State halts admissions to Arbour-HRI psych facility for unsafe conditions

A Brookline psychiatric hospital was ordered to stop admitting patients by a state agency because of what the state deemed to be unsafe conditions.

The Department of Mental Health conducted a surprise inspection of Arbour-HRI Hospital in Brookline on Oct. 24 and reportedly found a number of infractions. After that inspection, the department asked the hospital to submit a corrective action plan to address the deficiencies. That plan was submitted on Nov. 15, but it did not adequately address the issues, according to the state.

One of those issues was an incident on Sept. 4. The state did not immediately release details about the incident, but the TAB has filed a request for more information.

The order was first reported in the Boston Globe as part of a investigative series the paper did into Arbour-HRI’s parent company, Universal Health Services, and its repeated citations for understaffing and poor worker training at numerous facilities across the country.

The state eventually rejected Arbour-HRI’s plan and required Arbour to submit a new plan within 10 days. If the new plan does not address the deficiencies, the state will suspend Arbour’s license, according to the letter.

The state’s letter, written by Lizbeth Kinkead, director of licensing for the Department of Mental Health, states that the department received numerous phone calls from anonymous sources describing unsafe conditions at the hospital, as well as pictures showing the staff acting inappropriately and unsafe practices at the facility.

Before suspending admissions to the hospital, the state previously cut down the amount of patients allowed at the mental care facility, but that did not seem to curb the infractions, “raising an immediate and serious concern that patient safety and care at Arbour/HRI is substantially compromised,” according to the letter.

The hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source: Ignacio Laguarda, “State orders Brookline psychiatric hospital to stop admitting patients,” Brookline Tab, November 27, 2013.

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Universal Health Services among defendants in sexual “grooming” suit

PHOENIX (CN) – A medical health technician seduced a mother of six at a psychiatric hospital, then got her to leave her family and “borrowed” $1,000 from her, the woman and her husband claim in court.

Kristiina Wuollet, and her husband Theodore claim that Clarence Copeland, then a medical health technician at Valley Hospital Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Care, began “grooming” Kristiina while she was a patient at the hospital.

They sued Copeland, the hospital, Universal Health Services, and Ascend Health Corp., in Maricopa County Court.

“During the duration that plaintiff Kristiina Wuollet resided at the facility, defendant Copeland began ‘grooming’ her, taking advantage of his position on her treatment team and of her vulnerability, through continuously flattering her and by initiating inappropriate intimate conversations with her,” the lawsuit states.

The Wuollets claim that Copeland’s job required him to “function as an active part of plaintiff’s treatment team, providing continuous patient care, supervision, interaction, and role modeling, and whose work was under the direction and care of a registered nurse.”

When Kristiina was discharged from Valley Hospital, Copeland got her contact information from her patient file and “began sexting with her and engaging her in numerous daily phone conversations,” according to the complaint.

Kristiina left her husband and children shortly after she was discharged, “moved in with defendant Copeland, and continued a sexual affair which had begun during her residency at the facility and continued for approximately eight months,” according to the lawsuit.

Theodore Wuollet says he filed a complaint with Valley Hospital after Kristiina was discharged, “providing evidence of the text message exchanges between his wife and defendant Copeland,” but Valley Hospital failed to respond.

The Wuollets, who have been married since 1987, claim Kristiina “was unable to protect herself from the exploitation she suffered at the hands of defendants.”

Copeland, who is no longer employed by the hospital, “abused his position of trust and ‘borrowed’ $1,000 from plaintiff Kristiina Wuollet, which has not been repaid,” the complaint states.

Copeland continued to contact Kristiina, including one instance “when he called her at her place of work and drove there to talk to her, threatening to move closer to her home so he could see her,” according to the complaint.

Valley Hospital did not respond by press time to a request for comment.

The Wuollets seek damages for breach of fiduciary duty, medical negligence, elder abuse and infliction of emotional distress.

They are represented by Terrence Woods and Marilyn Cage with Broening, Oberg, Woods & Wilson.

Source: Jamie Roos, “Hospital Tech Accused of Seducing Patient,” Courthouse News, August 7, 2013.

State confirms allegations in patient death complaint againt UHS psychiatric hospital

The 22-year-old was cherished by his family, and in good physical health. But he had bouts of depression.

On Jan. 16, 2013, his grandmother convinced him to sign himself into University Behavioral Health (UBH).

UBH and Mayhill Hospital are sister hospitals in Denton County that treat mental illness and drug addiction. Both are owned and operated by Universal Health Services (UHS).

“I still feel it’s my fault for taking him there,” his grandmother, Sandra Chaffin, told News 8. “I encouraged him to sign [his entry papers.] I said, ‘It’ll be all right. Sign it, baby.'”

Seventeen days later, Aaron Gower was brain dead. He was found unconscious in his room. UBH told his relatives Aaron was unconscious for fifteen minutes. His family says it was longer.

“At least two hours he laid there like that – in his own vomit – and no one checked on him,” said his sister, based on information she says she was given at the hospital Aaron was transferred to. “If they did [check on him,] they walked past and didn’t physically go in there and check him.”

“He was in the critical stabilization unit [at UBH,]” said Aaron’s father, John Gower. “And that sounds like they’re supposed to take care of him, look after him — critical stabilization.”

Mrs. Chaffin, Aaron’s grandmother, said the day he was found unconscious, she was called by UBH and told he’d been transferred to another hospital. When she found him, “Aaron was lying there unconscious, intubated, foamy blood was oozing, coming up from his lungs. I talked. I held him, just wanting any response. There was nothing, and there never was anything. But the foam, the blood dried in his nose, and [he] was hiccupping over and over.”

Three months later, the Gowers still haven’t received Aaron’s medical records. They don’t know exactly what drugs he was being given. They say UBH told them the cause of his death was a fast-spreading kind of pneumonia, and was he was brain dead a few hours later.

Attorney Dawn Smith is representing three patients who have grievances against UBH and Mayhill. Their complaints range from negligence, to understaffing and to over-medication by the institutions.

“The circumstance as to why he was deprived of that oxygen, and why he threw up and laid there for a period of time — we still don’t know that,” Smith told News 8.

The Gowers filed a complaint with the Texas Department of State Health Services over Aaron’s treatment.

Separately, under the Texas Public Information Act, News 8 obtained a dozen complaints filed by patients at UBH Denton and Mayhill with the Denton Police Department.

They include two alleged cases of forcible sodomy, to the alleged rape of a young woman last year at UBH.

Laurie, we’ll call her, was seventeen at the time. She was highly medicated, awoke on her bed, and felt like she’d been assaulted.

“There was quite a bit of pain, and some blood on my clothes,” she told News 8.

She said the UBH doctor would not let her be examined. She was finally allowed to call her parents, who took her to John Peter Smith Hospital, where she was tested by a sexual assault nurse examiner.

“The nurse that performed the examination said she couldn’t say I was legally raped, because she wasn’t there,” Laurie said, “but there were signs of intercourse, whether it was willing or not.”

Jessica Rogers, a patient at Mayhill Hospital, had been heavily sedated, too. She was asleep in her room when she said she was jolted awake.

“There was a man’s hands on my breast,” Rogers told News 8. “And he had his hands in my pants, and he was penetrating me.”

Rogers said she had complained to staff about another patient who had entered her room several times.

“I said, ‘I want the police called,’” Rogers recalls. “And [the staffer] said, ‘We do in-house investigations here.’”

After she reported her alleged assault, Rogers said her clothes were taken and she was placed on ‘suicide watch.’

That was last year, police records show. To this day, the hospital has not produced a report of the incident.

“The hospital hasn’t responded of any of the allegations,” Dawn Smith said.

News 8 contacted Universal Health Services (UHS), which owns UBH Denton and Mayhill. UHS responded in writing, saying two of the three incidents occurred when UBH Denton and Mayhill were owned by Ascend Health Corporation, which UHS acquired last year for $517 million.

“Notwithstanding,” UHS said in its statement to News 8, “UBH of Denton and Mayhill Hospital are committed to providing the highest quality care and treatment to our patients. Each of these facilities is licensed by the state, nationally accredited or certified and in good standing.”

Aaron Gower died at UBH three months after UHS bought the hospital. After his parents filed a complaint about his treatment with the state, the Texas Department of State Health Services investigated. In a letter to Sandra Chaffin, the state said “one or more” of the allegations in the complaint were “substantiated.”

But the state says complaints, investigations, and their findings are confidential.

Source: Byron Harris, “Former patients voice allegations against Denton mental hospitals,” WFAA ABC-8, June 4, 2013.

State makes unannounced visit to Indiana psych facility on reports of understaffing

PLYMOUTH — Indiana Department of Child Services officials report that they found inadequate staffing levels for children at the psychiatric facility Michiana Behavioral Health on March 20, following up on issues raised by former employees about understaffing.

The former employees alleged that the understaffing at the Plymouth facility caused risks for patients and staff.

But the facility’s CEO disagrees with the assessment from state licensing officials and argues that nurses should be counted in staffing ratios.

DCS still has questions it’s trying to resolve about issues such as the use of medications and behavior plans for the children.

The Tribune recently obtained a letter from DCS that spells out what the agency found on the unannounced visit March 20, along with CEO Bryan Lett’s written response on April 29.

As The Tribune reported on April 7, a group of former nurses and mental health technicians have been holding weekly protests near the facility since mid-March. They continue to do so.

In written and verbal statements to The Tribune, they’ve claimed that one worker often would supervise 15, 20 or more children at a time. But state licensing reviews hadn’t shown that over the past five years.

Lett had told The Tribune the group’s claims were false.

Lett said that an average of 50 children and adolescents and seven adult patients were lodged there in February. The youths come from 15 Indiana counties, including St. Joseph, and from Michigan.

DCS reports that it interviewed several staff and residents and made observations on its visit.

What letters from DCS and Lett don’t address is whether or not children have acted out sexually at the facility, an issue that former staff had raised, including Dominique Smith, who quit her job as a mental health technician last year and is spearheading the group that’s raising concerns. She alleged that sexual activity is occurring because of lack of staff and their inability to supervise children closely enough.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction expects to file a letter soon on what auditors found on their visit the week of March 25, a spokeswoman said.

The Joint Commission, the nonprofit organization that accredits the facility, also did an on-site survey April 9 and 10 to look into complaints it had received about the facility. So far, spokesman Bret Coons said, the commission hasn’t required Michiana Behavioral to make any improvements as a result.

Also, one of the former nurses in The Tribune story April 7 has filed a lawsuit against Michiana Behavioral and against Lett, alleging that she was wrongfully terminated and that Lett slandered her by telling other employees that she was fired for falsifying medical records and lying to a doctor.

That nurse, who asked to only be named by her initials, DC, since she said was seeking another job, said she was fired after an incident where she sought to put a young boy under the facility’s own policy of “sexual acting out precautions.”

Staffing levels

State code requires that, in a child psychiatric facility like this, there must be one direct-care staff member for every four children while the children are awake.

On March 20, DCS found four mental health technicians who were supervising two living units and one nurse on duty, plus other staff that couldn’t be included in the ratios. There were 29 children lodged in the units, though Lett notes that there was one less by the day’s end.

DCS wrote that the facility was including nurses in the staff-child ratios, pointing out that nurses aren’t typically part of that ratio because they have duties other than direct care of the children. Even if they were included, the letter said, there still wasn’t enough staff. DCS pointed out “confusion” over which staff can be included in that ratio.

Lett cited a state statute and argued that it isn’t clear which staff are “responsible for daily direct care and supervision of children” — nor, he wrote, does it preclude nurses from that. He argued that his nurses do direct care and should be counted in child-staff ratios.

A follow-up letter from Michiana Behavioral’s attorney said three nurses were on duty, providing what it saw as 10 direct-care staff for 29 kids.

Lett wrote that the ratio that DCS observed was only true from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. And since 8:30 p.m. is bed time, he wrote, that met the state’s ratios. (Indiana code calls for a staff-child ratio of 1:12 when the children are asleep.) Time cards and security cameras back that up, he wrote.

To avoid any more gaps in child-staff ratios, Lett wrote that the facility has revised its schedules for mental health technicians so that they work solid, 3-to-11 p.m. shifts. Also, he wrote that the facility reviewed its process for scheduling staff when other staff are sick, on vacation or otherwise absent — and would retrain its staff on this process.

Extra attention

The DCS letter also raises questions about staffing in cases of “special precautions,” which, per Michiana Behavioral’s policies, is “when a child has a severe behavioral incident requiring one-on-one supervision as a result of being a danger to themselves or others.”

Former staff had raised specific issues about its policies for “sexual acting out precautions” when children have been known to act out sexually. Among other things, former staff said, the policy requires staff to have a “line of sight” on the child at bedtime, but they stressed to The Tribune that it’s difficult to keep up with that when they are understaffed.

Both situations involve calling on extra staff to supervise the child, and the DCS letter states, “It is reported by staff that attempting to secure relief staff is sometimes challenging.”

In response, Lett again points DCS to Michiana Behavioral’s efforts to fill gaps when staff are absent.

Ages and genders

The DCS letter pointed out how children of “varying ages and genders” were found on the units.

It also reported that each living unit may house no more than 15 children but that, on March 20, one unit had 19 children while the other one had 10.

Lett responded that that was because the facility aims to keep children together and adolescents together for programming during the day, although it uses the combined bed capacity for sleeping arrangements.

“Generally, adolescents are roomed together,” Lett wrote.

DCS reviewers found a child in what appeared to be a “time out room,” though DCS perceived that to be “seclusion” since a staff member used his body to keep the child from leaving. DCS suggested that the staff be retrained on the difference between the two — so that it’s reported correctly.

Lett agreed to retrain the staff on this.

Psychotropic drugs

There are some concerns that DCS is still trying to resolve. Specifically:

Were psychotropic drugs used to subdue children whose behavior needed to be restrained? These are known as “chemical restraints.” DCS doesn’t generally allow drugs to be used to restrain a child’s behavior, the DCS letter states. Such drugs may only be given via a “stat” order by the prescribing physician for a one-time emergency basis when a child is agitated or after developing a “behavior management plan” for the specific child that first seeks to use less restrictive methods, the DCS letter states.

Were psychotropic drugs ordered for children without a behavior management plan? And if so, were the drugs ordered as part of a chemical restraint?

When asked about both issues, DCS spokeswoman Stephanie McFarland said, “It’s unclear, so we’re trying to assess that.” In other words, she said, DCS continues to ask questions of Michiana Behavioral.

The DCS letter states that four children lacked a behavior management plan.

But Lett countered that such plans are incorporated into the child’s “master treatment plans” so that all staff are aware of what triggers a child to be aggressive and the options for controlling the child’s behavior. He provided DCS with the plans for the four children.

He also wrote that mandatory trainings for all staff would cover the use of “chemical restraints” and behavior plans.In her follow-up letter, Michiana Behavioral’s attorney wrote that the facility didn’t give drugs in violation of DCS rules. Nor, she wrote, does it believe its policies on chemical restraint conflict with the state’s policies.

Source: Joe Dits, “Staff ratios under review; Michiana Behavioral Health facility CEO disagrees with DCS report,” South Bend Tribune, May 18, 2013.

The Universal Health Services health care nightmare in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The images, accusations, and police reports filed against Universal Health Services facilities across the state are stunning.

And one family in Jacksonville said they lived it.

“Our family was turned upside down in a matter of hours.”

One First Coast man said he feared for his wife’s safety after she was committed to River Point Behavioral Center in February.

It’s one of two centers in Jacksonville owned by UHS, a nationwide health care provider.

To protect her identity, he didn’t want us to show his face, but said his concerns are serious.

His wife was involuntarily committed, Baker Acted after she voluntarily attended a group therapy session at River Point.

“Begrudgingly, we turned ourselves in to River Point, which was devastating for my wife because she felt like she was being committed for sharing her thoughts,” he said.
He said he was given no information, and was not allowed to see or speak to his wife for five days.

When she was finally released, he said the doctors didn’t have any recommendations or follow-up plans for care.

“I asked ‘well, what’s her treatment plan after getting out of the facility,’ and I got no response. They gave me her bags, and asked me to leave,” he said.

He said he understood a week later when he got the bill.

“I honestly think she was there just to drain her insurance because we got an exorbitant bill when she was let out,” he said.

Claims against other UHS facilities are similar, or worse.

A lawsuit just filed in Orlando against another UHS facility, the National School for the Deaf, claims patients were involuntarily committed and kept longer than recommended for insurance money.

Two former employees allege horrible treatment, recounting one instance where a child with a hurt leg was allegedly refused a wheelchair and made to crawl in her own urine to a bathroom.

While the center denies the accusations, the former employees say they’re ready to go to court.

An employee at a UHS center in Pensacola was just sentenced to jail time after she was caught on camera slamming a young girl in to a wall and then sitting on her for 20 minutes.

Twelve UHS centers across the country are now under investigation by the Department of Justice, including two here in Jacksonville, Wekiva Springs Hospital, and River Point, where the man’s wife we spoke with was committed.

“My wife was mortified, and in my opinion came out way worse and somewhat institutionalized from when she went in,” he said.

River Point and Wekiva Springs issued a point by point rebuttal to his allegations, asserting they are owned by UHS but are independent facilities.

The statement said they seek to provide excellent care for their patients and maintain compliance with federal and state regulations.

While they would not comment on the Inspector General investigation, they did say they can keep a Baker Acted patient for longer than 72 hours if they are a danger to themselves.

But this man says it didn’t help.

“The entire time, my wife’s condition got worse because she was upset about being in this facility,” he said.

Source: Kaitlyn Ross, “First Coast family says they lived health care nightmare with Universal Health Services,” First Coast News (WTLV ABC 25), May 2, 2013.  

Florida whistleblowers file suit against Universal Health Services psychiatric facility

A whistleblowers’ lawsuit filed Thursday and state investigations against the National Deaf Academy in Mount Dora allege that deaf and psychiatric patients at its residential treatment center have suffered serious abuse and neglect and that some incidents haven’t been reported to authorities.

Records show a history of repeated violations and fines and past cases involving death and injuries, which led to fines and potential revocation of its state license. In the suit, two former employees say the abuse and neglect goes beyond what state officials have investigated because managers are covering up incidents.

The suit describes abuse including patients being punched, choked, pinned against walls and injured during forcible takedowns. One patient had injured a leg and was denied a wheelchair, forcing her to sit in her own urine and crawl on the floor, the lawsuit says. Also, patient rooms were dirty, infested with cockroaches and rotting food, according to the suit filed by Kyle Gilrain, a licensed clinical social worker, and Carol Savage, a licensed mental-health counselor.

“I want these companies to be held accountable for the violations that have occurred in their facility and I want them to finally take these complaints seriously so that the children and disabled adults in that facility can have a safe, healthy environment to live in,” Gilrain said.

Savage added: “My first priority is and always has been the welfare of the children and disabled people” at the deaf academy.”

Its parent company, Universal Health Services, released a statement saying the deaf academy “takes the safety and well-being of its patients and employees very seriously. There has been erroneous information circulating about the facility, regarding allegations of abuse and neglect. These allegations are unfounded and have been unsubstantiated by the state regulatory agencies.…”

Universal Health Services is a Fortune 500 company based in King of Prussia, Pa., that operates more than 100 acute care, behavioral health and ambulatory facilities.

Problems have come to the attention of the state Agency for Health Care Administration, which has cited the center for 95 violations this year including complaints in March that a resident was reportedly kicked in the mouth and another resident allegedly suffered an elbow injury during a disciplinary take-down. In separate litigation, a former patient is suing the center, saying a staff takedown caused her leg to twist backward, later forcing doctors to amputate the leg.

The 132-bed residential facility on U.S. Highway 441 spans more than 20 acres with seven buildings. The residential center houses patients from 6 to 64 who are not only deaf or hard of hearing but also require care for a range of psychiatric and behavioral problems. There is also a charter school on site.

Opened in 2000, the academy has had a history of complaints and abuse allegations, according to public records.

During a 17-month period from January 2008 to May 2009, Mount Dora police were swamped with 369 calls about fights between patients and staff, suicide attempts and residents who went missing. The police calls decreased after new management took over in April 2009, but the facility has been cited tfor dozens of violations since then.

Source: Ludmila Lelis, “Lawsuit against Mount Dora deaf school alleges abuse, neglect,” Orlando Sentinel, April 11, 2013.

Universal Health Services: Protestors Claim Behavioral Health Center Puts Children in Danger

Weathering the wind and the low temperatures, a group of more than a dozen concerned parents, registered nurses, and other former employees of Michiana Behavioral Health Center in Plymouth made their voices heard yesterday evening as they stood along the side of Oak Road near the intersection of U.S. 30, holding signs expressing their discontent with the MBHC. The group of protestors claimed that the center is putting children in danger through a variety of policy violations, understaffing, and inadequate supervision, along with a hostile work environment that they allege has caused more than 50 employees to quit their jobs or be fired.

One of the protestors, a registered nurse and former six-and-a-half-year employee of MBHC, told WKVI that she could not sit idly by as the center committed what she claimed were a barrage of violations that put staff and patients alike in harm’s way.

“They’re directly endangering them, knowingly. It’s not an accident, and it’s not a maybe; it’s going to happen, and it has,” she said. “And I just couldn’t stomach it. These kids have been abused to death already.”

Protesters lined Oak Road voicing their outrage at  MBHC.

Diamond Campbell claims MBHC is dangerously understaffed, and any attempts made by staff members to follow correct policy – rather than the policies that she claims the administration makes up on the fly – often result in termination. She said the center has thrown out the policy book and alleges MBHC no longer follows state-mandated regulations put in place to protect patients from aggressive preteen children and adolescents.

“They have kids that are known sexual predators; they’re allowing them to be roomed with anybody and everybody. There is no increased level of observation, which, in the past, has always been implemented. When there was a child that came in that was known to be a predator, they would be either placed in a room by themselves or they would be placed with staff sitting outside their bedroom door, continuously, all the way throughout the night. Well, they decided that they were not going to do that any longer – it was not cost effective. So, really, they’re going against their own written policy,” she claimed.

On top of that, Campbell maintains that the center no longer segregates patients by age groups – that is, she claims the center will place preteen children, ages 3 to 12, in the same room as adolescents, ages 13 to 17.

She went on to assert that the center no longer takes into account violent or sexual histories when placing patients on increased observation, when they would previously assign a staff member to watch the patient at all times to prevent any incidents.

“They began violating it in December. They started putting out memos – I’ve got emails from the assistant director of nursing as well as the director of nursing stating that they were no longer going to place people on any increased level of observation due to past history,” Campbell claimed. “Well, past history is everything, because in the past they’ve molested, in the past they’ve raped, in the past they’ve abused. So it’s very pertinent, and that is what their intake process entails, is nothing but history of what kind of behaviors these children have.”

Campbell said she is disgusted by the behavior exhibited by the center’s CEO and director of nursing, and they’re not just picketing for awareness. She said the protestors would like to see a change in administration at MBHC.

“I would like them to stop endangering these kids,” Campbell said. “They’ve been abused enough. It needs to stop. They’re doing it for a dollar – that’s abundantly clear. I would like to see the CEO and the director of nursing out of there because, clearly, they have no moral standing. If you would do that to a child, as far as I’m concerned, they’re as bad as a pedophile – they’re serving them up; they’re putting them in a bedroom with known sexual predators, so how do they look themselves in the mirror? I don’t really know.”

More than a dozen former employees of MBHC compiled a collection of letters detailing alleged policy violations, HIPPA violations, employee discrimination, and various crimes such as falsification or destruction of legal documents, patient charts and other paperwork. This 27-page compilation has since been forwarded to various news agencies, Senator Joseph Donnelly, Governor Mike Pence, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, the Department of Labor, the State Department of Health, the Protection and Advices Service Commission of Indiana, the Department of Justice, CCHR International, the Family and Social Services Administration, the Joint Commission, Universal Health Services, Medicaid’s FSSA Compliance Division, and the Civil Rights Commission.

Attempts to reach the CEO of Michiana Behavior Health Center were unsuccessful, but officials at the center indicated he was out of town and will issue his response to these allegations at a later time.

Source: Ben Haut, “Protestors Claim Behavioral Health Center in Plymouth Puts Children in Danger, WKVI-FM 99.3, March 15, 2013.

Were you formerly employed at a Universal Health Services behavioral health facility?

If you were formerly employed at a Universal Health Services behavioral health facility anywhere in the U.S., and were terminated from your position because you disagreed with how patients were being treated or because you called in reports of patient abuses, Citizens Commission on Human Rights would like to hear from you. Please send an e-mail to swagner@cchr.org

Sue

Universal Health Services

From the Psychcrime.org website:

If you are a former patient of a mental health facility operated by Universal Health Services (UHS) and were abused or otherwise harmed by staff or treatment while receiving services there, please report your abuse to Citizens Commission on Human Rights at swagner@cchr.org.

List of UHS facilities:

Adolescent Substance Abuse Program, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Alabama Clinical Schools, Birmingham, AL

Alhambra Hospital, Rosemead, CA

Alliance Health Center, Meridian, MS

Anchor Hospital, Atlanta, GA

Arbour – Fuller Hospital, South Attleboro, MA

Arbour – HRI Hospital, Brookline, MA

Arbour Counseling Services, Rockland, MA

Arbour Hospital, Boston, MA

Arbour Senior Care, Rockland, MA

Arrowhead Behavioral Health, Maumee, OH

Atlantic Shores Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Aurora Pavilion Behavioral Health Services, Aiken, SC

Austin Lakes Hospital, Austin, TX

Belmont Pines Hospital, Youngstown, OH

Benchmark Behavioral Health Services, Woods Cross, UT

Bloomington Meadows Hospital, Bloomington, IN

Blue Mountain Academy, Grand Terrace, CA

Boulder Creek Academy, Bonners Ferry, ID

Brentwood Behavioral Healthcare of Mississippi, Flowood, MS

Brentwood Hospital, Shreveport, LA

Brighton Behavioral Health Center, Portsmouth, VA

Bristol Youth Academy, Bristol, FL

Brooke Glen Behavioral Health, Fort Washington, PA

Brynn Marr Hospital, Jacksonville, NC

Calvary Center, Phoenix, AZ

Canyon Ridge Hospital, Chino, CA

Cedar Grove Treatment Center, Murfreesboro, TN

Cedar Ridge Hospital, Oklahoma City, OK

Cedar Ridge Residential Treatment Center, Oklahoma City, OK

Cedar Springs Behavioral Health Services, Colorado Springs, CO

Centennial Peaks Hospital, Louisville, CO

Center For Change, Orem, UT

Central Florida Behavioral Hospital, Orlando, FL

Chicago Children’s Center, Chicago, IL

Clarion Psychiatric Center,  Clarion, PA

Coastal Behavioral Health, Savannah, GA

Coastal Harbor Treatment Center, Savannah, GA

Columbus Behavioral Center, Columbus, IN

Community Behavioral Health, Memphis, TN

Compass Intervention Center, Memphis, TN

Copper Hills Youth Center, West Jordan, UT

Cottonwood Treatment Center, So. Salt Lake, UT

Creekside Academy, Sacramento, CA

Crescent Pines Hospital, Stockbridge, GA

Cumberland Hall Hospital, Hopkinsville, KY

Cumberland Hospital, New Kent, VA

Cypress Creek Hospital, Houston, TX

Del Amo Hospital, Torrance, CA

Desert Valley Hope Academy, Hemet CA,

Diamond Grove Center, Louisville, MS

Dover Behavioral Health System, Dover, DE

Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital, Panama City, FL

Fairfax Hospital, Kirkland, WA

Fairmount Behavioral Health System, Philadelphia, PA

FHCHS of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR

Fieldston Preparatory School, Titusville, FL

First Home Care – VA, Portsmouth, VA

Forest View Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI

Fort Lauderdale Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Foundations Behavioral Health, Doylestown, PA

Foundations for Living, Mansfield, OH

Fox Run Center for Children and Adolescents, St. Clairsville, OH

Fremont Hospital, Fremont, CA

Friends Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Glen Oaks Hospital, Greenville, TX

Good Samaritan Counseling Center, Anchorage, AK

Gulf Coast Treatment Center, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Gulf Coast Youth Academy, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Hampton Behavioral Health Center, Westampton, NJ

Harbor Point Behavioral Health Center, Portsmouth, VA

Hartgrove Hospital, Chicago, IL

Havenwyck Hospital, Auburn Hills, MI

Heartland Behavioral Health Services, Nevada, MO

Heritage Oaks Hospital, Sacramento, CA

Hermitage Hall, Nashville, TN

Hickory Trail Hospital, DeSoto, TX

High Point Treatment Center, Cooper City, FL

Highlands Behavioral Health, Littleton, CO

Hill Crest Behavioral Health Services, Birmingham, AL

Holly Hill Hospital, Raleigh, NC

Horace Mann Academy, Rockledge, FL

Horizon Health Management, Lewisville, TX

Intermountain Hospital, Boise, ID

Jefferson Trail Treatment Center, Charlottesville, VA

Kempsville Center for Behavioral Health, Norfolk, VA

Keys of Carolina, Charlotte, NC

Keystone Center, Wallingford, PA

Kingwood Pines Hospital, Kingwood, TX

La Amistad Behavioral Health – Adult Program, Winter Park, FL

La Amistad Behavioral Health Services, Maitland, FL

Lakeside Behavioral Health System, Memphis, TN

Laurel Heights Hospital, Atlanta, GA

Laurel Oaks Behavioral Health Center, Dothan, AL

Laurel Ridge Treatment Center, San Antonio, TX

Liberty Point Behavioral Healthcare, Staunton, VA

Lighthouse Care Center of Augusta, Augusta, GA

Lighthouse Care Center of Conway, Conway, SC

Lincoln Prairie Behavioral Health Center, Springfield, IL

Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System, Radcliff, KY

Macon Behavioral Health System, Macon, GA

Manatee Palms Group Homes, Bradenton, FL

Manatee Palms Youth Services, Bradenton, FL

Marion Youth Center, Marion, VA

McDowell Center for Children, Dyersburg, TN

Meridell Achievement Center, Liberty Hill, TX

Mesilla Valley Hospital, LasCruces, NM

Michiana Behavioral Health Center, Plymouth, IN

Midwest Center for Youth and Families, Kouts, IN

Millwood Hospital, Arlington, TX

Milton Girls Juvenile Residential Facility, Milton, FL

Mission Bell Academy, Riverside, CA

Mojave Ridge Academy, Victorville, CA

Morongo Basin Learning Academy, Morongo, CA

Mountain Youth Academy, Mountain City, TN

Natchez Trace Youth Academy, Waverly, TN

National Deaf Academy, Mt. Dora, FL

Newport News Behavioral Health Center, Newport News, VA

North Spring Behavioral Healthcare, Leesburg, VA

North Star Behavioral Health System – Debarr, Anchorage, AK

North Star Behavioral Health System – Palmer, Palmer, AK

North Star Hospital, Anchorage, AK

Northwest Academy, Naples, ID

NorthWest Academy, Streamwood, IL

Oak Plains Academy, Ashland City, TN

Okaloosa Youth Academy, Crestview, FL

Okaloosa Youth Development Center, Crestview, FL

Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services, Winston-Salem, NC

Palmetto Behavioral Health – Pee Dee, Florence, SC

Palmetto Behavioral Health – Summerville, Summerville, SC

Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health, North Charleston, SC

Panamericano (Cidra), Cidra, PR

Parkwood Behavioral Health System, Olive Branch, MS

Peachford Hospital, Atlanta, GA

Peak Behavioral, Santa Teresa, NM

Pembroke Hospital, Pembroke, MA

Pinnacle Point, Little Rock, AR

Poplar Springs Hospital, Petersburg, VA

Prairie St. Johns, Fargo, ND

Pride Institute, Eden Prairie, MN

Professional Probation Services, Norcross, GA

Provo Canyon School, Provo, UT,

Provo Canyon School – Springville Campus, Springville, UT

Rancho Academy of Learning, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Rancho San Diego Academy, San Diego, CA

Rivendell Behavioral Health Services, Bowling Green, KY

Rivendell Behavioral Health Services of Arkansas, Benton, AR

River Crest Hospital, San Angelo, TX

River Oaks Hospital, New Orleans, LA

River Park Hospital, Huntington, WV

River Point Behavioral Health, Jacksonville, FL

Riverdale Country School, Palm Bay, FL

Riveredge, Forest Park, IL

Rock River Academy, Rockford, IL

Rockford Center, Newark, DE

Rolling Hills Hospital, Franklin, TN

Roxbury Treatment Center, Shippensburg, PA

San Marcos Treatment Center, San Marcos, TX

Sandy Pines, Tequesta, FL

Shadow Mountain Behavioral Health Services, Tulsa, OK

Shadow Mt-Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, OK

Sierra Vista Hospital, Sacramento, CA

Somerset School in Riverside, Riverside, CA

South Texas Behavioral Health System, Edinburg, TX

Spring Mountain Sahara, Las Vegas, NV

Spring Mountain Treatment Center Las Vegas, NV

Springwoods Behavioral Health, Fayetteville, AR

St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute, St. Louis, MO

St. Simons By-The-Sea, St. Simons Island, GA

Stonington Institute, North Stonington, CT

Streamwood Hospital, Streamwood, IL

Streamwood Residential Treatment Center (Elgin), Streamwood, IL

Summit Oaks Hospital, Summit, NJ

SummitRidge Hospital, Lawrenceville, GA

Talbott Recovery Campus, Atlanta, GA

Texas NeuroRehab Center, Austin, TX

The BridgeWay, North Little Rock, AR

The Brook – Dupont, Louisville, KY

The Brook – KMI, Louisville, KY

The Carolina Center for Behavorial Health, Greer, SC

The Horsham Clinic, Ambler, PA

The Hughes Center, Danville, VA

The Meadows Hospital / Universal Community Behavorial Health, Centre Hall, PA

The Pavilion at Northwest Texas, Amarillo, TX

The Pavilion Foundation, Champaign, IL

The Ridge Behavioral Health System, Lexington, KY

The Vines Hospital, Ocala, FL

Three Rivers Behavioral Health West, Columbia, SC

Three Rivers Residential Treatment – Midlands, Columbia, SC

Timberlawn Mental Health System, Dallas, TX

TMC Behavioral Health Center, Sherman, TX

Turning Point Hospital, Moultrie, GA

Turning Point Youth Center, St. John’s, MI

Two Rivers Psychiatric Hospital, Kansas City, MO

University Behavioral Center, Orlando, FL

Upper East Tennessee Regional Juvenile Detention Center, Johnson City, TN

Valle Vista Health System, Greenwood, IN

Virgin Islands Behavioral Services, St. Croix, VI

Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center, Virginia Beach, VA

Walton Youth Development Center FL

Wekiva Springs Hospital, Jacksonville, FL

Wellstone Regional Hospital, Jefferson, IN

West Hills Hospital, Reno, NV

West Oaks Hospital, Houston, TX

Westwood Lodge, Westwood, MA

Willow Springs Center, Reno, NV

Windmoor Healthcare, Clearwater, FL

Windsor-Laurelwood Center, Willoughby, OH

Wyoming Behavioral Institute, Casper, WY

Several suicides recently at Peachford Psychiatric Hospital?

Psych Crime Reporter received an anonymous tip regarding four recent suicides at Peachford Psychiatric Hospital in Georgia.

There is nothing about it in the news.

Is this true?