Report on potential damage layers for children in psychiatric hospitals
Report on potential damage layers for children in psychiatric hospitals
When I first reported in June about children in state care trapped in psychiatric hospitals Once they were approved for discharge, I learned of the emotional and psychological damage that prolonged hospitalizations can inflict on children.
Then I discovered another layer of damage.
We published a story Wednesday on the Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, which is under federal and state investigation following allegations ranging from sexual assault to failure to guarantee the safety of suicidal patients.
Hospital officials said they investigate all allegations of irregularities and rely on their ability to "continue to provide the highest level of services to the most vulnerable populations in our state." They said the problems they face are part of a "mental health divestment." "Neonatal, and other social services in Illinois that have resulted in one of the weakest social safety nets in the country."
The Department of Children and Family Services, the state child welfare agency, has investigated 16 allegations of abuse or neglect in the hospital since January. The accusations, detailed in confidential documents obtained by ProPublica Illinois, are disturbing in and of themselves.
But some of those children who reported being sexually abused or assaulted should not have been in the hospital; They had already been approved for discharge when the alleged abuse occurred.
This is not just a story about a psychiatric hospital under investigation, but another example of a systemic problem that involves some of the children with more problems in the state and the agency in charge of caring for them.
Each year, since 2015, hundreds of children in DCFS care have been hospitalized beyond what is considered medically necessary because the agency can not find them in a more appropriate setting: a foster home, a residential treatment center, or a residential facility. home group, on time. Last year, 301 admissions to the psychiatric hospital went beyond medical necessity, according to DCFS. The agency has said that those children are among the most difficult to treat and that the state does not have enough beds for them.
Children who languish in psychiatric hospitals for weeks or months (skip school and rarely go out) often feel abandoned, isolated and angry. And the longer they stay, a child welfare official told me, they are more likely to be exposed and imitate harmful physical and sexual behaviors.
DCFS officials have said they are working to find solutions for children hospitalized in psychiatric hospitals after they have been discharged. And not only in Lakeshore.
"This is a problem," said a DCFS official this week, "shared by all the psychiatric hospitals we use."
In response to our reports, Lawmakers from Illinois and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois called for an independent review of the hospital. They said concerns at the facility highlight the broader problem of children remaining in psychiatric hospitals after they are cleared for release. The legislators also held a hearing in August on the subject.
The ACLU said it would return to court next week if DCFS does not respond to a list of demands that included an independent evaluation of the hospital and that the admission of more DCFS children into the hospital be suspended.
Children who are there beyond their release dates, the ACLU wrote, "should receive the highest priority."
We will continue covering the difficult situation of these children. If you have a story or documents to share, I am eager to hear from you. You can reach me in [email protected] or Signal at 312-730-4797.
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