Stealin' Is Not Job Creation - Centria Wants To Help "The Poors" Of Detroit - In Farmington Hill

"Who needs water?
 Soft Skills are a human resource!"

It was when I read this sentence from the article, did I realize that we have a new Detroit pacification campaign of rebranding "The Poors" as "overlooked and underserved".... in Farmington Hills.

StreetWise is partnering with Centria Healthcare, based in Farmington Hills and when mentors and mentees meet, it will be at Centria's offices. 

Centria Healthcare has a long and illustrious history of Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare when it comes to funding political campaigns off the backs of the "overlooked and underserved".

Then, I read the following sentence and saw the battle cry of Hillary Clinton, "to help people reach their full potential", which is code for Predictive Modeling Crap in elections.

According to Jeff Steigerwald, a vice president at Centria, the partnership fit with its mission, "which is to help people reach their full potential."

Perhaps, if Centria Healthcare and the "Elected Ones" would stop stealin' Detroit's children, land and the votes, there would not be a population of overlooked and undersourced in Detroit.

See how that works?

Yes, I consider the overlooked and undersourced in Detroit to be victims of gerrymandering war crimes, but I believe there shall be much more of a need to stop the generation of the overlooked and undersourced, populations, first.

It is time to examine why there is even a need for mentors in the first place.

Stealin' is not job creation.

How come there is no one from Detroit who is "worthy" enough to teach the overlooked and underresourced ?

Oh, wait, I forgot, the worthy are the overlooked and underresourced.

See how that one works?

I consider this partnership to be a form of public relations legal defense for Centria, too.

Mentors to teach career skills to 'overlooked and underresourced' Detroiters

When Leona Medley was in her early 30s and working at Home Depot, her manager pulled her aside to offer her some unsolicited career advice.

"If you want to be a leader, you need to dress like a leader," the manager told her.

She heeded the advice and started wearing slacks to work. It took.

"People changed their behavior around me," the 40-year-old recalled. "And all it took was changing my pants," which she said never would have occurred to her if it a respected source hadn't mentioned it.

Medley, a community engagement manager for Bedrock is among the first mentors signed up for a new program launching in Detroit and designed to teach career skills to the "overlooked and underresourced."

StreetWise Partners started in the late 1990s in New York City and expanded to Washington, D.C., in the mid-2000s, serving more than 6,000 people along the way.

Now it's coming to Detroit — its third city — where unemployment and underemployment are major issues. The "skills gap," between what employers want and what they can find in the local hiring pool, has been a source of frustration for business and political leaders alike in southeast Michigan.

Dichondra Johnson, program director of the Detroit office, said the program complements existing workforce development efforts in the area, which often focus on hard skills by way of training and certifications, with the "soft skills" training they may never have gotten.

"We don't want to be a parachute organization," Johnson, 42, said. "We want to fit in where we're needed, not just come in and say 'we're here to save Detroit.' We asked those tough questions and learned from our partners what their needs were."

Building soft skills
What they found was that Detroiters are falling through the cracks with resume development, writing cover letters and building interviewing skills.

"Employers are saying 'we're not seeing the talent that has the soft skills,'" Johnson said. "But building a social network is important as well, and that also part of what we do."

StreetWise is partnering with Centria Healthcare, based in Farmington Hills and when mentors and mentees meet, it will be at Centria's offices.

According to Jeff Steigerwald, a vice president at Centria, the partnership fit with its mission, "which is to help people reach their full potential."

"We felt this would help close opportunity gaps and level the playing field for (those who) might otherwise be overlooked and underresourced, which is what we do on a daily basis," Steigerwald said.

Centria has an Autism services branch, and has become the largest applied behavioral analysis therapy provider in Michigan. It employs about 3,500 people in 11 states, including more than 500 people in Michigan.

The plan is to improve on the factors that get people hired and minimize those that get people fired or keep them from getting callbacks, such as an unprofessional social media presence.

'Secret knowledge'

Mentorship of that sort allows mentees to benefit from the "secret knowledge that's not really secret," Medley said, and to familiarize themselves with how bosses think and talk behind closed doors. She calls it "executive presence," and it's a lesson she hopes to impart when she is paired up with a mentee.

The mentorship effort will kick off on Sept. 17, when the first cohort of 20 mentees meets with the 30-35 people who will be their mentors for the next year. When the second cycle starts in March, organizers hope to double the footprint.

The program starts with 13 weeks of classroom work, where the group will meet for 2½ hours each Tuesday through mid-December.

After the classroom work ends, the curriculum switched to workshops.

Streetwise's target audience is job-seekers from the ages of 18 to 65, Johnson said.

While all are welcome to apply, including people who have criminal records, there is also a need for mentors and organizations willing to provide meeting space.

Getting the most our of your mentor
Dexter Perry, of Redford, is among the first cohort of mentees. The 2015 Western Michigan University grad heard of the program during a seminar at Focus: Hope in Detroit, where he is taking a 10-week class on information technology.

Perry is in the midst of a switch from business development, which he did for Staples for much of the last year, to IT.

Dexter Perry participates in the Streetwise Partners Program, which teaches 'soft skills' and network building to job-seekers.Buy Photo
Dexter Perry participates in the Streetwise Partners Program, which teaches 'soft skills' and network building to job-seekers. (Photo: Todd McInturf, The Detroit News)

Despite his resume, skills and drive to change careers, Perry understands he could benefit from guidance and a chance to expand his network.

"These are people who are well off and doing great work," the 27-year-old said. "There's a lot of opportunity to grow."

Medley advised mentees to realize the onus is on them to make the most of the relationship.

"The big mistake people make is, they assume it's a friendship," Medley said, noting she made the same mistake herself at one point. "And it can be, eventually. But your mentor is there to help guide you through obstacles. You have to initiate those conversations."

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Detroit Free Press Reports On Medicaid Fraud In Child Welfare

Do my eyes deceive me?

Someone, the Detroit Free Press, is reporting upon Medicaid  Fraud in Child Welfare?

Noooooo......

The Michigan Tale Of Medicaid Fraud In Child Welfare Slush Fund: Campaigns, Trust Funds & Land Bank Authorities

Learn more: BEVERLY TRAN: The Michigan Tale Of Mediciad Fraud In Child Welfare Slush Fund: Campaigns, Trust Funds & Land Bank Authorities http://beverlytran.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-michigan-tale-of-mediciad-fraud-in.html#ixzz5T5UErL7s
Stop Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare 

Now, all we need is for someone to finally ask the question to how this geographic area came to report the highest rates of autism.

It was intentional.

It was for profit.

It was privatization.

They stole the children, the land and the votes.

Loving the infographics.

Abuse caught on video at Michigan's biggest autism therapy provider

CENTRIA HEALTHCARE FIRED THE EMPLOYEE, BUT LOSES $5-MILLION CONTRACT WITH MACOMB COUNTY AFTER THE ABUSE CASE, ADDING TO ITS MYRIAD OF PROBLEMS

Doris Owens, a former Centria Healthcare employee,
is sentenced for fourth-degree child abuse at
41B District Court in Clinton Township
on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018.
The abuse occurred while Owens was
working with an autistic child.

Macomb County plans to cut ties with Michigan’s largest autism therapy provider, Centria Healthcare, after a slew of problems including an employee caught on video abusing an autistic child.

The decision follows a similar move by Lapeer County last year, which dumped Centria amid mounting frustrations with the company. Centria said it was told Lapeer wanted a cheaper provider but documents obtained by the Free Press show broader problems in both counties.

In Macomb, community mental health officials cited Centria repeatedly for things like patient care, billing and training issues. Last year, it placed the company on probation. Then after a video showed a Centria employee taunting, dragging, pushing and swatting a 5-year-old autistic girl during a therapy session in March, the county decided to part ways. The transition to new providers is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Nearly a year ago, the Free Press began examining thousands of internal and public documents related to Centria and interviewed former executives and employees who claimed the business has engaged in billing fraud, violating patient privacy, forgery, falsifying reports and employing unqualified people in an effort to boost profits.

Centria denies any wrongdoing and sued three former employees for defamation. That case is pending in Oakland County.

In February, in response to inquiries from the Free Press, the Michigan Attorney General's Office confirmed it is investigating Centria, a probe the agency says is still ongoing. State economic development officials rescinded an $8-million state grant that had been awarded to Centria contingent on creating 1,200 new jobs over five years, following newspaper coverage of the investigation. 

Losing contracts to serve Medicaid clients in Macomb and Lapeer counties has frustrated some families who said they liked Centria’s services. But it is unlikely to hinder the rapidly expanding health care behemoth, which serves 2,300 autistic children in eight states and plans to grow to 20,000 children in the coming years.

As Oakland County-based Centria plans expansion into new states, issues in its own backyard help explain why some Michigan health officials are seeking new companies to provide autism therapy to children.

Child abuse

Over the summer, former Centria technician Doris Owens, 22, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of child abuse in Clinton Township. A judge sentenced her to one year of probation and ordered her to complete an anger management course in September.

“I apologize for my actions that led up to today,” Owens told Judge Sebastian Lucido. “I would like to apologize to (the girl) and her family. In hindsight, I would have done things differently.”

Centria said in a statement it reported the incident to mental health officials and police.

“The safety and well-being of the children we serve is our most urgent priority. An issue arose in March involving an employee, which resulted in that employee being immediately terminated,” the statement said. “Our policies and training are designed to protect our clients and help them to achieve optimal outcomes.”

The abuse came to light when the girl had bruises to her neck, chest and arms after a 7-hour therapy session.

Video of the session that took place at a Centria facility, showed Owens losing her patience and abusing the girl. Owens also ridiculed the girl and used a Lysol wipe to clean her runny nose, according to a transcription of the video reviewed by the Free Press.

“I want my mom,” the girl said.

Owens refused, saying: “No one cares! You can keep crying. She’s not coming. No one cares.”

County mental health investigators substantiated more than 100 allegations, including abuse, neglect, use of unreasonable force, denying dignity and respect and inflicting emotional harm. Their findings came after the police investigation concluded.

Clinton Township Police wouldn’t release the video of Owens and the child to the Free Press, citing crime victim privacy.

During Owens' sentencing, her attorney, Donald Andrews, told the judge she received little training from Centria before being assigned to autistic children. In a statement, Owens said she has learned from the situation.

“I believe that there must be changes in the company’s expectations of their employees for everyone involved to be safe and successful,” Owens wrote. “Thorough training and adequate policies and requirements need to be fully explained and required before employees are hired, which I believe didn’t happen in my experience with the company.”

In a letter to Macomb officials, Centria CEO Scott Barry called the Owens case an “isolated matter” and called her actions “rogue.”

Company officials declined to answer Free Press questions about Owens' training, but on the company website, they defended the training they provide to therapy providers, known as behavior technicians. They must “demonstrate mastery of our extensive and structured training program,” which includes coursework covering autism, ethics, patient privacy and other skills, a posting said. They also must undergo background checks before being hired.

In February, in response to inquiries from the Free Press, the Michigan Attorney General's Office confirmed it is investigating Centria, a probe the agency says is still ongoing.  State economic development officials rescinded an $8-million state grant that had been awarded to Centria contingent on creating 1,200 new jobs over five years, following newspaper coverage of the investigation. 

Macomb never spelled out a specific reason for ending its relationship with Centria, but records obtained by the Free Press show the company had been cited for missing background checks and other documentation.

Barry and Macomb County Community Mental Health CEO John Kinch, both called the breakup “mutual and amicable” but neither would agree to an interview about it. Kinch told board members Sept. 26 that he expected to have the last of Centria's 126 Macomb clients placed with new providers by the end of the year.

Market leader

The abuse case is one of the latest problems for Centria, which touts itself as the nation’s largest provider of autism therapy, a service that has boomed across the country in recent years as more states require health insurance carriers to pay for it.

Centria’s rapid growth has fueled some of the criticism against the company, including from former employees who contacted the Attorney General’s Office with claims of Medicaid fraud. Over the summer, a Centria spokesman had said the Attorney General's investigation was in the process of being formally closed. The company also posted on its Facebook page that Centria had been “cleared.”

But a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Office said this week that the investigation remains "open and ongoing." She declined further comment.

In May, one month after Owens was charged with abuse, a Macomb official wrote in a letter that Centria's contract to provide autism therapy to children on Medicaid would not be renewed.  

In its own letter, dated June 29, Centria said it no longer planned to continue with Macomb County after its contract expired Sept. 30.

The two entities have agreed to extend the contract through the end of the year “to allow for transition of consumers to new providers,” according to Community Mental Health Board records.

Macomb also has disputed $76,317 in Centria billings, saying they lacked proper documentation.  Centria eventually provided supporting documentation for those claims, but the county rejected them, saying they were too late.

The amount represents a tiny fraction of Centria's business in Michigan.

Centria has become the dominant provider of autism services in Michigan. Last year, it billed almost $29 million for services to patients on Medicaid in metro Detroit, records show. The billings include:

• Wayne County $22 million
• Macomb County $5.1 million
• Oakland County $1.6 million
   

Overall, the state expects spend $187 million this budget year to provide Medicaid-funded autism services. In 2013, the state spent just $5.6 million.

Other Macomb problems

The county's latest problems with Centria follow two other patient rights investigations last year that substantiated wrongdoing.

Those cases included accusations that a Centria behavior technician failed to help a choking child and that another tech treating a combative child used restrictive holds that had not been properly approved.

Centria declined to answer Free Press questions about those cases.

The choking incident was in September 2017, when a child started choking on his lunch and a Centria technician, Breonna Jones, thought he was faking it.

“He packs food in his mouth all the time and hacks for attention,” Jones said, according to the report.

When the boy started turning blue and another staffer bent him over and smacked his back to dislodge the food, according to the report.

“Now he got all the attention he wants,” Jones said, according to the report.

Investigators asked Jones how she could distinguish between the boy’s gagging noises for attention and a real case of choking.

“That’s the difficult part,” she responded, the report said.

Jones claimed she tried to help the child but witnesses disputed her account. Investigators confirmed neglect against the technician, according to the report.The newspaper was unable to reach Jones.

The case involving the restrictive holds came in a situation where a violent child was posing risks to himself and others in March and April 2017.

According to the heavily redacted report, behavior technician Victoria Engel said the holds were needed to manage an autistic boy who was attacking her as well as his mom and his sister. At one point, the attacks became so dangerous, they locked themselves in a bathroom and the child almost broke down the door.

Engel said she had been told she had permission to use the holds. But she later learned she couldn't use them.

“I did not know until the county case manager told me I could not use holds,” Engel said, according to the report. “I did not use holds after the county case manager told me not to.”

Engel said that when the boy would try to head-butt the glass doors of a cabinet, she would stand in front of him to keep him away from the glass, absorbing the brunt of his aggression with her body. 

The boy punched, kicked and bit her, Engel said. Her injuries, documented in medical records shared with the Free Press, forced Engel off the job and she collected workers' compensation.

“I looked like I had been in a horrific car accident where I wasn’t wearing a seat belt," she said. 

Engel acknowledged using restrictive holds and was cited for using unreasonable force. Macomb officials also cited three other Centria employees in the investigation, including the company’s vice president of autism services, Alicia Decker.

Decker disputed some of the report’s allegations and said the case was placed on hold because of the injury of a behavior tech. According to the report, she told investigators: “We always say in case of an emergency of immediate harm, do what you can." 

Lapeer problems

In December 2016, after months of difficulties, Lapeer mental health officials notified Centria that they were ending the company's contract. Centria had billed about $1.24 million for autism services in Lapeer county between 2014 and 2017.

Like in Macomb, the precise reasons for the split are not spelled out in the termination letter.

“I am so incredibly frustrated with Centria and their overall timeliness and lack of communication,” Kimberly Perrin, supervisor of autism services in Lapeer wrote to a colleague in an October 2016 email. “How soon can we move on the new plan?”

Centria said it was told Lapeer ended the contract because it had found a lower-cost provider. Records reviewed by the Free Press show the county had tried to negotiate steep rate cuts, but Centria declined.

But a Lapeer official said in an email that the contract ended “due to several clinical reasons.” 

The email references ongoing lawsuits Centria has filed in Lapeer County. Centria is suing competing firms and three former employees who went to work for them. Centria claims the employees violated non-compete clauses in their employment contracts, which bars them from working for Centria competitors for 18 months.

Centria said it has spent millions of dollars and years creating and developing its autism programs. In litigation, the company accuses a company called Helping Hand Nursing Service and other defendants of hurting its bottom line by poaching employees.

Attorneys for Helping Hand argued Centria filed the lawsuits to harass and intimidate a business competitor and accused company officials of misusing the legal process.

In the litigation, Lapeer mental health officials vowed never again to use Centria.

“Given the nature of the events that have (preceded) this letter, no other contract negotiations are desired,” Perrin said in a letter to the company, adding Centria should not contact her again. 

An email obtained by the Free Press through a Freedom of Information Act request show Lapeer officials also questioned some Centria billing.

“Centria staff provided documentation with forged/fraudulent signatures,” said an email from Lapeer County mental health staffer sent in January 2017. It went on to say payments should be recouped.

Lapeer County Community Mental Health CEO Lauren Emmons wouldn’t quantify the disputed claims or say whether they were resolved.

“I am unable to provide any additional information," he said. "As there is an open and ongoing investigation.”

John Wisely and Elisha Anderson are members of the Free Press Investigations team.

To view complete coverage of their investigation into Centria Healthcare go to https://www.freep.com/news/investigations/

Contact Wisely: 313-222-6825 or jwisely@freepress.com
Contact Anderson: 313-222-5144 or eanderson@freepress.com

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The Michigan Tale Of Medicaid Fraud In Child Welfare Slush Fund: Campaigns, Trust Funds & Land Bank Authorities

What is this investigative debauchery of the Michigan Attorney General, whereby claims of Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare have arisen and is funding political campaigns?

I am in utter shock....well, not really...well, maybe a little bit because Bill Schuette is on Duty and Brian Calley is dipping into Medicaid fraud in child welfare slush fund to fund his campaign.

It seems the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is operating out of Michigan State University.

Yes, that is correct, boys and girls, we have ourselves a gubernatorial campaign going on in Michigan!

No wonder John Engler hopped his little self with the quickness, for free mind you, to take over the helm of Michigan State University.

http://www.msufoundation.org/medc/

He was stealin' for his Blackford Capital Fund.

Centria Healthcare, LLC, is one of those Corporate Shape Shifters and seems to be one of those foreign corporations where no one really actually knows from whence it came and is funding political campaigns based upon it false claims to Medicaid in child welfare.



Centria Healthcare, Centira Healthcare L.L.C., Centira Autism Services, or whatever the name of the day is quite the interesting entity because it was funded through a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, so, let us take a look its financial history...

Three very active Michigan governors have contributed to the Michigan miracle. First Gov. John Engler started to monetize the $1 billion Michigan was scheduled to receive from the Tobacco Settlement to invest $50 million a year in grants to fund Life Sciences companies along the so-called Michigan Life Science Corridor, stretching from Kalamazoo, to Grand Rapids, to Lansing, to Ann Arbor, to Detroit.
When Gov. Jennifer Granholm was elected, she took the tobacco money in 2005 and created the 21st Century Jobs Fund, broadening the state’s investment portfolio to include not only Life Sciences, but also Alternative Energy, Advanced Auto Manufacturing and Materials and Homeland Security and Defense. She also created the Venture Michigan Fund, now two fund-of-funds that have $215 million to invest in VC funds that invest in Michigan companies.
Under Gov. Snyder, the state has put added emphasis on the Michigan Growth Capital Partners fund, launched in 2008 as part of the $300 million InvestMichigan! Program. In February 2013, Credit Suisse and its investment partner Beringea announced the launch of Michigan Growth Capital Partners II, a $180 million fund dedicated to providing growth equity to Michigan companies. Since 2008, more than 1,200 deals have been reviewed with investments made in 28 companies that employ more than 5,000 people in Michigan.

Now, allow me to sum this up.

They were stealin'.

Engler, Granholm and Snyder used class action lawsuit settlements on behalf of the people of Michigan and made into a slush fund by laundering the money through fancy worded, pretty pictures, to make MCLs as Type III transfers to Pseudo-Public-Private-Partnerships (P4, my new term), for the purposes of approving grants for their own private venture capital investment firms as job creation, making private corporations, of which are foreign entities, as the fiduciary of the 21st Century Jobs Fund.

 

In the spirit of fuchsia...

How Michigan's largest autism therapy provider lost $8M grant

Curtis Moore, Centria whistleblower who was fired.

Michigan's largest provider of autism therapy, Centria Healthcare, has lost an $8 million state grant as the Michigan Attorney General's Office investigates the company for Medicaid fraud.

Well, that is not good.
 

Now, new court filings show the company is suing former employees who've spoken with investigators and the Free Press, seeking to recoup the money.

This is called retaliation against whistleblowers, which is not good.
 

The state awarded the job-creation grant in October then suspended it amid the investigation first reported by the Free Press in February.

Job creation?  So, let me get this straight.  The more kids diagnosed with autism, the more jobs created. Brian Calley participated in setting up data collection to justify this "grant".
 

Last month, time ran out for Centria to finalize the contract needed to receive the $8 million.

“The monies originally earmarked for this project have been released and are available for other economic development opportunities that may present themselves,” Otie McKinley, a spokesman for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, said in an e-mail to the Free Press.
 

More: Autism treatment firm lands $8-million state grant, spends big on governor's race

From the article, above:

Calley, a longtime advocate for autism therapy and the father of an autistic daughter, publicly urged the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to approve Centria's grant request to expand in Michigan. Five weeks later, a key investor and board member of the company hosted a party at his Orchard Lake mansion that formally launched Calley's gubernatorial campaign, the Free Press has learned.

About 200 people attended, sipping wine and cocktails and enjoying strolling appetizers from Andiamo's. Guests contributed $106,400 to Calley, campaign financial reports show.

The host, Mark Mitchell, was entangled in his own medical fraud case that lasted years, according to federal court records. In 2009, Visiting Physicians Association, a company he owned and ran, agreed to repay the federal government $9.5 million to settle claims of overbilling.  (I know this case well, very well - very, very well and it had to do with Medicaid fraud in child welfare, rape, drugging, torture and trafficking of tiny humans, and a kid who died, brought back to life, at least 5 times that I know about, and not one single person has ever been held accountable because the DOJ, HHS OIG and Michigan DHHS & Attorney General did absolutely nothing, still, to this day, about it.)

More: Centria Healthcare accused of fraud, targeting poor in metro Detroit

From the article links, above:

• Engaged in a racketeering scheme specifically designed to diagnose children with autism who do not have autism or who do not have autism to the level of diagnosis. 
• Forged parent signatures on care contracts or otherwise sign off as the child’s parent in the system for those parents who exhibit broken English. 
• Have sought to run a Medicaid fraud scheme in the state of Michigan. 
• Are aware that employee files and patient files are stored in unsecured rooms and in employee vehicles and homes.

The grant was a state effort to keep fast-growing Centria from relocating to another state. It was contingent on Centria creating 1,200 new jobs over the next five years.

Work with me here.  So, a job creation grant was approved by the secretive Michigan Economic Development Corporation a domestic, for profit, private corporation, which possesses the fiduciary powers over federal funds, can hand out money in dealing with child welfare programs and services, with no obligations as a federal subrecipient?

That sounds like a slush fund. 

That sounds like the Detroit Land Bank Community Development Corporation (a DLBA corporate shape shifter) which was a creation of the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority, before they disavowed them.

The Michigan Land Bank is part of the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF), which receives administrative services from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The MEDC, a public-private partnership serving as the state's marketing arm and lead agency for business, talent and jobs, focuses on helping grow Michigan's economy. For more on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit: MichiganAdvantage.org <==another corporate shape shifter

 

After the Michigan Economic Development Corporation approves these types of grants, it allows up to 180-days to finalize a contract with the recipient. But Centria's deadline expired in April. The company can reapply for grant money if it remains in good standing at the end of the investigation.

“Should this project navigate the application process and come back to the board, it would be evaluated to determine if the funds would be made available to support this project moving forward,” McKinley said.

Vennesa Pawlak, Centria whistleblower who was fired.

But there's no guarantee that Centria will be selected again. Deed records in Oakland County show the company recently signed a 11-year lease on two buildings in Farmington Hills, which will serve as its new headquarters. Company officials previously said Centria considered moving to New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and Tennessee but stayed in Michigan after winning the grant.

Is this extortion or blackmail?  Is this how we "create jobs" in Michigan?
 

Neither Centria CEO Scott Barry nor a company spokesman responded to requests  for comment. 

Beginning in November, the Free Press examined thousands of internal and public documents related to Centria. The paper reported in February that former executives had accused the company of fraud, forgery, violating patient privacy and employing unqualified staffers to serve autistic children.

Their allegations appeared in a letter the company said was sent to human services agencies across the state. Those allegations were first made public in December, when Centria's attorneys spelled them out in pleadings they filed in a defamation suit. The Free Press has interviewed other former employees not associated with the current litigation whose allegations echo the defendants.

Last month, Centria amended its defamation lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court to seek $8 million from the former employees, including the company’s former chief compliance officer and former senior sales executive, both of whom reported alleged wrongdoing to state and federal authorities.

Centria denies all accusations made by the former employees. It claims that the accusations have smeared the company and cost it money.

I guess internal investigations were off the table as an option of remedy to the accusations.
 

“Plaintiffs have suffered damages not less than $8,000,000, harm to reputation, and loss of esteem and standing in the community in an amount to be determined at trial,” Centria lawyers wrote in the pleadings.

 Centria autism services suck.
 

Last week, a judge threw out the amended complaint on procedural grounds, though the company can refile it. The underlying defamation lawsuit continues.
 

Former chief compliance officer Vanessa Pawlak, former senior sales executive Curtis Moore, and another former employee, Samantha Gates, are named in the lawsuit. Their attorney John Harrington argued in a court filing they did nothing wrong.

“(The former employees) only reported the fraudulent activities that took place at Centria Healthcare, LLC., victimizing children suffering from autism, as a result of the (company's) blatant greed, through Medicaid fraud and illegal activities, to the appropriate legal authorities,” Harrington wrote.

“This includes making reports to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State of Michigan Attorney General’s Office, as well as other government entities.”

I am pretty sure they suck.  They are in Hamtramck where English is not the first language of these residents who are desperately impoverished and seeking anything, and I mean anything, when it comes to services for children.  Trust me on this one.

More than likely, you had employees who were poorly trained and treated as cheap labor, going above and beyond the call of duty, out their own pockets, knowing fully well that these children were not getting the services they so desperately need.

Boy, this sounds like the uniform standards and practices of the privatized Michigan child welfare system, but hey, what do I know? 
 

Pawlak said Centria's "poor business practices" scuttled the grant.

“Taxpayer dollars should always be put toward ethical companies in good standing to maximize the benefits for our citizens, and especially our children," she said this week. "To point to any other person or entity for Centria’s loss is yet another example of Centria’s continued lack of accountability and reckless disregard for doing the right thing.”

The only problem with this Centria whistleblower argument is that the grant came through a P4, which means it is no longer taxpayer dollars, because it was granted through the Michigan 21st Century Jobs, or what Trust Fund it worked through, which means there were non poor business practices.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is nothing more than a slush fund for political campaigns and personal inurement of people like John Engler and Snyder. 

As for Granholm, ask the DNC and the MDP about that one.

Below, is what the Detroit Land Bank Community Development Corporation tried to grow up to be ~ a slush fund for political campaigns and personal investment ventures. 

Michigan 21st Century Jobs - Michigan Economic Development Corporation - TEConomy-Partners-Study-7.5.2016 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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