. No matter haw bad it might have gotten for staff, they got to go home.
Posted by ( Letsgo ) on 01/04/2009 at 06:40 pm.
I am very sorry that Honest Chick had to endure what she did. To tell you the truth I did not even know TBA existed until a few years back. I passed by numerous times but with the white picket fence and horses, I assumed it was just a boarding school. Funny thing about appearances. I do totally agree with honest chick, that some people do not need to be working with children, especially those who are so troubled. There has got to be a better way to screen potential employees for places like TBA.
Posted by ( TACT1 ) on 01/05/2009 at 04:57 pm.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)[/list]
Posted by ( MyThoughtsToday ) on 01/06/2009 at 02:00 pm.
Well said TACT1, HonestChick was obviously a student there for a reason. They do not put kids there that do not have issues. I guess she was happy to leave, while many students would do anything to stay. If people that read these articles truly understood what many of these kids have been through before they got there, they may have a better understanding of what the staff are dealing with. And "wanna_be_like_darth", everyone there is trained to report abuse. I would hope that if you choose to work in a facility like that, you would have enough common sense that you would not have to be trained to report abuse.
Posted by ( historyinshort ) on 01/07/2009 at 06:56 pm.
I was a resident at TBA several years ago when i was in my teens. Luckily i was only there for 2 weeks before my mother realized the terrible conditions and removed me for placement in a RTF that actually helped me with my substance abuse problems and depression. TBA was an absolutely awful place to live even for 14 days. It remains the worst 14 days of my life. The staff was completly oblivious to what was going on. The kids were out of control and the builings themselves were dirty and horrible. Not a good place for "recovery". I was elated to hear that such a travesty of a "treatment" center is finally being shut down. There are FAR better resources in FL for troubled kids TBA was NOT one. I agree that even a short stint in that place could do more damage to a child than when they went in. 3 cheers!!
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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The "companion piece" to the just above article, "Tampa Bay Academy Loses Staff...":
Youth Center Layoffs Hit 125 (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/04/na-youth-center-layoffs-hit-125/)
By ADAM EMERSON [email protected]
Published: January 4, 2009
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Comments for this article:
Posted by ( historyinshort ) on 01/07/2009 at 06:53 pm.
I was a resident at TBA several years ago when i was in my teens. Luckily i was only there for 2 weeks before my mother realized the terrible conditions and removed me for placement in a RTF that actually helped me with my substance abuse problems and depression. TBA was an absolutely awful place to live even for 14 days. It remains the worst 14 days of my life. The staff was completly oblivious to what was going on. The kids were out of control and the builings themselves were dirty and horrible. Not a good place for "recovery". I was elated to hear that such a travesty of a "treatment" center is finally being shut down. There are FAR better resources in FL for troubled kids TBA was NOT one. I agree that even a short stint in that place could do more damage to a child than when they went in. 3 cheers!!
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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osted by ( historyinshort ) on 01/07/2009 at 06:53 pm.
I was a resident at TBA several years ago when i was in my teens. Luckily i was only there for 2 weeks before my mother realized the terrible conditions and removed me for placement in a RTF that actually helped me with my substance abuse problems and depression. TBA was an absolutely awful place to live even for 14 days. It remains the worst 14 days of my life. The staff was completly oblivious to what was going on. The kids were out of control and the builings themselves were dirty and horrible. Not a good place for "recovery". I was elated to hear that such a travesty of a "treatment" center is finally being shut down. There are FAR better resources in FL for troubled kids TBA was NOT one. I agree that even a short stint in that place could do more damage to a child than when they went in. 3 cheers!!
Anonymous sources are not reliable.
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An 11th hour letter to the Editor:
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Letters To The Editor
The Tampa Tribune
Published: January 7, 2009
Priorities Upside Down (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/07/na-letters-to-the-editor/)
During my 12-year tenure as a state legislator in New Hampshire, I had the responsibility at one point to serve as chairman of the House Committee on State Institutions in order to oversee the operation and standards of our Youth Development Center (YDC) along with other state facilities. Governmental overview of state institutions is always needed, although experience shows that it is seldom productive.
From my appraisal of the situation as reported in the Tribune, it would seem that Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration is overlooking some important issues by recommending the removal of the license for Tampa Bay Academy.
Priorities seem to be all upside down. Children in need of 24-hour mental health care are being removed from unhealthy and dangerous surroundings, and yet only one-third of the employees who oversee their protection and care are being removed. In addition, two-thirds of the rest of this same group of negligent and inattentive personnel are sheltered from the agency's order by virtue of their positions in the academy's group homes and charter school and therefore retain their jobs, salaries, health care benefits and pensions.
Why retain 15 staff members to rebuild another facility like the substandard one they now manage? Wouldn't it make more sense to start at the top? To dismiss the current managerial staff and bring in new individuals with better credentials who would, in turn, qualify and dismiss inadequate and disinterested personnel at all levels and replace them with compassionate, caring and well-educated caretakers?
Coincidentally, the cost to remove 15 at the top of the food chain might even help balance the agency budget and allow the hiring of a couple of new therapists.
ELSIE VARTANIAN
Tampa
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Ok, one desparate letter to the tribune.Please tell how this all played out. I know as far as TBA is concerned, all that is in the past, and I'm sure nothing that happened last year could ever happen again. Right? I just know my friends daughter is in
30 days of hell, and will be angrier, and even more distrutful than before.
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I know as far as TBA is concerned, all that is in the past, and I'm sure nothing that happened last year could ever happen again. Right?
Maybe they are on a three-year cycle. It happened in 2005, 2008... TBA would be due for another bout with local oversight agencies in 2011, so I think your friend's daughter is probably safe this year.
:clown:
J/K. Seriously, look at who owns it: (for-profit) Youth and Family Centered Services Inc., based in Austin, Texas. I think they have facilities (http://http://www.yfcs.com/view/34) in nine states, IIRC. They do not have an especially good record.
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...And the axe comes down. Even the original founder, Malcolm "Mac" Harriman, says that current owners Youth and Family Centered Services (Austin, TX) have "an ethical choice to go out of business."
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State Suspends Tampa Bay Academy's License (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/09/091952/tampa-bay-academy-awaiting-word-license-suspension/)
By ADAM EMERSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: January 9, 2009
Updated: 01/09/2009 07:52 pm
The state officially stopped the Tampa Bay Academy today from providing long-term mental health care to the most troubled children, but the academy's problems aren't unique to its corporate parent in Texas.
The mental health center's last-minute attempt to show regulators it could fix its problems didn't prevent the state from suspending its license. Officials with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration said they are reviewing the academy's improvement plan, but they already have ordered its children moved to other facilities.
While the move is rare for state regulators, the academy's owner, Youth and Family Centered Services in Austin, has received similar reprimands in the past. The company operates a dozen other properties in eight states that provide mental health care to youngsters.
News reports and government records show that the Texas company's treatment services have provoked strong rebukes from child advocates and state agencies for many of the same problems inspectors found at the Tampa Bay Academy.
Three years ago, officials with Pennsylvania's Department of Public Welfare removed the children from the residential treatment facilities at Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Allegheny County. The hospital, owned by Youth and Family Centered Services, exposed its children to broken windows, the stench of urine in bedrooms and inadequate staffing, among other problems, reports show.
In late 2006, Florida juvenile justice officials demanded improvement of the counseling services PsychSolutions Inc. provided to teens locked up at a Palm Beach County detention center. PsychSolutions, a South Florida company owned by Youth and Family Centered Services, instead pulled out of its contract.
Child advocates and mental health care experts say such actions are only symptoms of the forces driving for-profit companies that provide such care. The more children these companies enroll in their programs, the more money they earn.
"Kids aren't cogs on a wheel," said Brian Cabrey, a Jacksonville lawyer and the vice president of Florida's Children First, a child advocacy group. "You have to be seriously suspicious of any for-profit corporation. Despite the best of intentions, they frequently devolve into what we're seeing at Tampa Bay Academy."
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration reported last month that conditions at the Tampa Bay 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.
Kevin Sheehan, the president and chief executive of Youth and Family Centered Services, declined to speak today with the Tribune. An assistant said he was traveling to meetings out of state.
A Plan Of Correction
Fifty-four children were enrolled at Tampa Bay Academy's residential treatment program, and all were placed in other centers by today. A group home program and a charter school on the academy's campus in Riverview weren't 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.
On Thursday, academy chief executive Rich Warden sent regulators a 470-page correction plan, assuring them the center will schedule enough workers and report incidents immediately to law enforcement when necessary.
Fernando Senra, a spokesman for the Health Care Administration, said if the academy wants to restore its license, it must be ready to fulfill every promise it made in its plan.
Back in 2005, the academy made a similar plea to the Department of Children & Families, which then regulated the treatment center.
DCF stopped the academy from admitting new patients for three months after finding many of the same problems the Health Care Administration found last month: inadequate staffing, abuse complaints and an alleged sexual assault on a patient.
Satisfied with the results of subsequent inspections, the agency later allowed the academy to resume admissions.
Now, the academy's problems have come full circle, and to its founder, the recent troubles have been "disturbing."
Malcolm "Mac" Harriman of Brandon opened the academy in 1988 to provide long-term care to severely troubled children whose options mostly consisted of short stays in "money-grubbing" psychiatric hospitals, he said.
"I had a goal to create a very special place," Harriman said last week.
In 1996, he sold the company to Youth Services International Inc. in a deal valued at $5.25 million, the Dow Jones news service reported then. Youth and Family Centered Services Inc. bought the company from YSI two years later.
Today, Youth and Family Centered Services owns 13 properties and boasts, on its brochure, annual revenues of $150 million.
Profits And Credentials
Such corporate buying-and-selling in the mental health care world has proliferated, said Robert Friedman, a professor at the University of South Florida and an expert on children's mental health.
The for-profit treatment programs cause the most concern among experts. Too often, these companies are trying to maximize profits by cutting back staff.
Two years ago, lawyers who investigated the Palm Beach County juvenile detention center said they found an inadequate and overwhelmed staff at its mental health care provider, PsychSolutions.
William Booth, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Advocacy Project, participated in a snap inspection of the juvenile detention center in 2006 and found a worker in the PsychSolutions office there reading a novel.
While he ultimately holds the Department of Juvenile Justice responsible for the substandard care, Booth said recently that PsychSolutions "was not performing the job."
Harriman, however, says that for-profit mental health care providers have been unfairly branded. He says nonprofit providers also can be negligent, and the state fails to provide enough assistance to treatment centers that enroll children who suffer from the most severe mental illnesses – from schizophrenia to sexual trauma.
Still, the owners of the Tampa Bay Academy have "an ethical choice to go out of business," Harriman said.
Researcher Michael Messano contributed to this report. Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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Comments for the above article, "State Suspends Tampa Bay Academy's License (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/09/091952/tampa-bay-academy-awaiting-word-license-suspension/)" (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.
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The "companion piece" to the just above article, "State Suspends Tampa Bay Academy's License":
Academy Problems Aren't Unique (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/10/na-academy-problems-arent-unique/)
By ADAM EMERSON [email protected]
Published: January 10, 2009
(There were no comments for this article, as of yet.)
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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.
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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:
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Tampa Bay Academy Reaches Settlement, Must Meet Standards (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/15/tampa-bay-academy-reaches-settlement-must-meet-sta/)
By ADAM EMERSON [email protected]
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.
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Comments for the above article, "Tampa Bay Academy Reaches Settlement, Must Meet Standards (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/15/tampa-bay-academy-reaches-settlement-must-meet-sta/)" (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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Here's the companion piece to the just above article, "Tampa Bay Academy Reaches Settlement..." Unlike previous companion pieces in this series, the scope of this one expands the subject considerably. Looks like an interview with Rich Warden, the academy's chief executive, became available in the interim.
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In Deal, Academy Must Fix Problems (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/16/160045/na-in-deal-academy-must-fix-problems/)
By ADAM EMERSON [email protected]
Published: January 16, 2009
Updated: 01/16/2009 12:45 am
The state reached a settlement with troubled Tampa Bay Academy that allows its mental health center to admit children if it pays a $50,000 fine and meets every standard set by regulators.
Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration gave the academy six months to fix everything it found wrong when inspectors visited the academy last month. The settlement, released Thursday by state officials, even forces the Riverview center to fix problems inspectors did not cite.
If it wants to keep its license to operate, it can't even have a broken window.
As first reported on TBO.com, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration found "substandard" conditions at the academy's residential treatment program. Inspectors unearthed 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 the academy's treatment program, and all have been placed in other centers. A group home program and a charter school on the academy's campus were not affected by the agency's order.
While the settlement gives back the license, it restricts Tampa Bay Academy to admitting patients only gradually.
A snap inspection in the near future will show whether the academy is complying with the law and with the health care standards set by regulators.
If everything's OK, the treatment program can enroll up to 20 children during the next six months. After that, the state will remove all restrictions if it finds the academy repaired all that went wrong.
To meet those demands, the academy must increase its staff. Inspectors last month, and on several occasions during the past few years, found a lack of employees to treat children who suffered from severe mental illness. One inspection noted that some workers sometimes cowered behind closed doors.
But the academy laid off about 140 workers after it faced sanctions by the state and lost nearly a third of the children in its care.
Rich Warden, the academy's chief executive, said he hopes to eventually fill all the positions he emptied. He won't fill them with everyone he let go, however.
Some of the employees he fired contributed to the problems, he said. Warden said he wants to bring back those who performed well and recruit others who can handle the type of patients the academy enrolls.
Warden added, though, that the academy may begin enrolling a different type of patient.
"We might be a little more conservative with the type of child we might take," he said. "The more challenging, the more aggressive kids - we might be slow to admit."
The academy won't try to bring back the children it lost to other mental health centers, Warden said.
"It was disruptive for kids to move the first time," he said. "We wouldn't want to further disrupt their treatment."
Last week, Warden sent regulators a 470-page correction plan, assuring them the center will schedule enough workers and report incidents immediately to law enforcement when necessary.
In 2005, the academy made a similar plea to the Department of Children & Families, which then regulated the treatment center. DCF stopped the academy from admitting new patients for three months after finding many of the same problems the Health Care Administration found last month: inadequate staffing, abuse complaints and an alleged sexual assault on a patient.
Satisfied with the results of subsequent inspections, DCF later allowed the academy to resume admissions.
In its settlement agreement, the Health Care Administration said the academy "cooperated fully" with the efforts to remove its children. The settlement also notes the academy took some measures to improve the quality of its care before it was sanctioned.
Warden was hired as the chief executive in November, one month before regulators moved to suspend the academy's license.
Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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Comments for the above article, "In Deal, Academy Must Fix Problems (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/16/160045/na-in-deal-academy-must-fix-problems/)" (by Adam Emerson; The Tampa Tribune; Jan. 16, 2009):
Posted by ( thehonestchick ) on 02/05/2009 at 09:58 pm.
50,000 doesn't repair the damage done to the kids who endured the damage! Goes to show you, it's all who you know......
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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What's 50 grand to a million dollar "binnis"? I'm sure it cost them that a month just to maintain that spread!
Does anyone know how thier group works? Is it synannon based or twelve step or what? Tough love and tourture or psychobabble. Does this place quallify as a "cult", or just a cash cow?
And once again your efforts are greatly appreciated
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What's 50 grand to a million dollar "binnis"? I'm sure it cost them that a month just to maintain that spread!
Does anyone know how thier group works? Is it synannon based or twelve step or what? Tough love and tourture or psychobabble. Does this place quallify as a "cult", or just a cash cow?
And once again your efforts are greatly appreciated
I would tentatively call Youth and Family Centered Services a "cash cow" enterprise, although individual programs within their "empire" might well have their own cultic schtick. It looks like they try to buy up programs and psychiatric hospitals, and milk them for what they can. I don't think there is a whole lot of ideological investment in the process, as far as corporate sees it. But... I haven't researched them enough to say that emphatically.
From their website (http://http://www.yfcs.com/):
THE CONTINUUM OF CARE.
YFCS is dedicated to providing affordable and successful health, education and life skills to infants, children and adolescents who have been abused, neglected and are intellectually, emotionally and behaviorally challenged.
INVESTMENTS IN THE FUTURE.
YFCS was founded expressly to provide services to disadvantaged infants, children and adolescents through the acquisition of specialized service companies throughout the country. Its emphasis on offering quality services at fair prices serves the interests of its patients, its payors, and -- in the long term -- the society at large.
STAYING TRUE TO OUR MISSION.
By helping children and adolescents who need it most, YFCS offers hope not only for them, but for all of us. The service and care provided by YFCS facilities can prevent today's troubled youth from becoming tomorrow's prisoners, or abusive parents, or even major health risks. And that can reduce the price we all pay.[/list]
Btw, not sure if it was clear from the text, but that program PsychSolutions mentioned a few articles back, where a snap inspection found the person responsible for overseeing the floor ... holed up in his office reading a novel ... well, that happens to be another of YFCS's programs.
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Looks they're primarily CBT-focused and that they use TCI Restraints. Could be worse. But, it's all in the "application," eh?
From their Services (http://http://www.yfcs.com/view/33) page:
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INTEGRATED CARE, IMPROVED OUTCOMES.
YFCS offers an integrated approach to treatment that helps to achieve positive outcomes for patients. Our clinical philosophy centers on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is based on the premise that changing maladaptive thinking is the key to overcoming negative feelings and behaviors in children and adolescents.
Our facilities and programs rely on coordinated interventions by multidisciplinary teams to deliver care. In addition to being guided by CBT, our teams are fully trained in therapeutic crisis intervention (TCI). Developed by Cornell University, TCI is aimed at minimizing the need to restrain or seclude children as part of treatment. TCI has helped YFCS achieve significant system-wide reductions in both restraints and seclusions.
Education is an integral part of our comprehensive approach to treating abused and neglected children. We operate accredited and chartered schools for special education, and we believe that teachers have a vital part to play in children's overall care. Teachers are part of our interdisciplinary treatment teams, bringing to the process unique and valuable information, observations, and perspectives about children's behavior.
Finally, we believe that the true measure of what we do is in the outcomes we achieve for the children. Since the company’s founding in 1997, we have achieved thousands of successful treatment completions, as evidenced by discharges to lower levels of care, higher educational testing scores, and improved clinical results. Collecting outcomes data and using it to improve what we do is of paramount importance to us, and we participate fully in JCAHO initiatives for evaluating performance based on outcomes.
Health Care
- Acute and subacute psychiatric
- 23-hour observation
- Medical residential treatment centers
- Psycho-social residential treatment centers
- Partial hospital programs
- Day treatment
- Intensive outpatient programs
- Community Based Services
- Community Integration Programs
- Alcohol and other drugs (AOD)
- Diagnostic Evaluations
Educational Programs
- Academic study and vocational training
- Accredited schools
- GED preparation, vocational education, life-skills instruction
- School-based intervention and assessment
- Charter schools
Alternative Living Environments
- Placement in group homes
- Independent living
- Therapeutic foster care
- Long term placement
Specialized Services
- Conduct Disorders
- Juvenile Sex Offender (JSO)
- Services for the Mentally Retarded/Developmentally Disabled (MR/DD)
- Autism spectrum disorders
[/size]
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Ursus does not have first hand knowledge of Tampa Bay Academy because he did not work there.
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Ah, the TBA apologists are out. Ursus probably knows more than you'll ever venture to guess about this industry and it's not that difficult to read the articles and get a pretty clear picture of what's going on there. But you just keep telling yourself that you did nothing wrong. that you 'really cared'. Hey, if it helps ya sleep at night.
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Here's another of Youth and Family Centered Services' facilities, the Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Pennsylvannia. Gotta love that "continuum of care" practiced in this place:
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Psychiatric hospital in Washington County pays $150,000 to settle suit alleging abuse, fraud (http://http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_625884.html)
By Debra Erdley
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A private psychiatric hospital in Washington County paid $150,000 to settle a suit alleging it over-medicated and abused juveniles the state Department of Public Welfare sent there in 2005.
The settlement, negotiated by the Department of Justice, includes no admission of wrongdoing. It contains an agreement outlining standards of care and oversight at Southwood Psychiatric Hospital.
A federal prosecutor said the settlement should send a message to facilities that care for vulnerable children.
The suit was filed by Dr. Stefan Kruszewski, a Harrisburg-area psychiatrist who under state contract monitored private facilities for fraud and abuse from 2001 until his firing in 2003.
He charged that Southwood held juveniles who did not require hospitalization, prescribed and administered unnecessary medication to increase government reimbursements, and billed the government for care that was not provided.
Southwood, licensed as a school and hospital, houses as many as 132 boys ages 6 to 18 at four residential treatment facilities in Washington County. The complaint cited only the 76-bed residential campus in rural Prosperity.
In a written statement, Steven Quigley of Youth and Family Centered Services, Southwood's parent company, said changes to improve services at the facility were under way during settlement discussions. Youth and Family Centered Services operates programs in nine states.
Quigley said the agreement should make the Prosperity facility "a model program for similar providers," and that the changes exceed state standards. He said the facility underwent successful licensing reviews the past three years.
The suit, filed in 2005 under the federal False Claims Act, was made public last month only when the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia settled the case.
The False Claims Act allows individuals with evidence of fraud against the government to file suit under the false claims act. If the U.S. attorney intervenes, plaintiffs in such cases are eligible to collect a portion of proceeds. In this case, Kruszewski will receive $22,500 of the $150,000 payment; the rest will reimburse Medicaid.
Laurie Magid, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, said the settlement should be a warning for facilities providing such services.
"Children and adolescents who temporarily live in psychiatric residential treatment facilities, often at a significant distance from home, are particularly vulnerable and need a safe environment and a quality of care that will effectively treat their underlying conditions and allow them to return home as soon as possible," Magid said in a written statement.
Kruszewski said he learned of problems at Southwood while reviewing records for the Welfare Department. His suit was an effort to "right some wrongs in the system," and filed after the state dismissed his warnings, he said.
"The state response was pathetic. ... DPW stymied virtually every and any attempt to investigate," Kruszewski said. "DPW had only a few nurses and a few administrative people trying to investigate hundreds of complaints. They didn't have the resources, the senior directive, nor the will to proceed."
He said he was fired in 2003 when he reported a pattern of rampant abuse in facilities housing Pennsylvania Medicaid recipients in Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and Virginia. In 2007, the state paid Kruszewski $374,000 to settle a civil rights whistleblower suit that charged he was fired for speaking about his findings.
A spokeswoman for the Welfare Department said the agency was independently reviewing Southwood when federal authorities approached with an offer to pool resources because of Kruszewski's suit.
"The (Department of Justice) and the (Bureau of Program Integrity) were able to collaboratively share notes, on-site evidence and assessments to complete the investigation," said Stacey Witalec.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Hutchinson confirmed the state provided critical assistance when approached about the suit.
Kruszewski said Southwood's agreement to expand its clinical staff and improve oversight and monitoring was the most important result of his suit.
"I am satisfied with what's in place at Southwood at the present time ... at least what I know of their progress and agreements."
Southwood houses 35 patients for the state at a cost of $151 a day, according to the Welfare Department.
# # #
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Ursus works for a therapuetic boarding school. People should never believe anything he says.
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ursus, Seems like you pissed somebody off. What the hell? If they think you that far off base, they should be ranting at the trib. reporter who's articles you only referenced. It's not like you made all that up!
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ursus, Seems like you pissed somebody off. What the hell? If they think you that far off base, they should be ranting at the trib. reporter who's articles you only referenced. It's not like you made all that up!
Lol. I prefer to think of it as ... some express their luv and admiration in funny ways. Whether or not that was the intent, it goes better with my dinner than the literal version does... :D
Here's a question for you, none-ya: who is paying for this stay at Tampa Bay? It sounds like Youth and Family Centered Services is one of these for-profit mental health conglomerates, where corporate greed and maximizing profits command greater attention than the actual provision of care. These kinds of places generally rely heavily on insurance coverage and DJJ and state contracts to fill their beds. Usually the recommended stay is limited to the same length of time as the insurance coverage stipulates. Funny how that is...
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Grandma and Grandpa are footing this. This is after a private pscholoigst. and some other "counseling " at school.
I think she is just spoiled. She only acts out when she doesn't get her way. And that's always worked for her. Dosen't everyone outgrow that behavior once it's no longer effective? These programs let the parents off the hook for raising bratty kids. "It's ok . We can fix them for you. It's not your fault".
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...and some other "counseling " at school.
Ugh. Zero tolerance feeds programs by funneling the "less socially acceptable" individuals their way... my personal beef. Parents buy this. What else can they do, save home school? It is getting to the point that the entire societal construct pushes things that way. See HERE (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=29166) for another recent thread illustrating that point.
As to your friend's daughter specifically, it's disturbing that he will be unable to see her/communicate with her. Is this stipulation as per the program, or something between him and his (ex?) wife?
Btw, I'm not sure any of us have posted this program's website in this thread yet, at least in the last page or two. So... here it is: http://www.tampabay-academy.com/ (http://www.tampabay-academy.com/)
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Of the contact situation I'm not sure how that is worked. But I think she is at least she has to go to school while she's there.
Not like back in the day. Kids in the program fell so far behind, they never caught up.
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Of the contact situation I'm not sure how that is worked. But I think she is at least she has to go to school while she's there.
Not like back in the day. Kids in the program fell so far behind, they never caught up.
Sometimes what they do is have the regular school send over the schoolwork, and the rehab just supervises that it gets done. I expect that generally only works when the rehab is for a short and limited time period.
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Okay, here's another one:
After a long period of silence, reporter Adam Emerson updates us on Tampa Bay Academy...
(This article doesn't have any comments posted yet. Judging by the link format, I'm guessing this would be the "companion piece," which never got as many comments anyway. I was not able to find any other version of this article, however.)
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Troubled academy aims to expand (http://http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/21/na-troubled-academy-aims-to-expand/)
By ADAM EMERSON [email protected]
Published: June 21, 2009
TAMPA - The executive director of the Tampa Bay Academy says he plans to ask the state this week to lift its moratorium on admissions, saying he has turned around the troubled mental health center and is prepared to bring it back to capacity.
Six months ago, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration was preparing to pull the academy's license after finding "substandard" conditions and "gross mismanagement."
The academy was given another chance, however, and its top administrator says he feels "very positive about the changes" he has made.
An anonymous tip late last year unearthed evidence that residents in the treatment program preyed on workers and on each other - all made easier by the failures of a poorly trained and inadequate staff.
The state removed 54 children from the academy's treatment center but later agreed to settle. As long as the for-profit academy met every standard set by regulators, it could keep its license and enroll up to 20 children.
Now its director says he will ask to enroll more.
"We've done a lot of intensive training with our staff," said director Rich Warden, who took over the job one month before regulators threatened to suspend the academy's license. "And we've been more conservative with the type of kids we're taking, making sure we can provide quality and good care."
There are 18 children enrolled in the residential treatment center. The academy took care not to take in residents with a history of criminal behavior, Warden said.
Warden also brought back and retrained just 20 percent of the 140 workers he laid off in December. Some of the others let go contributed to the problems that regulators found, he has said.
If the state lifts the moratorium on admissions, Warden said he will plan to enroll up to 80 children.
Before that can happen, though, regulators will have to visit the academy to make sure everything is all right.
Inspectors visited earlier this month to check out a complaint, but they found no deficiencies, said Shelisha Durden, a spokeswoman for the Health Care Administration.
In its settlement agreement, the Health Care Administration noted the academy had taken some measures to improve the quality of its care before it was sanctioned.
But it's not the first time a state agency gave the academy another chance.
In 2005, the Department of Children & Families stopped Tampa Bay Academy from admitting new patients for three months after finding many of the same problems the Health Care Administration later found.
Satisfied with the results of subsequent inspections, DCF later allowed the academy to resume admissions.
Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285.
©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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We have compiled our findings so far in a datasheet (http://http://wiki.fornits.com/index.php?title=Tampa_bay_academy) on the wiki.
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Here's an older piece from a different newspaper, the St. Petersburg Times, back when these charges first hit. There is some more detail here, and additional information. Apparently there have been several lawsuits against this place in the past regarding abusive conditions; two of them were still pending as of last December:
- 2005 - a 13-year-old girl became pregnant during an 11-month stay at the facility; she had come seeking psychiatric help after being sexually abused.
- 2006 - the adoptive mother of a deaf teenager filed suit saying her son had been sexually and physically abused by other residents.
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Tampa Bay Academy denies claims of abuse (http://http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article942868.ece)
Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer
In Print: Friday, December 19, 2008
(http://http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00050/a4s_academy121908_50137c.jpeg)
The Tampa Bay Academy is under investigation because of claims of abuse, including sexual, of and by patients.
TAMPA — Attorneys for a mental health treatment center deny state findings that the residential program for troubled kids is teeming with problems that include unreported sexual assaults by minors.
Tampa Bay Academy officials have asked the 2nd District Court of Appeal to intervene, claiming the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration acted unfairly and on the basis of poor information when it ordered the facility's license be suspended.
But court records indicate this is not the first time the 20-year-old Riverview center has been the focus of complaints that unsafe conditions and inadequate supervision left children vulnerable to abuse.
In 2006, the adoptive mother of a deaf teenager filed suit saying her son had been sexually and physically abused by other residents.
A year earlier, a 13-year-old girl became pregnant during an 11-month stay at the facility, a lawsuit states. She had come seeking psychiatric help after being sexually abused.
Both suits are pending.
"It's a horrific place," said Brian Cabrey, attorney for the deaf teenager and vice president of Florida's Children First. "This stuff has been going on for years."
In the 1990s, several lawsuits alleged child-on-child abuse at the center, including one that described a 5-year-old victim.
But the Health Care Administration — which has ordered Tampa Bay Academy to relocate all of its 54 clients to other facilities by Jan. 9 — knew nothing of the earlier lawsuits, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
Despite regular reviews of the center, the agency only learned about the allegations of sex abuse from a recent anonymous tip, said Shalisha Durden, a Health Care Administration spokeswoman.
"Now that we know about them, we are looking into them," she said of the lawsuits.
Tampa Bay Academy, located on a 24-acre property at 12012 Boyette Road, provides psychiatric treatment of children ages 4 to 17 for eating disorders, chronic anxiety, drug abuse and sexual abuse, among other things, according to its Web site.
Though privately owned by Youth and Family Centered Services in Austin, Texas, the center receives funding from Medicaid and the Florida Department of Children and Families, and insurance and private pay from Florida families as well as out-of-state clients, Durden said.
The Health Care Administration ordered a moratorium last week on admissions at the center following a Dec. 8 on-site investigation that it said showed evidence of sexual assault by clients both against other clients and against staff members.
The report portrays a facility where the staff is intimidated by the youthful clients, where unruly children hold the power — so much so that in one reported instance a staff member secluded himself or herself within an office for safety.
In a point-by-point rebuttal filed in court Wednesday, attorneys for the academy wrote the allegations are exaggerated accounts of more innocuous truths.
For example:
• The Health Care Administration cited a Nov. 25 incident in which a client sexually assaulted a staff member, but the academy failed to report it to law enforcement. Tampa Bay Academy said that the incident involved a 10-year-old boy who poked at the woman's breasts and hit her in the buttocks. The staff member chose not to press charges, attorneys wrote.
• A staff member was assaulted by two children on Nov. 28, according to both reports, and again, authorities weren't notified.
Tampa Bay Academy attorneys wrote that the assault amounted to a 10-minute incident during which the same 10-year-old attempted to touch the breasts, crotch and buttocks of a staff member and then encouraged a "mildly retarded 13-year-old boy" to participate.
Again, attorneys wrote, the staff member did not want to press charges and therefore did not contact authorities.
• And finally, the Health Care Administration found that a client told Tampa Bay Academy that she had gonorrhea and HIV. Yet, she engaged in sexual activity with other clients while at the facility.
Tampa Bay Academy retorted that not only were staff members unable to substantiate claims that the girl had sex while at the center, but also that her test results for the STDs were negative.
"Clearly, children and adolescents residing in a health care facility and requiring mental health assessment and treatment services will act out," attorneys for Tampa Bay Academy wrote again and again, "but it is unreasonable to conclude that 'immediate' and 'serious' danger would be threatened to the public health, safety or welfare."
A judge has ordered the Health Care Administration to respond to Tampa Bay Academy by 2 p.m. Monday, according to a court docket.
Tallahassee attorney Karen Gievers has represented several foster children over the years who were placed in Tampa Bay Academy.
Gievers said the charges coming out of the Health Care Administration were no surprise. Child-on-child sex abuse, she said, "is the dirty secret of the foster care system," and the problem is exacerbated because programs like these are often poorly staffed by people unqualified to treat the patients.
Indeed, the Health Care Administration reported that of 36 staff members working one of the academy's seven units during one week, 21 had been there less than three months.
"There's a real question," Gievers said, "as to whether these facilities benefit children."
Times researcher John Martin and staff writers Chandra Broadwater and Letitia Stein contributed to this report. Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at [email protected] or (813) 226-3383.
[Last modified: Dec 22, 2008 12:31 PM]
© 2009 · All Rights Reserved · St. Petersburg Times
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Comments for the above article, "Tampa Bay Academy denies claims of abuse (http://http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article942868.ece)" (by Rebecca Catalanello; St. Petersburg Times; Dec. 19, 2008):
Former Staff wrote: Dec 19th, 2008 12:11 am
TBA's Staff have been poorly trained and basically set up to work with mental children without adequate staff or proper treatment plans.
Former Employee wrote: Dec 19th, 2008 12:11 am
I have witnessed several assaults on staff from the clients in witch case the administration was against calling the proper authorities to report the incidents. Good staff have been replaced by new staff repeatedly because of tardies and call outs.
Patrick wrote: Dec 19th, 2008 12:11 am
I used to work at this place. It is as horrible as described. And the State did a terrible job in its reviews - most often manipulated by the people running then place into overlooking deficiencies.
Lynn wrote: Dec 19th, 2008 12:11 am
Good job articulating the allegations and retorts! I'd like to know more about all the funding that Floridians are providing for this privately owned "business."
Jane wrote: Dec 19th, 2008 12:11 am
I worked there for over a year. I was injured by a patient. They told me I must not have understood my TCI training. I was also told that I wasn't allow to report assualts to the police - that injuries were part of working mental health.
Kacie former reasidnet wrote: Dec 22nd, 2008 9:30 am
i AM A FORMER RESiDENT THERE AND i WOULD HAVE TO SAY iM NOT SURPRiED THiS HAPPENED. EVEN THOUGH THE PROGRAM REALLY HELP ME. i WiSH ALL THE EMPLOYEES THAT WERE THERE FOR ME THE BEST OF LUCK!
Rose wrote: Dec 22nd, 2008 9:30 am
We visited the center for our daughter, and it was obvious that this was not a good place. Court ordered children that are violent and have committed crimes were mixed in with those that needed psychiatric help for eating disorders and depression
Erikson hall worker wrote: Dec 22nd, 2008 9:31 am
I worked there for 3 years. I was assaulted and was told I was not allowed to report it to authorites. A 5 yr old patient also just on the roof of my car denting it and the admin. never told me till I did some investigating myself. Blame the admin!
former resident wrote: Dec 22nd, 2008 9:31 am
I'm sorry but I was a resident there in '95, and although there were "relationships" between "clients" the staff was very well trained to seperate the "couples" and I never heard of a sexual encounter while I was there. This place saved my life.
Former Staff wrote: Dec 22nd, 2008 9:31 am
I have witness Staff hitting/instigating children. Most were automatic placed in "holds" instead of finding more appropriate solution for each individaul child. I made several reports to "higher ups" within TBA about staff to no avail.
© 2009 · All Rights Reserved · St. Petersburg Times ·
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It seems I was wrong about visitations. My friends daughter had a visit with her grandparents, and all seems to be as good as can be expected. I brought copies of those tribune articles you posted to her father. He said he wanted to wait to find out how she was doing, before he brought them for "Granny and Peepaw" to see. Hopefully she will be out in the minimum.
I hope with all that went on there last year, that they are on the DCF radar and under the microscope.
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It seems I was wrong about visitations. My friends daughter had a visit with her grandparents, and all seems to be as good as can be expected. I brought copies of those tribune articles you posted to her father. He said he wanted to wait to find out how she was doing, before he brought them for "Granny and Peepaw" to see. Hopefully she will be out in the minimum.
I hope with all that went on there last year, that they are on the DCF radar and under the microscope.
I sure hope so as well. It is, however, of more than a little concern that these types of abuses were not unique to last year alone, and that Tampa Bay Academy has tangled with oversight agencies, and been issued ultimatums, in much the same way before.
Perhaps executive director director Rich Warden, who took over just shortly before the shit really hit the fan, will make a difference. Perhaps not.
But hey, at least your friend's daughter had family over for a visit! That's a good sign.
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While I'm rifling through the St. Petersburg Times, here's another one from them. I must say, they do dig up more details on dirt.
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Patient's parent speaks out about dangers at Tampa Bay Academy (http://http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article944052.ece)
Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer
In Print: Saturday, December 20, 2008
TAMPA — Sharon Meyer listened with more than passing interest this week to news that an east Hillsborough County mental health facility was being shut down by the state.
She wasn't surprised.
Her 16-year-old daughter was among those living at Tampa Bay Academy. The girl had been there a year and, at least three times, the state has investigated claims of abuse or neglect against her.
The Department of Children and Families substantiated one claim — that a staff member at the Riverview residential treatment center choked the girl.
"My daughter is coming out of there 10 times worse than when she entered," said Meyer, founder of the Foundation for Large Families, an Internet support group for adoptive parents.
Meyer offered a glimpse of what it is like for parents who, at wit's end, turn to professionals for help, only to discover even more cause for worry.
Tampa Bay Academy, one of 45 residential treatment centers in the state, is fighting to stay open in the wake of findings by the Agency for Health Care Administration that the 20-year-old facility is rife with problems that include unreported sex assaults by minors.
The Agency for Health Care Administration ordered a moratorium on admissions there and, by Friday, had moved 17 of the 54 residents, agency spokeswoman Shelisha Durden said.
Andrew Rock, an attorney for the Academy, declined to respond to Meyer's statements about the school.
Rock appealed to the 2nd District Court of Appeals on Wednesday to stop the state's efforts to close it down, arguing in part that the claims are unfounded.
"While it's under the consideration of the court, we think it's appropriate not to try to litigate it in the press," he said.
Meyer said her daughter was admitted to the program after being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition that began manifesting itself about the age of 10. The illness eventually made it unsafe for the girl, who had been adopted at birth, to be around the other children in the family, Meyer said.
Meyer was thankful Tampa Bay Academy could help her daughter, who she believes to be a danger. At one point her daughter got into a scuffle with staff members, and one employee was punched and another pushed.
But in the time the girl has been at the facility, Meyer has had numerous occasions to question the level and quality of supervision and safety there:
• When the girl entered, she didn't have scars. Now, she has what Meyer described as nine large gashes on her arms.
• The girl became seriously ill after staff members administered Haldol to the girl, though the parents repeatedly advised it would cause an adverse reaction.
In April, the girl's father rushed to her aid and took her to an emergency room after being summoned to the campus by a staff member who said they couldn't reach any of the center's medical staff. Bob Meyer found the girl drooling and barely able to walk, a condition the parents said doctors attributed to the drug.
• Though the teenager has been there for a year, it was about five months before the family started receiving treatment reports from Tampa Bay Academy. It was six months before she started getting report cards, she said.
• Her daughter once disappeared from the facility for five hours.
• Her daughter had such easy access to medication that she repeatedly stole and took other people's prescribed drugs.
• Meyer said that on one occasion, she was advised that a former female staff member came back to the campus, kissed her daughter and told her that pictures of the girl decorate her house — a situation that prompted other staffers to intervene.
"I think it's even more widespread than they're reporting," Meyer said of the charges against the residential treatment center.
Terry Field, a DCF spokesman, said a cursory review of abuse and neglect investigations at the Academy turned up at least 30 complaints in the past year.
Though two pending 2006 lawsuits against Tampa Bay Academy allege child-on-child sex abuse at the facility, neither DCF nor the Agency for Health Care Administration said they were aware of the lawsuits until this week.
The Health Care Administration, which has been licensing state residential treatment programs since 2006, said its most recent investigation was prompted by an anonymous complaint.
State law does not require residential treatment centers to report such litigation to the licensing agency, said Health Care Administration officials Laura MacLafferty and Polly Weaver.
That's something state Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, said needs to change.
"There needs to be a thorough review — not just of this facility or of what went wrong," she said. "We need to analyze and assess the other facilities that are intensive therapy facilities. How can we prevent this in the future?"
Altogether, there are just 743 beds available in Florida for children under the age of 18 who require the level of intensive mental health care provided by residential treatment centers.
A firm number on the length of the waiting list was not available Thursday or Friday, but lawyers say the need is great.
Nancy Bostock, a Pinellas County commissioner who has personal experience navigating mental health treatment programs for kids, said the stories coming out of Tampa Bay Academy are worrisome to any parent who has felt the need to entrust their child into the care of professionals.
"Any time you put a lot of troubled kids together, you're going to have troubling behaviors," she said. "But that's why we sent our kids to (places like) Tampa Bay Academy."
Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at [email protected] or (813) 226-3383.
[Last modified: Dec 25, 2008 10:34 PM]
© 2009 · All Rights Reserved · St. Petersburg Times
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Comments for the above article, "Patient's parent speaks out about dangers at Tampa Bay Academy (http://http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article944052.ece)" (by Rebecca Catalanello; St. Petersburg Times; Dec. 20, 2008):
Rhae wrote: Dec 21st, 2008 10:45 pm
There is more to this story than is being told in this article. As we all know there are 2 sides to every story. If the parents named in this story were so concerned why were they not more proactive, and why has the child stayed in tx for a year?
Mike wrote: Dec 22nd, 2008 8:38 am
Congratulations. You managed to find a few parents who have had problems with Tampa Bay Academy. Where are the parents who's kids were helped by them? Can we hear the whole story, instead of only the dirt and gossip.
diane wrote: Dec 22nd, 2008 8:39 am
My daughter is twenty-five and was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at sixteen. Abuse in psychiatric facilities is a national problem. I've reported many incidences to the Office of Mental Health in New York. I feel this family's pain. HOPE
Samuel wrote: Dec 25th, 2008 7:34 am
Every child with mental problem and sent to state homes are sexually assualted-repeatedly..until they learn to shut up and submit. Staff r usaully the assualter-child assualtee-where is Butterworth and DCF? or Sweet Charlie crist? when you need them?
© 2009 · All Rights Reserved · St. Petersburg Times
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So is that the last of the allegations? No complaints since they got thier license back in Jan.? Also I'm surprised that nobody that has actually been there has posted here.
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The people who made comments about the article were fornits members. This is a common tactic used to discredit programs that help kids.
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Yea, right. And I'm sure those newspaper articles were written by fornits posters also. Get real!
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Yea, right. And I'm sure those newspaper articles were written by fornits posters also. Get real!
There are no people who care about the articles.
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Speak only for yourself asshole!
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The people who made comments about the article were fornits members. This is a common tactic used to discredit programs that help kids.
Yea, right. And I'm sure those newspaper articles were written by fornits posters also. Get real!
There are no people who care about the articles.
Commentary on the articles appears to be from folk local to and familiar with Tampa Bay Academy. Most of this coverage was approximately a year ago, long before TBA was even on fornits' radar. That has changed, thanks to none-ya.
One of the reasons for posting the articles is to get them in our database before they disappear into the pay-per-view archives. Some papers don't even have archives (generally very local community-based ones).
If you don't care to read the articles, feel free to ignore them. That is certainly your choice! ;D
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So is that the last of the allegations? No complaints since they got thier license back in Jan.? Also I'm surprised that nobody that has actually been there has posted here.
I still have a few more St. Petersburg Times articles I'd like to post. There might be some more dirt in there, but I doubt it's anything major. Like you said earlier, TBA is really under the microscope at the moment.
As to why no one from there has posted here... could be that their market is very community-focused? And hence no one from there might think their experience applicable? Youth and Family Centered Services is not a community organization by any means, but that doesn't mean that their individual facilities aren't...
This isn't the first time Tampa Bay Academy has come up before, but previous mentions have been quite minimal:
- Mentioned as a favorable comparison in a 2004 story regarding an Indianapolis group home for young sex offenders seeking permission to open a public charter school.
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6984&p=66584#p66584 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6984&p=66584#p66584)
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Here's something still from last year, but worth mentioning: a hit-and-run death of a 14 yr old by a former staff member. Allegedly the girl might have survived had she been helped.
One of the comments in a TOPIX thread (http://http://www.topix.com/forum/city/clermont-fl/TK2V182P3IN47LPV8) on this article mentions why the girl was walking along that road that night:
"Really sad is that the girl was walking in the road because she just had a fight with her parents. She left the house walking and then got killed."[/list]
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Orlando Sentinel
Counselor charged in hit-and-run death of Clermont teen (http://http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-couselor-charged-in-teen-death-08dec24,0,5561509.story)
Stephen Hudak | Sentinel Staff Writer
December 24, 2008
Paul Wright, 43, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of a hit-and-run that killed a Clermon teen. (Hillsborough County Jail via Florida Highway Patrol / December 23, 2008)
LAKE COUNTY - A man who counseled troubled teens in the Tampa area could return to Lake County next week to face charges that he left the scene of a crash in May that killed a 14-year-old Clermont girl, prosecutors said Tuesday. Paul Wright, 43, also was charged Monday with tampering with evidence, a felony that accuses him of using spray paint to cover up damage to the vehicle he was driving May 15. The crash on County Road 565A killed Megan Hensley, who was walking on the dimly lit highway. Wright and his passenger, Deneen Rossa, 37, were headed to Rossa's home after a date in Clermont. Megan's mother, Rhonda Conard, said investigators told her Megan did not die instantly and might have lived if Wright had stopped to help her. Wright, a group adviser at Tampa Bay Academy, faces up to 30 years in prison.
# #
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This article would not have been posted if the girl was not in the program. Walking on a dimly lit highway is not smart. This is common sense people!
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This article would not have been posted if the girl was not in the program. Walking on a dimly lit highway is not smart. This is common sense people!
As far as I have been able to determine, the girl was not in a program. I posted the article because the perp -- of a hit and run -- was a Tampa Bay Academy group counselor.
Perhaps your "common sense" precluded you from actually reading that ~160-word article.
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Get a load of this place. It looks like they're selling time share vacations.
http://www.tampabay-academy.com/ (http://www.tampabay-academy.com/)
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As far as I have been able to determine, the girl was not in a program. I posted the article because the perp -- of a hit and run -- was a Tampa Bay Academy group counselor.
Perhaps your "common sense" precluded you from actually reading that ~160-word article.
The "gulag counselor (fornits lingo for program staff)" is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We still don't know all the facts about the incident.
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This article would not have been posted if the girl was not in the program. Walking on a dimly lit highway is not smart. This is common sense people!
As far as I have been able to determine, the girl was not in a program. I posted the article because the perp -- of a hit and run -- was a Tampa Bay Academy group counselor.
Perhaps your "common sense" precluded you from actually reading that ~160-word article.
The "gulag counselor (fornits lingo for program staff)" is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We still don't know all the facts about the incident.
The correct term would be "presumed innocent until proven guilty"... There is nothing that could happen in that courtroom, if it gets to that, which would make him any more or any less guilty than he already is.
But ... I get what you're saying. Let's have some more news!! :seg:
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Let's start when her body was found by the roadside ... the next morning.
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cfnews13.com
Teen's Body Found On Side Of Clermont Road (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/5/16/teen39s_body_found_on_side_of_clermont_road.html)
Saturday, May 17, 2008 12:02:09 AM
(http://http://www.cfnews13.com/uploadedImages/Stories/Local/megan%20hensley.jpg)
Megan Hensley
CLERMONT -- In Lake County, the body of a teenage girl was found alongside a road in Clermont Friday morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Megan Hensley, 14, was the victim of a hit-and-run.
Hensley's body was found on County Road 565A and Battleground Lake Road.
Investigators said Hensley was walking along the road around 3 a.m. while her mother and sister were looking for her.
"About 7 o'clock last night, we got into an argument and she said she was going for a walk and she'd be back, and she didn't come home, and we went to look for her last night and we couldn't find her," said Alex Moore, the victim's sister.
According to officials, Hensley had been hit from behind and her body was propelled forward into a telephone pole.
They added that the girl could have been saved because Hensley did not die instantly.
Someone driving by found Hensley's body at 6 a.m.
Because the road is usually traveled by local people, Trooper Kim Miller said it was likely the driver lived in the area.
Troopers are looking for a black or dark gray 2007 Nissan Xterra. They were able to identify the vehicle from paint chips at the scene.
Troopers believe there may be some damage on that car.
© 2009, Central Florida News 13, LLC.
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But ... I get what you're saying. Let's have some more news!!
You have a great writing skills. :roflmao:
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The program staff did the right thing when he drove away. I would have done the same thing.
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cfnews13.com
FHP: Possible Vehicle In Clermont Hit And Run Found (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/5/17/fhp_possible_vehicle_in_clermont_hit_and_run_found.html)
Sunday, May 18, 2008 4:01:41 PM
CLERMONT -- Florida Highway Patrol Troopers said they may have a break in the case of a hit and run that took the life of Megan Hensley, 14.
Troopers said they have a person of interest and have taken possession of a black 2006 Nissan Xterra.
Troopers said the vehicle has front end damage on the right side, which is consistent with the profile of the vehicle they are looking for.
They are questioning someone, but have not made an arrest.
Deputies believe someone driving the vehicle hit Hensley on County Road 565A and Battleground Lake Road Friday morning and then drove off.
Investigators said Hensley may have survived had the person stopped and called for help.
Troopers are not releasing where the vehicle was found or who it belonged to.
The vehicle has been taken to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement lab for processing.
Friends, family and loved ones were expected to gather Sunday night for a vigil to remember Megan Hensley. The vigil was scheduled to be held at 7 p.m.
© 2009, Central Florida News 13, LLC.
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She could have jumped in front of the vehicle. Law enforcement officials should explore every possibility. Megan Hensley may have been depressed and jumped in front of the car.
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She could have jumped in front of the vehicle. Law enforcement officials should explore every possibility. Megan Hensley may have been depressed and jumped in front of the car.
Hmmm. And this has exactly what to do with his leaving her to die by the side of the road?
Look, even if he was freaked out by the thought of getting a DUI, or because he had stuff in the car he shouldn't have, he could have called the accident in and said whatever on his cell phone. Not that I'm condoning this last action by any means, but jeeeezzz....
This guy is in D-E-N-I-A-L !
Three hours went by before someone found her. By then, it was too late.
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She was hit so hard that her body was thrown off the road into a telephone pole.
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cfnews13.com
Vigil Held For Hit-And-Run Victim (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/5/18/funeral_for_hit_and_run_victim_set_for_tuesday.html)
Monday, May 19, 2008 8:47:17 AM
Local Video News Coverage:[/b] Vigil Remembers Victim (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/MediaPlayer2/MediaPlayer.htm?video=0519VIGIL_051920080850&cat=Local&title=Vigil%20Remembers%20Victim)
CLERMONT -- Family and friends turned out to remember a 14-year-old who was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
More than 100 people turned out for a special vigil for Megan Hensley.
The vigil took place at the crash site off County Road 565A.
Rhonda Conrad, the victim's mother, told supporters she believed her daughter was watching over them.
“Thank you for your support and your blessings and your prayers and everything. My daughter would have really appreciated it. I'm sure she's looking down on us now and seeing everybody, knowing that she was loved by so many,” said Conard.
Florida Highway Patrol said no one has come forward to take responsibility for the crime.
However, investigators said they are talking to a person of interest who also owns a black Nissan Xterra that was recovered Saturday in Hillsborough County.
Calling hours for Hensley will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Becker Funeral Home in Clermont.
The funeral will be Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., also at Becker Funeral Home.
© 2009, Central Florida News 13, LLC.
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A 14 year old walking along a dimly lit road at night doesn't make sense. I hope parents realize supervision of their child is important.
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The driver has still not come forward. Nor his passenger.
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cfnews13.com
Passenger In Hit-And-Run Sought, Will Not Face Charges (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/5/20/passenger_in_hitandrun_sought_will_not_face_charges.html)
Friday, May 23, 2008 7:20:56 PM
CLERMONT -- Florida Highway Patrol troopers said they wanted to talk to a woman who may have been a passenger inside a car that hit and killed a Lake County girl Friday.
Megan Hensley, 14, died while walking along County Road 565A around 3 a.m. Friday.
Investigators said Hensley was hit, but the driver took off.
Troopers said they found the sport utility vehicle that likely hit the teen, but would not release the name of the owner.
Troopers wanted the possible passenger to come forward, and said she was not facing any charges.
Hensley's funeral was scheduled for Tuesday morning. A vigil was held Sunday night.
© 2009, Central Florida News 13, LLC.
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A very long period of silence, with no printed* news... And then an anemic update got posted in December (right around the same time period that Tampa Bay Academy got splashed 'cross the news for other reasons).
* The video news clip indicates that it was filmed about a week after the accident, yet this accompanying news piece did not get posted 'till 'bout a half year later.
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cfnews13.com
More Evidence Needed In Hit-And-Run Death (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/5/23/more_evidence_needed_in_hitandrun_death.html)
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 12:38:40 AM
Local Video News Coverage: Hit-And-Run Update (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/MediaPlayer2/MediaPlayer.htm?video=HITANDRUNUPDATE_052320080642&cat=Local&title=Hit-And-Run%20Update)
CLERMONT -- Investigators are still looking for the person responsible for killing a teenager.
Megan Hensley, 14, was killed by a hit-and-run driver May 16, but officials have yet to make an arrest in the case.
Investigators said they have evidence, including the black Nissan Xterra they believe hit the teen, in their possession.
Detectives also recently talked with a woman who claimed to be a passenger in the car when Hensley was killed. But even with all of this information, investigators said they need more evidence before they make a move.
"We're not being fair to Megan if we don't take every step necessary to make sure this person is brought to prosecution and successfully prosecuted. So, yes, we're doing everything we can to make sure we get this right," said Trooper Kim Miller from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Investigators said until then, getting solid evidence against the person responsible is key, though they do hope to find whoever's responsible soon.
© 2009, Central Florida News 13, LLC.
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It sounds like they will not be able to do anything. They have other crimes to worry about. Authorities should move on. In my opinion, the parents used poor judgment when they let her walk on a poorly lit road at night. They should be held accountable.
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They have "other crimes" to worry about? What the hell are you saying? Someone hit her and left her to die!! How is that her parents fault? Hitting her may have been an accident, but leaving the scene was not. The driver of that car should be in jail for a long time!
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Ah! Here he is...
Gotta wonder 'bout how many teens he's lit into over the years, holding them "accountable" for their sins. Way to own yer own shit, eh? More than a half year went by, and he never came forward.
Another sour note: law enforcement apparently saw fit to inform the press, without even contacting the mother. She found out about his arrest by seeing it on the News.
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cfnews13.com
Hit-And-Run Suspect Arrested (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/12/23/arrest_made_in_fatal_hitandrun.html)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008 12:50:53 AM
(http://http://www.cfnews13.com/uploadedImages/Media/Images/Paul%20Wright.jpg)
Paul Wright, 43, was arrested Monday for the hit-and-run death of Megan Hensley on May 16.
CLERMONT -- A man has been arrested in the death of a 14-year-old girl.
On May 16, Megan Hensley was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
She was hit by a black 2006 Nissan Xterra while walking along County Road 565A and Battleground Lake Road.
The driver then drove off.
Authorities arrested Paul Wright, 43, of Riverview, Fla., Monday night in Tampa.
News 13 spoke with Hensley's mother Tuesday at the scene of her daughter's death.
Rhonda Conard said Florida Highway Patrol had been keeping her posted of all new developments, and even promised to get in touch with her as soon as an arrest had been made.
Instead, she said she was disappointed she had to watch the news to learn of the arrest she'd been waiting seven months for.
"It's hard waking up every day without her, and going to her room and not being able to wake her up for school. Or having dinner or Christmas with her, Thanksgiving. And that's why I wanted him arrested before Christmas because he doesn't deserve to be at home before Christmas," Conard said.
Wright was charged with leaving the scene of a crash with a death and tampering with evidence. His bail was set at $12,000.
© 2009, Central Florida News 13, LLC.
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They have "other crimes" to worry about? What the hell are you saying? Someone hit her and left her to die!! How is that her parents fault? Hitting her may have been an accident, but leaving the scene was not. The driver of that car should be in jail for a long time!
Fornits members would not care if the perpetrator did not work at a program. This, in my opinion, is really sad.
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You know what's really sad, Whooter? That you have such an extensive criminal record. It's easy to see how you are desensitized to child victims of all sorts, because you have victimized many children yourself. To you, a sociopath, a child is just an object. Something to buy, sell, gratify your urges with, etc. Please tell the readers how your flippant attitude about a child left to die in the streets dovetails with your own criminal history. And also please explain your FBI number and why you're disallowed from owning firearms. Was it sposual abuse, as you son indicated he believes while he was at HLA? Or was is something evern more sinister involving children? Please, do tell. We are all interested in your explanation.
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I don't have a criminal record. What criminal record are you talking about?
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I don't see how it matters where the perp. worked. guilt is guilt. But if he WAS someone who worked at a program, someone who was a professional care giver to children, then what does that say? "Remember kids, don't drink and drive".
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Ugh. There is no justice.
Check out the accompanying video news clip, and try telling me there isn't something that really reeks of small town corruption here.
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cfnews13.com
Man Sentenced To Probation For Fatal Hit-And-Run (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2009/4/29/man_sentenced_to_probation_for_fatal_hitandrun.html?cid=rss)
Thursday, April 30, 2009 1:29:50 PM
Reported By Heather Sorentrue
(http://http://www.cfnews13.com/uploadedImages/Media/Video/0061(15).jpg)
Rhonda Conard, the mother of Megan Hensley and her daughter in the courtroom during sentencing (4/29)
Local Video News Coverage: Probation Not Enough For Family (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/MediaPlayer2/MediaPlayer.htm?video=0429COURTHOUSEPLEA_043020090842&cat=Local&title=Probation%20Not%20Enough%20For%20Family)
TAVARES -- It was an emotional day in court for a Lake County family as they heard the driver accused of hitting their daughter and leaving her to die on the side of the road will get off with probation.
News 13 was there when Rhonda Conard, the mother of the Megan Hensley, 14, told the judge the plea deal was not enough to punish the driver.
The crash happened in May 2008. It took officers seven months to track down the driver Paul Wright, 44.
Hensley’s family is livid with the State Attorney's Office and said this case should have gone to trial.
"I'm saddened that the judicial system let me down, let Megan down. Because this is what this is for, for her. And it's like the criminals have more rights than the victims do nowadays," Conard said.
The judge agreed in the courtroom that Wright's punishment is light.
Wright will get seven years of probation and have to wear a GPS bracelet for two of those years.
He also will likely lose his right to drive indefinitely.
The plea deal requires Wright to visit Hensley's gravesite once a year, as well as write apology letters to the family.
Wright could have faced a maximum of 35 years.
News 13 spoke with the prosecutors who said based on the legal facts of the case, they did the best they could.
© 2009, Central Florida News 13, LLC.
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The guy who left her on the side of the road would not have been convicted of murder 1 and/or murder 2. He would not have been convicted of manslaughter. So, there is not a hell of allot they could do with the driver.
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Why not? People are convicted of vechicular manslaughter all the time. Espcially when he ran from the scene, hid from the cops, and tried to cover up evidence. I just don't get this.
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I like the bit where he spray painted his car to cover up the damage. Sounds very "innocent" hahahahahahahaaaa. ::)
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Get a life!
Fuckin' looser!
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Thank you to "whoever"!
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Ugh. There is no justice.
Check out the accompanying video news clip, and try telling me there isn't something that really reeks of small town corruption here.
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cfnews13.com
Man Sentenced To Probation For Fatal Hit-And-Run (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2009/4/29/man_sentenced_to_probation_for_fatal_hitandrun.html?cid=rss)
Thursday, April 30, 2009 1:29:50 PM
Reported By Heather Sorentrue
(http://http://www.cfnews13.com/uploadedImages/Media/Video/0061(15).jpg)
Rhonda Conard, the mother of Megan Hensley and her daughter in the courtroom during sentencing (4/29)
Local Video News Coverage: Probation Not Enough For Family (http://http://www.cfnews13.com/MediaPlayer2/MediaPlayer.htm?video=0429COURTHOUSEPLEA_043020090842&cat=Local&title=Probation%20Not%20Enough%20For%20Family)
TAVARES -- It was an emotional day in court for a Lake County family as they heard the driver accused of hitting their daughter and leaving her to die on the side of the road will get off with probation.
News 13 was there when Rhonda Conard, the mother of the Megan Hensley, 14, told the judge the plea deal was not enough to punish the driver.
The crash happened in May 2008. It took officers seven months to track down the driver Paul Wright, 44.
Hensley’s family is livid with the State Attorney's Office and said this case should have gone to trial.
"I'm saddened that the judicial system let me down, let Megan down. Because this is what this is for, for her. And it's like the criminals have more rights than the victims do nowadays," Conard said.
The judge agreed in the courtroom that Wright's punishment is light.
Wright will get seven years of probation and have to wear a GPS bracelet for two of those years.
He also will likely lose his right to drive indefinitely.
The plea deal requires Wright to visit Hensley's gravesite once a year, as well as write apology letters to the family.
Wright could have faced a maximum of 35 years.
News 13 spoke with the prosecutors who said based on the legal facts of the case, they did the best they could.
© 2009, Central Florida News 13, LLC.
I've watched the news clip a couple of times, and some things just don't add up.
What I just don't get is HOW -- in the 11th hour, during the pre-trial hearing -- Paul Wright maintains that he actually did stop after his car hit her (and she flew 6 ft. off the road into a telephone pole), and that he was waved on by a Groveland (name?) police officer who had stopped to check if everything was okay.
This is simply not believable.
It was mentioned (in the news clip) that it was not clear how far from the scene Wright had allegedly stopped. Does this mean that it was possibly the next town over? Is there no communication between police departments in neighboring towns?
Moreover, why wouldn't this police officer, not to mention Paul Wright himself, have come forward with this evidence at some point in the intervening seven months since the accident? I guess Wright was too busy trying to fix his car with spray point, eh?
Personally, I find it more than a little suspicious that this attempted alibi for moral culpability ... just comes to light now, at this juncture of the tragic saga.
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F U C K
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ANAL CONSPIRACY
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Patient's parent speaks out about dangers at Tampa Bay Academy
Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer
In Print: Saturday, December 20, 2008
TAMPA — Sharon Meyer listened with more than passing interest this week to news that an east Hillsborough County mental health facility was being shut down by the state.
She wasn't surprised.
Her 16-year-old daughter was among those living at Tampa Bay Academy. The girl had been there a year and, at least three times, the state has investigated claims of abuse or neglect against her.
The Department of Children and Families substantiated one claim — that a staff member at the Riverview residential treatment center choked the girl.
"My daughter is coming out of there 10 times worse than when she entered," said Meyer, founder of the Foundation for Large Families, an Internet support group for adoptive parents.
Meyer offered a glimpse of what it is like for parents who, at wit's end, turn to professionals for help, only to discover even more cause for worry.
Tampa Bay Academy, one of 45 residential treatment centers in the state, is fighting to stay open in the wake of findings by the Agency for Health Care Administration that the 20-year-old facility is rife with problems that include unreported sex assaults by minors.
The Agency for Health Care Administration ordered a moratorium on admissions there and, by Friday, had moved 17 of the 54 residents, agency spokeswoman Shelisha Durden said.
Andrew Rock, an attorney for the Academy, declined to respond to Meyer's statements about the school.
Rock appealed to the 2nd District Court of Appeals on Wednesday to stop the state's efforts to close it down, arguing in part that the claims are unfounded.
"While it's under the consideration of the court, we think it's appropriate not to try to litigate it in the press," he said.
Meyer said her daughter was admitted to the program after being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition that began manifesting itself about the age of 10. The illness eventually made it unsafe for the girl, who had been adopted at birth, to be around the other children in the family, Meyer said.
Meyer was thankful Tampa Bay Academy could help her daughter, who she believes to be a danger. At one point her daughter got into a scuffle with staff members, and one employee was punched and another pushed.
But in the time the girl has been at the facility, Meyer has had numerous occasions to question the level and quality of supervision and safety there:
• When the girl entered, she didn't have scars. Now, she has what Meyer described as nine large gashes on her arms.
• The girl became seriously ill after staff members administered Haldol to the girl, though the parents repeatedly advised it would cause an adverse reaction.
In April, the girl's father rushed to her aid and took her to an emergency room after being summoned to the campus by a staff member who said they couldn't reach any of the center's medical staff. Bob Meyer found the girl drooling and barely able to walk, a condition the parents said doctors attributed to the drug.
• Though the teenager has been there for a year, it was about five months before the family started receiving treatment reports from Tampa Bay Academy. It was six months before she started getting report cards, she said.
• Her daughter once disappeared from the facility for five hours.
• Her daughter had such easy access to medication that she repeatedly stole and took other people's prescribed drugs.
• Meyer said that on one occasion, she was advised that a former female staff member came back to the campus, kissed her daughter and told her that pictures of the girl decorate her house — a situation that prompted other staffers to intervene.
"I think it's even more widespread than they're reporting," Meyer said of the charges against the residential treatment center.
Terry Field, a DCF spokesman, said a cursory review of abuse and neglect investigations at the Academy turned up at least 30 complaints in the past year.
Though two pending 2006 lawsuits against Tampa Bay Academy allege child-on-child sex abuse at the facility, neither DCF nor the Agency for Health Care Administration said they were aware of the lawsuits until this week.
The Health Care Administration, which has been licensing state residential treatment programs since 2006, said its most recent investigation was prompted by an anonymous complaint.
State law does not require residential treatment centers to report such litigation to the licensing agency, said Health Care Administration officials Laura MacLafferty and Polly Weaver.
That's something state Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, said needs to change.
"There needs to be a thorough review — not just of this facility or of what went wrong," she said. "We need to analyze and assess the other facilities that are intensive therapy facilities. How can we prevent this in the future?"
Altogether, there are just 743 beds available in Florida for children under the age of 18 who require the level of intensive mental health care provided by residential treatment centers.
A firm number on the length of the waiting list was not available Thursday or Friday, but lawyers say the need is great.
Nancy Bostock, a Pinellas County commissioner who has personal experience navigating mental health treatment programs for kids, said the stories coming out of Tampa Bay Academy are worrisome to any parent who has felt the need to entrust their child into the care of professionals.
"Any time you put a lot of troubled kids together, you're going to have troubling behaviors," she said. "But that's why we sent our kids to (places like) Tampa Bay Academy."
Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at [email protected] or (813) 226-3383.
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as a former resident of tba I am very sad to hear they are closed. I was there 2001-2003 just before I turned 18 I was released I rember that place as my home the one place where no matter how much I pushed staff away and I mean spitting, bitting, hitting and cutting with my words they always forgave me and kept loving me. for the time when I came of age and had to leave I cried becuse I had found a home. before tba I had been kicked out of every foster home,group home and even treatment centers tba kept me. I jumped off a roof of one treatment center when I was on one to one that is a place that needs to be shut down not tba. I was very troubled and no I wasn't perfect when I left it took years to fix my life but today I am a married woman with a amazing daughter that I can give her every thing I never had and I look back on tba and many staff with very fond memorys even with all my craziness they loved me. these judgmently people have no idea what staff deal with.i was the exsplosive child that went off for the smallest reasons and got the borad the shots and the lock down hall. I read someone say theres a reason a kid would go off for 5 hours and that's not true! the children are sick and don't need a reason speaking from exprince here people. im so sorry for all the ignorant comments to the staff at tba you helped mold me ansd i am greatful for all of you
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as a former resident of tba I am very sad to hear they are closed. I was there 2001-2003 just before I turned 18 I was released I rember that place as my home the one place where no matter how much I pushed staff away and I mean spitting, bitting, hitting and cutting with my words they always forgave me and kept loving me. for the time when I came of age and had to leave I cried becuse I had found a home. before tba I had been kicked out of every foster home,group home and even treatment centers tba kept me. I jumped off a roof of one treatment center when I was on one to one that is a place that needs to be shut down not tba. I was very troubled and no I wasn't perfect when I left it took years to fix my life but today I am a married woman with a amazing daughter that I can give her every thing I never had and I look back on tba and many staff with very fond memorys even with all my craziness they loved me. these judgmently people have no idea what staff deal with.i was the exsplosive child that went off for the smallest reasons and got the borad the shots and the lock down hall. I read someone say theres a reason a kid would go off for 5 hours and that's not true! the children are sick and don't need a reason speaking from exprince here people. im so sorry for all the ignorant comments to the staff at tba you helped mold me ansd i am greatful for all of you
Thank you punkrockmissy for sharing your story. It is nice to hear more than one side and I have always believed that staff members have the best interest of the children at heart regardless of the program they are in. I wish that more people would express this and other more positive aspects of their stay at various schools.
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