Post by: Antigen on September 22, 2005, 04:03:00 PM
by John S. Adams
Photo by Chad Harder
http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=5192 (http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=5192)
Graffiti scrawled on the wall of Spring Creek?s ?intervention? room by a student last June. Students who act out can be sent to Tranquility Bay, an associated facility in Jamaica. No news is bad news for Spring Creek?s ?runners?
On the evening of Friday, Sept. 9, a 16-year-old boy was found approximately 30 feet below the lip of a cliff above the Clark Fork River west of Thompson Falls. The boy was a student at Spring Creek Lodge Academy, a specialty boarding school in Sanders County and member of the World Wide Association of Specialty Schools and Programs (WWASPS). Two sources close to Spring Creek told the Independent that Adrian Sanders was being transported from Spring Creek to an associated facility in Jamaica when he escaped his teen transport service, Second Chance Transport of Thompson Falls. He was later found by search and rescue personnel below the cliffs behind the Rimrock Lodge motel, one mile west of Thompson Falls on State Hwy 200. He was transported to Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains.
Details of the incident and the extent of the boy?s injuries have been hard to come by.
Queries directed to traditional sources of information including the local sheriff?s department, ambulance service and hospital, have turned up little or no information. It is still unknown if an investigation into the boy?s attempted escape and subsequent fall and injury was ever conducted.
The level of secrecy surrounding even minor details related to the incident is startling. Officials at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital refuse to confirm whether the boy was ever a patient. A Thompson Falls Volunteer Ambulance official refuses to comment on whether or not the ambulance company even responded to the incident. The local sheriff says there was no investigation into or documentation of the incident other than an EMS/Fire initial dispatch report, which includes 18 lines of frustratingly vague narrative of the response to the incident. The private company responsible for transporting Adrian Sanders refused to comment other than to say that their charge suffered a ?minor concussion? and that everything ?turned out fine.? Neither Spring Creek Lodge?s director nor the school?s principal returned phone calls regarding the incident. A spokeswoman for Spring Creek said the school is ?not authorized to give information on the student.? Information on where Adrian Sanders is from, why he was being transported, how he escaped, the extent of his injuries and the nature of the rescue have all been withheld from the Independent or were never documented.
The day before Adrian Sanders? fall, Spring Creek?s principal, Michele ?Mickey? Manning, took her seat on the new governor-appointed Private Alternative Adolescent Residential or Outdoor Programs board. One of the legislatively mandated board?s missions is to ?examine the benefit of licensing alternative residential or outdoor programs as a public service to monitor and maintain a high standard of care and to ensure the safety and well-being of adolescents and parents using the programs.?
According to language in House Bill 628, the law creating the new board, ?necessary licensure processes and safety standards for programs are best developed and monitored by the professionals that are actively engaged in providing private alternative adolescent care.?
Manning could not be reached for comment on the Adrian Sanders incident, so it is unclear if incidents like that of Sept. 9 will be reported to the board for consideration in the development of ?safety standards? for the therapeutic boarding school industry in Montana.
In trying to find out what happened on Sept. 9, we called the Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) to obtain a condition report on Adrian Sanders. It is common journalistic practice for reporters to contact hospitals for basic information about victims of accidents to which law enforcement, fire or search and rescue personnel respond. When the Independent contacted CFVH, we were denied any information on Sanders, including whether he had been admitted or recorded in the hospital?s patient directory. We were told that due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, the hospital could not legally provide any information, including whether Sanders was even transported to CFVH.
In fact, according to the American Hospital Association?s ?Guidelines for Releasing Information on the Condition of Patients,? hospitals may release the patient?s ?one-word? condition and location in the healthcare facility to individuals who inquire about the patient by name, including members of the media. One-word condition terms include ?good,? ?fair,? ?serious,? or ?critical.? That is the policy followed by the area?s two largest hospitals, St. Patrick Hospital and Community Medical Center in Missoula. Such condition information is commonly reported in the press.
After being repeatedly denied condition information by multiple CFVH sources, the Independent contacted CFVH?s chief executive officer, Margo Harrison. Harrison refused to disclose the hospital?s policy on releasing patient condition reports to the press, again citing HIPAA. When we argued that HIPPA does not preclude her from giving basic patient condition information, Harrison had this to say: ?Well I?m an attorney, so if you want to argue federal law, let?s go.?
Before we were able to present our case, Harrison hung up on us.
Tom Eggensperger, president of the Thompson Falls Volunteer Ambulance (and editor and publisher of the local newspaper, the Sanders County Ledger) also refused to provide any information on the call. Eggensperger additionally refused to confirm that the ambulance service responded to a call at the Rimrock Lodge.
?You can thank your buddy Bill Clinton,? Eggensperger told us, by way of explaining his secrecy.
When asked what he meant by ?your buddy Bill Clinton,? Eggensperger had this to say: ?I?ve read your Independent. It?s about as left-wing as it gets. I?m telling you because of your buddy Bill Clinton we can?t give out that information.?
When pressed, Eggensperger said the Sanders county attorney had instructed him to not give out any information. Then he hung up.
?I don?t remember a conversation of that nature with Tom,? said Bob Zimmerman, county attorney, when told of Eggensperger?s comments. ?I do routinely meet with incoming attendants and go through the fact that they are not allowed to say anything about the medical condition of anything they respond to.?
Zimmerman did not say Eggensperger was prohibited from confirming the EMS response that night.
After several attempts to get information from the Sanders County Sheriff?s Office, in which we were initially told that no sheriff?s deputies had responded to the scene, Sheriff Gene Arnold faxed a copy of the EMS/Fire Initial Report. According to the report, Patty Witt, owner of Second Chance Transport (and ?family rep supervisor? at Spring Creek Lodge) showed up at the sheriff?s office at 9:49 p.m. to report a missing male juvenile ?runner? from Second Chance Transport. She stated that Second Chance had been looking for the ?runner? for one hour. While dispatch was taking Witt?s report, a search and rescue official radioed in to the sheriff?s office to report a ?male over cliff.? But according to Arnold, no detailed investigation of the incident was ever undertaken and no missing persons complaint was ever completed. The incident was treated as an accident, and a deputy who responded to the scene never interviewed the injured party, Adrian Sanders.
According to the report, the ?juv? (Sanders) fell 25-30 feet off a cliff and was conscious but not responsive. St. Patrick Hospital?s Life Flight helicopter was dispatched to transport the youth from CFVH to St. Patrick; however, the helicopter was turned back due to snowy conditions. No other information regarding the extent of Sanders? injury, condition or current whereabouts has been released.
?If we thought there was a crime, or if a crime was reported, we would investigate it,? said Sheriff Arnold. ?We were told he took off, which happens quite a bit.?
Arnold said he didn?t know the name of the boy who fell off the cliff, but added that he was told the boy was placed in another school the following day.
?You?re asking all these questions?maybe I do need an investigation. First I?d have to talk to the county attorney to make sure I?m not stepping on any toes.?
The sheriff said he?d let us know what he finds out.
In other words, there appears to be no official record of how or why Adrian Sanders, while in the care of a Spring Creek Lodge employee moonlighting at her transport company, and en route from one WWASPS facility to another, escaped, or how he wound up dazed and confused on the rocks above the Clark Fork River.
According to a source close to Spring Creek, students are transported to Tranquility Bay (a WWASPS facility near St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) for violating the school?s zero tolerance policy. According to Spring Creek?s parent manual, such violation may include ?acts of violence? or ?dangerous, severely disruptive or extremely defiant behavior.? If a teen exhibits such behavior, that student can be expelled and the parents are given the option of enrolling their teen in Tranquility Bay, shipping them there in the care of a teen transport service like Second Chance. If the teen arrived in Jamaica, he or she would have no way to file a complaint with local authorities in Montana. Once placed in a WWASPS program such as Spring Creek or Tranquility Bay, teens are not allowed unsupervised contact with the outside world. Likewise, local authorities have no jurisdiction once the teen is transported across state lines or U.S. borders.
In the case of Adrian Sanders, neither he nor his parents have filed a complaint with the Sanders County Sheriff?s Office. Due to the secrecy and stonewalling by those charged with Sanders? care, we may never know the details of what happened to him that night.
It?s worth noting that in its initial reporting, the Independent never used the names ?Adrian Sanders,? ?Spring Creek,? or ?Second Chance Transport.? However, the paper later learned from a source familiar with the incident that school officials became aware of the paper?s inquiries less than 24 hours after initial calls to the local hospital, EMS service and law enforcement officials. Clearly, Sanders County officials are capable of sharing information when it serves the cause of secrecy.
[email protected]
Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
--Anonymous
Post by: OverLordd on September 22, 2005, 04:17:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 04:35:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-09-22 13:03:00, Antigen wrote:
"
Escape in Sanders County
by John S. Adams
Photo by Chad Harder
http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=5192 (http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=5192)
:eek:
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 04:42:00 PM
Notice who they tell you to call for further information?
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 06:19:00 PM
If one didnt know better it sounds like a helpful place.
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 07:02:00 PM
Post by: Antigen on September 22, 2005, 07:05:00 PM
Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppression of both mind and body will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day
Thomas Jefferson
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 07:13:00 PM
On the evening of Friday, Sept. 9, a 16-year-old boy was found approximately 30 feet below the lip of a cliff above the Clark Fork River west of Thompson Falls. The boy was a student at Spring Creek Lodge Academy, a specialty boarding school in Sanders County and member of the World Wide Association of Specialty Schools and Programs (WWASPS)."
This says he is. it's unclear. Is he or not? :???:
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 07:15:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 08:01:00 PM
If you don?t directly work for SCL your cousin or brother probably does. This is a perfect example of why this industry needs an outside governing body to regulate these cult like facilities.
Post by: OverLordd on September 22, 2005, 08:07:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 10:40:00 PM
Choir at the courthouse etc. Lunch with politcians. Read your Source Magazine folks. (sarcasim intended.)
A pox on those people. Small town.
They will eventualy all be held accountable for harming kids.
Post by: Anonymous on September 22, 2005, 10:56:00 PM
Inquiring minds want to know!
:smokin:
Post by: Helena Handbasket on September 22, 2005, 11:04:00 PM
Quote
They will eventualy all be held accountable for harming kids."
Not likely from the sounds of it. Had he been a frat boy in a car wreck, there would be plenty of information for the media, and donation box in every local business to help a poor kid out.
This is a prime example of how most people don't even know about these hellholes. You literally have to fight city hall to stop these assholes from squelching the media.
Post by: Anonymous on September 23, 2005, 11:55:00 AM
Do you know what a frat is?
Post by: Anonymous on September 23, 2005, 01:38:00 PM
Post by: Helena Handbasket on September 23, 2005, 05:46:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-09-23 08:55:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Frat Boy? What, from Thompson Falls University? :smile:
Post by: Anonymous on September 23, 2005, 10:03:00 PM
Gary and Patty Witt own Second Chance.
Patty is supervsior over the SCL family reps.
It may seem conviently coincidental,but the Witts have an opportunity to make big bucks everytime a family rep talks a parent into sending their kid to TB Jamaica for not "working their Program"
Hellooooo it will be interesting if the records are subeoned.
They make Pretzfield look like small stuff.
Trafficking kids over state and country boundaries for mucho money. I wonder were their liability is in the TB horror stories.
Such a lovey place Gary once told me. He would live there too.. He lied.
Lets not forget to mention Oasis travel who too make big money from selling air travel for the purpose trafficking kids over state and country boundries. Interstate commerece.Kids are the commodity....... Such a conspiracy.
FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
Post by: Anonymous on September 23, 2005, 11:27:00 PM
This is the email address for the reporter who wrote the story. Wonder if he/she is doing a followup?
Post by: Anonymous on September 24, 2005, 01:34:00 PM
:???:
Post by: Anonymous on September 24, 2005, 03:43:00 PM
The day before Adrian Sanders? fall, Spring Creek?s principal, Michele ?Mickey? Manning, took her seat on the new governor-appointed Private Alternative Adolescent Residential or Outdoor Programs board. One of the legislatively mandated board?s missions is to ?examine the benefit of licensing alternative residential or outdoor programs as a public service to monitor and maintain a high standard of care and to ensure the safety and well-being of adolescents and parents using the programs.?
--------------
The FOX is in the hen house?
:silly:
Post by: Troll Control on September 25, 2005, 12:15:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-09-24 12:43:00, Anonymous wrote:
"From article:
The day before Adrian Sanders? fall, Spring Creek?s principal, Michele ?Mickey? Manning, took her seat on the new governor-appointed Private Alternative Adolescent Residential or Outdoor Programs board. One of the legislatively mandated board?s missions is to ?examine the benefit of licensing alternative residential or outdoor programs as a public service to monitor and maintain a high standard of care and to ensure the safety and well-being of adolescents and parents using the programs.?
--------------
The FOX is in the hen house?
:silly: "
"Mickey" at the next meeting: "I assure you that licensing my program, or any other, will just create a bureaucratic barrier that will negatively impact our abuse, er, treatment of teens. It's wholly unnecessary. You have my word."
Fox in the hen house is right. Geez.
Post by: Anonymous on September 25, 2005, 01:32:00 PM
Post by: Troll Control on September 25, 2005, 03:01:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-09-25 10:32:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Try reading the minutes of the last board meeting. ::read:: "
post 'em or link to 'em :idea:
Post by: Anonymous on September 26, 2005, 10:31:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on September 26, 2005, 11:36:00 AM
What the hell were they thinking?
Dumb asses.
:flame:
Post by: Anonymous on September 26, 2005, 01:56:00 PM
How should it happen, behind closed doors or on the internet? With boards in Montana, the process is completely public. No back-door crap or empty, anonymous accusations.
"2) It is the public policy of this state and the purpose of this chapter to create a structure of the executive branch of state government which is responsive to the needs of the people of this state and sufficiently flexible to meet changing conditions; to strengthen the executive capacity to administer effectively and efficiently at all levels; to encourage greater public participation in state government; to effect the grouping of state agencies into a reasonable number of departments primarily according to function; to provide that the responsibility within the executive branch of state government for the implementation of programs and policies is clearly fixed and ascertainable; and to eliminate overlapping and duplication of effort within the executive branch of state government." ::ribbon::
Post by: Anonymous on September 26, 2005, 02:28:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-09-26 10:56:00, Anonymous wrote:
"So who should do it, auto mechanics? Who knows about this sort of thing? Why not include people like child psychologists and members of the public, like this board does?
How should it happen, behind closed doors or on the internet? With boards in Montana, the process is completely public. No back-door crap or empty, anonymous accusations.
"2) It is the public policy of this state and the purpose of this chapter to create a structure of the executive branch of state government which is responsive to the needs of the people of this state and sufficiently flexible to meet changing conditions; to strengthen the executive capacity to administer effectively and efficiently at all levels; to encourage greater public participation in state government; to effect the grouping of state agencies into a reasonable number of departments primarily according to function; to provide that the responsibility within the executive branch of state government for the implementation of programs and policies is clearly fixed and ascertainable; and to eliminate overlapping and duplication of effort within the executive branch of state government." ::ribbon:: "
How about putting some "teens" on the board? You know, the actual CLIENTS of these for-profit institutionalized-style programs?
The adults don't know what the hell they are talking about. THEY ARE NOT THE ONES BEING EXPLOITED and VICTIMIZED. And, as in the case of the principal from SCL, some even have a VESTED INTEREST.
Get it now? It's the MONEY, stupid.
:smokin:
Post by: Anonymous on September 26, 2005, 08:56:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on September 27, 2005, 10:39:00 AM
Quote
On 2005-09-26 17:56:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I cannot believe that the State of Montana is going to allow the programs to govern themselves. Isn't it just too coincidental that "programs" are the largest employer in Western Montana, a poverty stricken state with few avenues for income....guess some folks really don't care how they make ends meet, even if it's through institutionalized child abuse... and we thought hookers were misguided. Maybe Montana should make that their state motto,...."PROSPERITY THROUGH CHILD ABUSE...it pays." I think their state animal should be a skunk and their flower poison ivy. Perhaps their flag could feature a shackled child. I'm sure someone on this forum could design the proper artwork for this project. "
If you have a problem with the way Montana is going about regulating the industry, than you need to make your voice heard. I guarantee the governor and the legislators are not reading this forum. If you want something to be done about it, than you, and everyone else who bitches about it on this website, need to write letters to the governor, the state legislators, newspapers across the state, etc. You can bet your ass that WWASPS has their family reps urging every parent they talk to to do the same. When they hold a public hearing, show up or ask that a legislator or representative read a letter from you. I've heard that the governor's office was inundated with letters in support of spring creek from former and current students, program parents, etc. What is the governor supposed to do when all he hears is "how great spring creek is," and "how these programs saved kids lives," and "sure, there may be a few isolated incidents of wrongdoing or abuse, but that shouldn't put a black eye on the whole industry..." :question: If every who wasted their time posting random bitches in this forum spent half as much time writing letters to newspapers, legislators, senators, congressman, etc. this wouldn't be happening in Montana. The problem is, the people passing the laws don't know what you people know. Those who know the truth have a responsibility to get that truth into the hands of the people who can do something positive with it. You're not going to do that by complaining and leveling baseless accusations in some far-out web forum that nobody but you reads.
Get busy:
Brian Schweitzer
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
PO Box 200801
Helena MT 59620-0801
406-444.3111, FAX 406-444-5529
Sen. Baucus, Max- (D - MT)
511 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2651
Web Form:
http://baucus.senate.gov/emailmax.html (http://baucus.senate.gov/emailmax.html)
Sen. Burns, Conrad- (R - MT)
187 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2644
Web Form:
http://burns.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseA ... me.Contact (http://burns.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Home.Contact)
Rep. Denny Rehberg (R MT)
Washington, DC Office
516 Cannon House Office Bld.
Washington, DC, 20515
phone: (202) 225-3211
fax: (202) 225-5687
Helena District Office
950 North Montana Ave
Helena, MT 59601
phone: (406) 443-7878
fax: (406) 443-8890
Phone numbers for the Gov.'s Staff:
http://www.discoveringmontana.com/govt/ ... cy/gov.asp (http://www.discoveringmontana.com/govt/statedir/agency/gov.asp)
Links to the state's newspapers can be found here:
http://www.50states.com/news/mont.htm (http://www.50states.com/news/mont.htm)
(go to the various newspapers' websites, find their opinion or letters page, and find out how to submit your own letter to the editor. Make sure you follow the guidelines to ensure they get published.)
If you truly want something to be done, than you ALL need to start a serious letter writing campaign. The Montana State Legislature will resume in late 2006 early 2007, so NOW is the time to start writing, NOT when they are in session. Get this issue in the forefront of the public's consciousness. If the public knew what you knew they would demand their elected official do something about it.
You can make it an ELECTION YEAR ISSUE by contacting the Democratic Sen. candidates challenging Sen. Conrad Burns. The serious contenders for Burns's seat are:
Jon Tester (D)
Montanans for Tester
P.O. Box 1248
Big Sandy, MT 59520
Phone: 406-449-0156
email: [email protected]
Fax: 406-449-0184
John Morrison (D)
Morrison for Montana,
P.O. Box 99
Helena, MT 59624
Don't wait. If you really care, stop bitching to us and start writing to the people that can actually do something about it. I've already done the hard work for you. Now start writing. Start urging eveyone you know who cares about this issue to start writing. You have to fight fire with fire. GET BUSY :exclaim: :exclaim: :exclaim: :exclaim:
Post by: Anonymous on September 27, 2005, 11:49:00 AM
Quote
On 2005-09-26 17:56:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I cannot believe that the State of Montana is going to allow the programs to govern themselves. Isn't it just too coincidental that "programs" are the largest employer in Western Montana, a poverty stricken state with few avenues for income....guess some folks really don't care how they make ends meet, even if it's through institutionalized child abuse... and we thought hookers were misguided. Maybe Montana should make that their state motto,...."PROSPERITY THROUGH CHILD ABUSE...it pays." I think their state animal should be a skunk and their flower poison ivy. Perhaps their flag could feature a shackled child. I'm sure someone on this forum could design the proper artwork for this project. "
Everybody has their price. The real problem is the parents who SELL their kids out. They are the ones who need their foreheads stamped with the initials C.A.P. (CHILD ABUSING PARENT)
Post by: Anonymous on September 27, 2005, 11:56:00 AM
It had to start somewhere ... and I think we all owe Fornits a debt of gratitude for keeping the lights on.
:nworthy:
Post by: Anonymous on September 27, 2005, 12:04:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-09-27 08:56:00, Anonymous wrote:
"That's good advice about getting proactive but you are wrong about Fornits. This is and always has been a forum read by people who have the power and the incentive to expose the truth about this industry. Real change requires critical mass, something that has taken years to build.
It had to start somewhere ... and I think we all owe Fornits a debt of gratitude for keeping the lights on.
:nworthy: "
Fornits is great. I have no problem with Fornits. But if you think people with the power to make laws--and change the way states allow these schools to do business--spend their valuable time surfing the web and checking in on Fornits to see what the latest buzz is, you're crazy. Fornits is a forum for people to exchange ideas, opinions, stories, look for help, etc... It doesnt affect change. You have to do that. I don't understand why anyone who cares about these issues would argue witgh me about the need to write letters to legislators, newspapers, the Gov. For crying out loud, use your head. Fornits is the tool that you can use to set your so-called critical mass in motion. Put yourselves to good use and start contacting the people who are in charge...
Post by: Anonymous on September 27, 2005, 07:23:00 PM