I wonder if the FBI is going to take a moment out of their busy schedule and look into the organization behind the mental health care of these brothers, the Medicaid cost reimbursements, the cause of removal and termination of parental rights, the history of first and second generation antipsychotropics, just to find out if there was a bit of lab ratting or child trafficking going on.
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - An investigation into a deadly drug overdose is underway in Auburn Hills, Mich. Thursday after three people were found dead in a hotel room. Two of the victims were brothers.
The parents of 18-year-old Kyler Kiessling and 20-year-old Caleb Kiessling of Rochester Hills spoke to FOX 2 about how the brothers struggled with addiction for years, in hopes of encouraging other families to seek help who may be going through the same thing.
Police investigation underway after 3 found dead of drug overdose in Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills are investigating after three people were found dead and a fourth unconscious at a motel in Auburn Hills.
Friends, my family is devastated. Both of my sons died earlier today from a drug overdose, along with a 17 yr old girl....
"'Just tell me, just tell me what's going on.' And then when he said what happened, I just screamed, 'Both? Both!'" Rebecca Kiessling said. She and her husband, Bob, lost both their sons at the same time to drugs.
"You know, I did everything I was supposed to do to stop this," Rebecca said.
Auburn Hills police say Wednesday afternoon they got a call to check on the welfare of a 17-year-old girl from Rochester Hills at the Baymont Hotel on Opdyke near University. Inside the Kiessling brothers and that 17-year-old girl were found dead and a 20-year-old man from Lake Orion was unconscious.
"Auburn Hills Fire Department came over to assist and they resuscitated him. He was transported to the hospital and we're told at this point he's in stable condition," said Auburn Hills police chief Jeff Baker.
The drug of choice was Xanax, according to Bob and Rebecca Kiessling. They say their adopted boys had been addicted to it for years.
"It's like they're not there, almost like looking into a dilated pupil," Bob said.
The Kiesslings say it started with vaping then Caleb starting taking Xanax in ninth grade. Kyler followed the same path and abused Xanax and was in and out of jail. Caleb was in rehab at one point too, with dreams of joining the Navy.
Bob says he was feeling worried and even called the probation department just hours before the boys were found.
"I told him I believe that one of my sons is in violation of probation and I'm concerned of his safety and the safety of others," Bob said.
But the call back didn't come until Thursday morning. "It was too late. She was very sorry," Bob said.
Auburn Hills police say in just the last 24 hours they've responded to two other overdose calls. Those victims were revived.
"And then just a short time ago we were dispatched again to the Baymont and unfortunately when we checked on the well-being of that individual, he's deceased," Baker said. That's now seven overdoses and four deaths in one day.
"It's disheartening. It's sickening," Baker said.
While Auburn Hills police say it will take about two to three weeks for toxicology results to come back, the Kiesslings can't help but think about that 17-year-old girl's family.
"Our heart bleeds for them. We know the pain they're going through," Bob said.
Police are reminding those who may be struggling with addiction that help is available.
"It doesn't matter if they have drugs in their possession, if they're high on drugs, if they're just looking for help. It doesn't matter. We're not gonna arrest them, we're just going to get them some help," Baker said.
Meanwhile, Rebecca and Bob are trying to remember happy times and their final conversations with their two boys.
Rochester Community Schools released the following statement Thursday following the deaths to offer grief support:
"Dear RCS Families,
Our community is heartbroken. It is with deep sadness that we inform you about the passing of three former RCS students, ages 17, 18, and 20, from the classes of 2018 and 2020. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of these young adults during this very difficult time.
As our school community processes information about this unthinkable loss, great care and consideration is being focused on attending to the grief felt by our students and staff. We are a tight-knit community at Rochester Community Schools, and it is important that our students and staff know that we are here to help them.
We would like to stress that if you or your child is experiencing a crisis, please don't wait to get help. The Common Ground Resource and Crisis Center provides 24/7 services and support. Call or text 1-800-231-1127, or go to: https://commongroundhelps.org/. This crisis/suicide line is also located on the back of student and staff ID cards.
RCS counselors, social workers, and school psychologists are also here to help. A "Talk to RCS" helpline is available to provide students with social-emotional support. Call: 248-963-0311 ext. 300. This service is available weekdays and weekends from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Building administrators are available after hours, and families can also email their student's counselor.
For assistance in talking with adolescents about grief and loss, please reference the attached information: Talking with Adolescents about Grief and Loss.pdf
Our deepest condolences go out to the families of our former students. There is no greater loss than that of a child.
The walls of Denby Salvation Army House of Horrors for children Legally Kidnapped by Child Protective Services can not talk, but the children who survived can.
Denby was a temporary, 30 day emergency shelter of Child Protective Services for children over the age of 10 years.
When taking a tour of the property, as you consider your acquisition, close your eyes and imagine the gang rapes, beatings, drugging and torture of a little 8 year old boy, for nine months, all funded through Medicaid, and no one cared.
Always remember, the bloody screams of children can always be silenced with higher doses of psychotropic medication when running human lab rat research.
The over 90,000-square-foot campus has been vacant since a Salvation Army facility closed in 2016
A long Tudor mansion with different sections of brick, stone, and stucco. A large yard with to straight cement paths intersect in front.
The Denby Center at 20775 Pembroke Avenue totals seven buildings. Photos by Stylish Detroit
The Denby Center has had trouble finding a permanent owner and use. The mansion and grounds have changed hands multiple times since the Salvation Army Denby Center for Children & Family Services, a facility for at-risk youth and teens, left in 2016.
The nearly four-acre, 92,875-square-foot campus sold to Southfield-based IDG Holdings LLC for $515,000 in 2017. This year, it sold to ARI Management LLC—also registered in Southfield—for $1.8 million after sitting on the market for over a year and first listing for $3 million.
Once again, it’s back on the market for $2.95 million.
At the time of the last sale, Crain’s Detroit Business reported that new owner Ieshula Ishakis was looking to build a facility to house and serve homeless veterans. Many of the windows are still boarded up and it’s unclear how much if any work has been done. IDG told Crain’s it spent around $250,000 on maintenance and upkeep.
The Denby Center was at one point just a Tudor Revival mansion designed by Jameson & Graves and built in 1931. The gorgeous building has a stucco and brick facade with some stone accents, bay windows, half-timbering, and a turret. It contains classrooms, sleeping quarters, a chapel, and offices. A cafeteria and gymnasium were added later.
Today, it takes up a whole city block with paved paths between seven buildings and a surface parking lot. Three, one-story cottages were built between 1980 and 2010. They’re between 6,000 and 8,000 square feet and all contain office space, laundry rooms, common rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms.
Want to own an entire campus? 20775 Pembroke Avenue near 8 Mile Road is listed with Kim Page of Front Page Properties for $2.95 million.
The brick front entrance and second-story wood deck.
Front entrance to the original Tudor mansion.
Mailing Address: The Jason Foundation, Inc.
18 Volunteer Dr.
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Phone:(615)264-2323
Email: info@jasonfoundation.com
Website: www.jasonfoundation.com
ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION
Entity Type: CorporationState Established: TNDate Created: 10/01/1997
501(c)(3): YesEIN: 62-1714715
Purpose Statement: PROVIDE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT IN THE AID OF YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION.
FILING STATUS
Solicitation Registration Status Charitable Trust Registration Status
Registered - Expiration Date: 7/31/2020Exempt
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Data is taken from the organization's IRS return or, if no return
was filed, from its solicitation registration or financial statements.
Period Ending 12/31/2018
Total Revenue $1,442,068.00
Total Expenses $1,339,493.00
Revenue Less Expenses $102,575.00
Reports Filed 990/CPA Audit
Total Assets $3,470,240.00
Net Assets $3,298,092.00
Expense breakdown % of Total
Expenses Charitable Programs Program Services $1,189,655.0089.00 % Supporting Services Mgt & General* $118,363.009.00 % Fundraising* $31,475.002.00 % Total Supporting Services $149,838.0011.19 %
=====================================================================
Source US Federal Central Contractor Registration, http://www.acquisition.gov/
RELATED DATA
Company Addresses
COMPANY ADDRESS
1220 L ST NW STE 400, WASHINGTON, DC, 200054013
ID Number: 801868371
Summary for: BCA OF DETROIT, LLC
The name of the FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY: BCA OF DETROIT, LLC
Entity type: FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Identification Number: 801868371Old ID Number: B94531
Date of Qualification in Michigan: 09/11/2008
Organized under the laws of: the state of Delaware
Purpose:
Term: Perpetual
The name and address of the Resident Agent:
Resident Agent Name:THE CORPORATION COMPANY <=== a foreign agent not registered under FARA because everyone is stealin' the children, land and votes in Michigan and attorneys have immunity...but not for much longer.
Street Address:40600 ANN ARBOR RD E STE 201
Apt/Suite/Other:
City:PLYMOUTHState:MIZip Code:48170
Registered Office Mailing address:
P.O. Box or Street Address:
Apt/Suite/Other:
City:State:Zip Code:
When a youth would file one of those Recipient Rights Complaints, it was always tossed.
I know.
I used to talk to them.
Then I would file a grievance with Michigan, strictly for documentational purposes, only, because all they did was toss, or send me a gratuitous phone call, or dismissive missive, letting me know everything was status quo.
See, there are no civil rights in child welfare because it is all privatized under foreign corporate shape shifters who like to use LLCs because it is easy to dissolve, or bankrupt, or sell, gift, trust or something, right after you get the state grants. contracts and the fake ass Medicaid cost reimbursements because, more than likely, they took out some mortgages, DLA Small Business loan, TARP, then quiet titled, then mortgaged again, or some stealin' like that.
0121028489.15000 GRATIOTDETROITBCA REAL ESTATE HOLDING LLC
0121028489-9015000 GRATIOTDETROITBCA REAL ESTATE HOLDING LLC
0121991831.0115000 GRATIOTDETROITA & H PHARMACY SERVICES INC
0121991831.0215000 GRATIOTDETROITBERGEN BRUNSWIG DRUG COMPANY / PMB 308,LEASED TO:SCCI HOSPITAL OF DETROIT
0121991831.0315000 GRATIOTDETROITZEVEX INC
0121991831.0415000 GRATIOTDETROITABRAMSON, SAMUEL M MD PC / A/K/A ST JOHN GRATIOT CENTER
0121991831.0515000 GRATIOTDETROITSARATOGA URGENT CARE PC
0121991831.1015000 GRATIOTDETROITST JOHN HOSPITAL
0121991831.1515000 GRATIOTDETROITTRIUMPH HEALTH CARE,TRIUMPH HOSPITAL OF DETROIT
0121991832.0015000 GRATIOTDETROITSARATOGA GENERAL HOSPITAL
0121991832.0115000 GRATIOTDETROITUNIVERSAL HOSPITAL SERVICES INC
0121991833.1015000 GRATIOTDETROITCOMPUTER SCIENCES CORPORATION / DBA: COMPUTER SCIENCES<====Dyncorp
0121991834.0115000 GRATIOTDETROITSARATOGA MGMT INC
All they ever want is to turn a profit.
How is it one can turn a profit when engaging in the healing of a child?
Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare, of course.
Oh, there are so many fraudulent billing scams that go on in child welfare.
I used to let them take me in their offices and show me everything, including voicing their grievances that Michigan will not do a damn thing for these children.
Remember, there are no civil rights in child welfare because it is privatized, where the foreign entity comes up with its own, self-reporting, of all the wonderful things they do for kids.
Lawmakers call for more review of post-release deaths
Notification of Death Report
LANSING (WXYZ) — Since 2017, at least four patients have died within two days of being released from StoneCrest Hospital, a private inpatient psychiatric facility in Detroit. Despite being notified of each of the deaths, state officials never investigated.
Officials with LARA, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, say they’re not legally required to follow up on deaths like these, nor are they empowered to by statute. Today, in response to an investigation by 7 Action News, two state senators are calling for changes to ensure that post-release deaths are investigated.
RELATED: A Detroit psychiatric hospital released him Thursday, he took his life Friday
At 162 beds, StoneCrest is one of the largest private psychiatric facilities in the state. 7 Action News first investigated the hospital earlier this year, after one of its patients, Joe Sadlak, admitted to murder only two days after he was discharged.
He had been treated at StoneCrest for less than a week.
“You put my son on four different kinds of medication and knew his drug history,” said Pamela Rowley, Joe’s mother, “and you let him go.”
In Michigan, when a psychiatric patient dies within two days of being released from a hospital, the state requires the hospital to report it. Those reports come to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
In September 2017, StoneCrest reported that a patient came to its hospital after stating he “was not happy in his life and wanted to die.” After treatment, he was released and died shortly thereafter. StoneCrest reported the death to the state, listing the cause as “not known.”
Less than a month later, another patient came to Stonecrest after saying he wanted to “jump off a bridge.” Within 2 days of release, he was found dead in his bathtub with his throat cut. State officials from LARA didn’t investigate.
A third death would be reported the following July. A woman came to Stonecrest with a history of suicidal behavior. She was treated, released and—the next day—found dead in a river. The cause of death was listed as “unknown.” Again, state officials didn’t investigate.
Then, this past June, a 29-year-old Detroit man came to Stonecrest after displaying severe psychotic behavior. He was deemed well enough to be released, but took his life the next day.
“Did your office ask any questions about that?” asked Channel 7’s Ross Jones.
“Again, we’ve been doing our statutory requirement,” said Larry Horvath, the Director of the Bureau of Community and Health System at LARA
“Did you ask any questions about that?” Jones asked again.
“We required the report to be filled out,” Horvath said.
“And that’s it,” Jones replied.
“Yes,” Horvath said.
Officials asked no questions, according to a spokesman, because “LARA is not by law or rule required to follow up on these reported deaths,” nor—they say— does the law give them the express authority to. State watchdogs are empowered to investigate only deaths that occur in restraints, Horvath said.
The death reports are reviewed during regular inspections, but no investigations are launched. Horvath said he hopes hospitals use the reports to guide their treatment.
"If they're starting to notice a pattern with a cause of death that occurs have discharge, hopefully they're starting to work with their medical directors, their nursing staff, their social workers to put corrections in place to address it," he said.
“It’s inexcusable,” said Mark Reinstein, President and CEO of the Mental Health Association in Michigan. “To hide behind, ‘It’s not our legal responsibility.’ Well then whose is it?”
By law, LARA is required to report all psychiatric deaths reported to them to the state legislature. But they haven’t been, 7 Action News has learned, for at least the last three years. In August, prompted by our reporting, the state submitted reports for 2016, 2017 and 2018, though they did not include post-release deaths.
Following our questions, LARA changed the reporting requirements for post-release deaths—no longer requiring that deaths occurring within 48 hours of discharge be reported. Spokesman Jason Moon said changing the policy aligns LARA with state law, which doesn’t require notification of post-release deaths.
The decision stunned multiple mental health advocates, including Andrea Rizor, the Director of Advocacy for Michigan Protection and Advocacy Services,.
“It looks like they don’t want to know if it’s a suspicious death or not,” she said. "It doesn't make sense."
This week, in response to 7 Action News' findings, the Democratic leader in the state senate is calling for changes.
“Stories like these are deeply concerning, and as a state we should be doing all that we can to help stop these preventable deaths,” said Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint). “The department should have the ability to identify concerning patterns, and if it requires a legislative fix to make sure they are empowered to do so, we will write the bill.”
FUN FACT! REISPERDAL WAS TESTED ON FOSTER KIDS AS LAB RATS ANOTHER FUN FACT! WHEN FOSTER BOYS WOULD GROW BREASTS, THEY WERE PRESCRIBED MORE SECOND GENERATION ANTIPSYCHOTROPICS TO STOP THE BREAST GROWTH
Not one foster boy who was used as a lab rat and grew breasts will receive one red penny.
Not a dime.
Not even allowed access to their medical records upon aging out or escaping of foster care to a life on the streets, with breasts.
Why, you may ask?
Because no one cares and the attorneys will get the largest chunk of the damages, with the States in tow, launching more foreign Social Impact Bond programs, for more socioeconomic experiments, to their Public Private Partnerships, to fund campaigns.
I called Arnold & Itkin to ask if any foster kids would receive part of the settlement, or if the firm is going to work with the States Medicaid Fraud Control Units, but was told that the settlement was for their client.
One person, where not one penny goes to the Foster Kids who were used as lab rats, where the illegal use of Risperdal was billed to Medicaid, where not one penny will be reimbursed to the States.
The law firm did take my information and said they would call me back.
They asked with whom I was working.
I informed them that I would be reporting to the U.S. Department of Justice, who can then refer to the proper conjugal collaboration, just as soon as I publish.
Oh, and if a parent lodges a formal complaint, they are met with threats of termination of parental rights, to put the boy up for adoption to be sold, and continue being drugged above and beyond adult dosages.
Will the States Medicaid Fraud Control Units do anything?
Johnson & Johnson to pay $8B in damages for Risperdal drug linked to female breast tissue in boys
A Philadelphia jury on Tuesday awarded $8 billion in punitive damages against Johnson & Johnson and one if its subsidiaries over a drug the companies made that the plaintiff's attorneys say is linked to the abnormal growth of female breast tissue in boys.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Philadelphia jury on Tuesday awarded $8 billion in punitive damages against Johnson & Johnson and one if its subsidiaries over a drug the companies made that the plaintiff's attorneys say is linked to the abnormal growth of female breast tissue in boys.
Johnson and Johnson immediately denounced the award after the jury's decision in the Court of Common pleas, saying it's "excessive and unfounded" and vowing immediate action to overturn it.
The antipsychotic drug Risperdal is at the center of the lawsuit, with the plaintiff's attorneys arguing it's linked to abnormal growth of female breast tissue in boys, an incurable condition known as gynecomastia.
Johnson & Johnson used an organized scheme to make billions of dollars while illegally marketing and promoting the drug, attorneys Tom Kline and Jason Itkin said in a statement.
Johnson & Johnson said in a statement on its website it was confident that the award would be overturned, calling it "grossly disproportionate" with the initial compensatory damage award and "a clear violation of due process."
Johnson & Johnson said the court's exclusion of key evidence left it unable to present a meaningful defense, including what they said was a drug label that "clearly and appropriately outlined the risks associated with the medicine" or Risperdal's benefits for patients with serious mental illness. They also said the plaintiff's attorneys failed to present any evidence of actual harm.
"This decision is inconsistent with multiple determinations outside of Philadelphia regarding the adequacy of the Risperdal labeling, the medicine's efficacy, and findings in support of the company," Johnson & Johnson said. "We will be immediately moving to set aside this excessive and unfounded verdict."
"It's ok. I know no one cares. They told me that one day my prayers would be answered when I age out of Foster Care."
Well, I do not know if these boys were charged by the State of Michigan or the County.
Can you imagine if the State of Michigan started convicting Foster Kids raping Foster Kids, or Foster Kids being raped by Foster Parents, or Foster Kids being raped by Foster Care Workers?
You can not call it child trafficking because there is no monetary exchange when it comes to a Foster Kid getting raped, unless you consider fraudulent billing Medicaid for outrageous adult levels of psychotropics to silence the screaming.
You can not even call CPS on the privately contracted foreign corporation who is the legal guardian of the Foster Kid getting raped.
Battle Creek – Three boys who were 11, 12 and 13 at the time they were charged have been convicted of raping two young brothers, ages 6 and 8.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports a jury of four men and two women found two of the older boys guilty late Thursday of three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and the other guilty of two counts. They will be sentenced in the juvenile delinquency case on Oct. 23 following a pre-sentence investigation including psychological exams on each of the boys.
The defendants, including two brothers, were charged in June 2018.
The victims told their mother they were taken to an old garage by the other boys and attacked multiple times over a month.
Defense attorneys argued the victims had been coached.
So, for almost 15 years, Nancy Edmunds has just allowed Michigan to continuously dump millions into privately contracted failures, UNISYS, having to dump more money to improve the system to improve performance.
When there is a need to improve performance, that means there are errors in the system.
Errors in a child welfare system are called kidnapping, human trafficking, drugging, rape, torture, beating, attempted and successful suicide.
Errors in a child welfare system are also called Medicaid fraud, but whatever you do, do not tell Nancy that.
Once again, Michigan has successfully slithered through the court, again, to continue another year of trying to figure out how to do more stealin' of the children, the land and the votes because JooYeun Chang has saved the day and is now running Michigan's Children's Services Agency!
Detroit — Michigan’s child-welfare agency will phase out a troubled computer system that has cost the state $231 million over the past five years, officials told a federal judge Thursday.
State child welfare officials announced the decision while briefing U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds on how the state is caring for children who were removed from homes due to abuse and neglect.
Edmunds heard from attorneys and the state welfare officials on improvements and progressas part of a court-oversight update in connection with a lawsuit brought by the New York-based Children's Rights child welfare rights organization 13 years ago.
Computers that caseworkers use to document cases and log intake of children as were highlighted as a major concern at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The computer system, which went online in 2014, has cost the state $231 million,
JooYeun Chang, the executive director of the state Children's Services Agency, told the judge the old computer system will be phased out and will be replaced by a newer one.
"We're going to build a new system one area at a time so that they make sure the new system works," Chang told Edmunds.
The judge told Chang: "I hope that can be accomplished quickly. This has been a hindrance (to the state's child welfare system)."
Chang told reporters following the hearing she expects a new system will be in place within five years.
Robert Gordon, director for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said he will seek funding for the new system from the Michigan Legislature. He said half of the cost for the computer system is paid for by the federal government.
"We need to perform better as a department in the way we manage technology," Gordon said after the hearing. "We're focused on improving our performance."
Simple glitches such as having to input data multiple times are among the problems plaguing the system, said Gordon.
Replacing the troubled computer system is among the reforms MDHHS is pursuing to resolve the lawsuit, which was filed in August 2006 by Children's Rights to address concerns about the state's foster care system.
The lawsuit alleges that children's constitutional rights were being violated because the state failed to move them quickly into safe, stable permanent homes, provide them with medical services, and prepare youths who age out of foster care.
in addition, the state's child welfare system was poorly managed, underfunded and lacked sufficient staff, which further put children at risk of harm, according to the suit.
Chang told Edmunds the children's welfare agency is making changes that include helping relatives of children in the foster care system get licensed and become providers for the youths.
Other changes in the works: eliminating the state’s compliance reviews of cases up to two years old, focusing efforts to prevent child maltreatment on the activities most directly related to stopping it, and getting youth into effective programs, such as the Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care program.
Samantha Bartosz, the deputy director of litigation strategy for Children's Rights, told the judge she feels the group and the state have reached a "sound resolution" in moving forward on the issues that prompted the lawsuit.
"The modified approach will deliver sounds results for children," Bartosz said.
After the proceedings, she said the reforms reflected a more than decade-long struggle to have the system regulated to better serve children and protect them.
"There are safety regulations in the agreement now," Bartosz said. "They are committed to staying on top of important safety measures."
JooYeun Chang, a veteran of child welfare policy and practice, is now the senior deputy director in charge of the Children’s Services Agency at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Chang joined the agency, which is led by Robert Gordon, in late May.
“With JooYeun’s deep knowledge of what works, her diverse experiences, and her passionate commitment, we can help many more children achieve safety, gain permanency, and ultimately realize their potential,” Gordon said, in a statement announcing her hiring.
Chang got her start in child welfare policy as a staff attorney at the Children’s Defense Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based organization founded in the 1970s by Marian Wright Edelman. Chang was then brought on by the Seattle-based grant maker Casey Family Programs, which is focused on reducing the number of youth in America who come into foster care, as its senior director of public policy.
In 2013, Chang left Casey to join the Obama administration as its associate commission for the Children’s Bureau, the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that administers most federal funds for child welfare. The bureau oversees Title IV-E, the central entitlement program for federal funds to support foster care payments and adoption subsidies, as well as federal spending on family preservation and independent living programs.
Chang left in the final year of the administration, and resumed her role with Casey Family Programs.
“JooYeun Chang is an incredibly talented and committed leader and change agent. I have had the opportunity to work with her in a variety of ways since 2007, and over those 12 years, her commitment to the well-being of all children and families has remained her focus and has never wavered,” said Casey CEO William Bell, in the statement announcing Chang’s new position. “Michigan will benefit greatly from her leadership.”
In Michigan, Chang inherits a state that has been under a court-monitored settlement agreement since 2008, the result of a class-action lawsuit filed against it by Children’s Rights. Last September, an audit of the agency she now leads found it had often failed to complete background checks or conduct proper interviews in the course of investigating maltreatment claims.
Unlike many of its Midwest brethren, Michigan has not seen its foster care totals skyrocket in recent years as the opioid crisis fueled a spike in removals. In fact, according to federal data, Michigan’s foster care total declined from 14,522 to 11,918 between 2012 and 2017.
JooYeun Chang, testifying at a 2014 Senate hearing about child trafficking and re-homing. Photo: Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
The state has indicated its intention to delay implementation on a federal law aimed at keeping more youth out of foster care. The Family First Prevention Services Act, signed into law in February of 2018, enables states to use the Title IV-E entitlement for certain substance abuse, mental health and parenting services to avoid the removal of children from their parents. The law also puts limits on the use of IV-E funds for the placement of youth in group homes and other congregate care environments.
States have the option of delaying implementation of the law until 2021. As of June, 27 states including Michigan had formally notified the Children’s Bureau of an intention to delay.
Casey Family Programs was a key player in fomenting support for the law, and continues to support efforts to help states move toward implementation of it. Chang was front and center in those efforts, so it will be interesting to see if Michigan now moves more quickly on Family First.
And to think I have been calling it crap for all this time.
What I get a kick out of predictive modeling crap is when you actually question the authors about their data in child welfare, which is typically the point when everyone in the room turns and looks at you with blank faces wondering why I am always such a horrible person for humiliating persons of authority in a public setting.
You are not supposed to question child welfare because it is a secret that they use foster kids as lab rats and they will terminate your parental rights if you grieve.
I just adore federally funded consortia symposiums because they always have really good catering and corporate goodie bags.
I just found it quite odd that one would choose his method of suicide to be beating himself up with a blunt object with the medical examiner concurring.
He was an executive at Pfzier.
But, hey, what do I know?
I know HHS should be in shambles, due to all the Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Nov. 1 death of Daniel Best, a pharmaceutical executive from Bay Village who led U.S. Department of Health and Human Services efforts to lower prescription drug prices, has been ruled a suicide, officials in Washington, D.C., said Thursday.
Police say Best was found "unresponsive" near the garage door exit of an apartment building in Washington, D.C.'s Navy Yard neighborhood at 5:25 a.m. on Nov. 1, and was pronounced dead by medical personnel who responded to the scene.
The city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Thursday said Best died from "multiple blunt force injuries" and it ruled his death a suicide. It would not release further information.
In announcing his death, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the 49-year-old former CVSHealth and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals executive agreed to work at HHS "out of a desire to serve the American people by making health care more affordable."
"He brought his deep expertise and passion to this task with great humility and collegiality," Azar's statement said. "All of us who served with Dan at HHS and in the administration mourn his passing and extend our thoughts and prayers to his wife Lisa and the entire Best family at this difficult time."
This investigation is about the child welfare contracts.
The Michigan Auditor General is about to present the next report on the Child Placing Agencies, which I guarantee, is going to be uglier than the Child Protective Services audit.
The Auditor General is parsimoniously honing down to the extent of Medicaid fraud in child welfare, along with many other nasty things that go along side with the trafficking of tiny humans.
This investigation is not limited to Michigan, it is international, but I will tell you one thing, it all started here in Michigan and it always starts with child welfare because no one cares.
Dr. Robert Gerl works with the state’s disability determination service out of a Kalamazoo office, said Bob Wheaton, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The department's understanding is that the psychologist working for the department is the same Gerl whose priestly faculties were revoked by the Diocese of Lansing for credible allegations of sexual assault of an adult male alleged to have occurred decades ago, Wheaton said. The department was looking into the claims, which it learned of through media reports, he said.
Gerl does not work directly with patients in his role with the state, Wheaton said.
Randall Levine, Gerl’s lawyer, urged people not to rush to judgment regarding his client. In a statement, Levine said he was sure Gerl would be vindicated of the allegation of “inappropriate conduct that is supposed to have occurred more than 35 years ago.”
“This is the only person who has ever complained about Mr. Gerl,” Levine said. “He has enjoyed a lifetime of honorable service to the church as a priest, the schools as a counselor and in the community as a respected therapist.”
Gerl declined comment when contacted last week by The Detroit News.
Gerl has no direct contact with state clients, Wheaton said, noting that his contract involves reviewing paper documents to discern whether a person is eligible to receive disability or Social Security benefits. He’s been employed by the state since July 2016.
Gerl has had his full license to practice psychology since 2011, though he worked with a limited license prior to that while completing school, according to state records. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has said it is reviewing the allegations "reported in recent news stories involving this individual."
The Diocese of Lansing removed Gerl’s permission to publicly minister in the diocese on Oct. 5, a couple days after the diocese surrendered its files to Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office as part of an ongoing investigation into clergy sex abuse and potential cover-ups dating back to the 1950s in Michigan’s seven dioceses.
Andrea Bitely, a spokeswoman for Schuette's office, said she could not comment on any details of Schuette's investigation into the dioceses.
The investigation was launched after a grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania revealed hundreds of abuser priests who molested more than 1,000 children since the 1940s. Schuette’s office has asked any victims or people with information about alleged incidents to contact investigators at Michigan.gov/CI or at (844) 324-3374.
Gerl is a senior priest who has not been assigned to a parish in a number of years, Diocese of Lansing spokesman Michael Diebold said last week. He was unable to provide details of Gerl’s work for the diocese because his was one of the files Schuette’s office took on Oct. 3.
Online church bulletins indicate Gerl filled in at churches in the Lansing area as recently as June.
Following Lansing’s announcement, the Diocese of Kalamazoo issued its own statement saying that Gerl had also served in Kalamazoo. He worked at Nazareth College from 1986 to 1991, at St. Thomas More Parish in Kalamazoo from 1997 to 2000, and at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Portage from 2000 to 2009.
State records indicate Gerl was placed on temporary probation in 2006 because he allegedly was referring to himself as a doctor before being granted a doctoral degree in psychology. The incident was alleged to have occurred while he worked as a school psychologist at the intermediate school district in Allegan County. In 2010, he was again cited for failing to meet regularly with a supervisor during his post-doctoral work.
Gerl worked as a school psychologist for Allegan Area Educational Service Agency from 2000 to 2011, according to Tom Scheidel, a spokesman for the agency. He worked at the Hillside Learning and Behavior Center, "a school for special needs students that serves pre-school through age 26."
"As with all AAESA employees, Mr. Gerl passed a background check prior to his employment. He left AAESA in 2011 of his own accord to pursue a different job opportunity," Scheidel said in a statement.
Mr. Chairman, as we consider today’s narrow topic of class action lawsuits against intermediate care facilities that care for individuals with intellectual disabilities, we must be sure that our focus is always on this key question—how can we ensure that people with mental disabilities receive the best care possible, appropriate to their individual circumstances?
Since the 1960s, aided by the advent of psychotropic drugs, there has been a national effort to move away from caring for people with mental disabilities in large institutions. Today, there is a broad consensus that, where possible, people with intellectual disabilities should be integrated into their communities, in less restrictive settings. This has been aided by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the DOJ regulations implementing the ADA, which require state and local governments to administer programs in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of the individual.
In 1999, the Supreme Court made clear in Olmstead v. L.C. that, with respect to persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities who have been institutionalized in intermediate care facilities, unjustified institutionalization of such persons constitutes unlawful segregation of persons with disabilities and, therefore, is a violation of the ADA.
The Court clarified in Olmstead, however, that the obligation of states to integrate institutionalized persons into community-based programs only attached where: (1) the state’s medical professionals conclude that such placement is medically appropriate; (2) the resident of the institution does not oppose placement in a community-based program; and (3) such placement can be reasonably accommodated in light of the state’s resources and the needs of others with mental disabilities.
The Olmstead Court endeavored to promote the integration of persons with mental disabilities into the mainstream of American society while being flexible enough to recognize that not all such persons are able to live in a community setting, and they may require a higher level of care than community programs may be able to provide.
Some families of persons with intellectual disabilities are concerned, however, that the carefully balanced approach set forth by the Court has, in practice, become a bias toward community integration, even when an individual would be best served by remaining in an institution. These family members believe that deinstitutionalization efforts have placed their loved ones at unnecessary risk by denying or eroding their ability to remain in an institutional setting, which may be necessary for their care.
They are concerned that when States move individuals out of institutional settings and into community-based care, such placements have sometimes been used as an excuse for the State to save money and to reduce their commitment to care for individuals with disabilities, with predictable and tragic results.
Furthermore, some have argued that when class action litigation is filed to enforce Olmstead, individuals with disabilities and their families do not have an adequate ability to participate in the case, or to opt out, even though the court’s decision will inevitably impact the care available to the individual.
For this reason, back in the 111th and 112th Congresses, our former colleague, Representative Barney Frank, introduced legislation that would have effectively curtailed the use of class actions to enforce Olmstead by “protection and advocacy” agencies—which are federally-funded entities charged with enforcing the rights of persons with disabilities. Among other things, the bill would impose a pre-suit notification requirement and would give residents of intermediate care facilities that are the target of a potential lawsuit or their legal representatives the right to “opt out” of a putative class before a class action could be filed against that facility.
Opponents of this legislation argued that the bill would make it too difficult to pursue class relief on behalf of institutionalized persons with intellectual disabilities, by making it too hard to form a class in the first place, and by giving potential defendant facilities the opportunity to intimidate residents into opting out of a potential class action.
Moreover, they noted the bill was unnecessary to the extent that it was intended to help class members who objected to a class action because Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which governs class actions, already includes a number of procedural protections for class members. These include the numerous requirements for class certification and the ability of class members to challenge any proposed settlement agreement that might affect their interests.
It is almost axiomatic that class actions are a key tool of civil rights enforcement, including the enforcement of rights that protect people with disabilities from unjustified segregation. Therefore, we must be wary of legislative efforts to curtail their use. As a society, we have made much progress in breaking down physical and social barriers against persons with disabilities since the ADA’s enactment. Efforts to undermine enforcement through litigation could threaten to turn the clock back. At the same time, we must recognize that some litigation may have unintended consequences.
For too long, many people with intellectual disabilities were shunted to the outskirts of society, their fundamental dignity and value ignored. We must be mindful that in protecting the rights of individuals to be cared for in community-based settings, we have an equal duty to protect the rights of those for whom an institutional facility is more appropriate. Ensuring that each person with mental disabilities receives the level of care best suited to their individual needs requires a careful balance.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today as to how we can best strike this balance and I yield back the balance of my time.
Making healthy choices on psychotropic drugs in foster care can be fun!
A foster youth, as clearly demonstrated in the lovely brochure, below, does not have the option of refusing medication.
One choice could be to sell the drugs for something that makes the foster youth feel better like food, clothes, or a secret android to get on Facebook and make plans of when the age out comes, or just stay in touch with the parents, which is not allowed by the States court of law.
Yes, chemical restraints in child welfare is the most humane and compassionate form of treatment, other than electro-shock treatment, physical restraints, or solitary confinement, because beatings are not really acceptable, now-a-days.
So, if you know you are going to be stuck in foster care for a few years, you might as well get addicted to some form of emotional altering substances, besides, it is all billable to Medicaid.
Dependency starts young for a loyal future drug customer.
Michigan's Ben Hansen, a major inspiration in my mission to end Medicaid fraud in child welfare, has left the world his legacy today. He was one of the first, if not the first, individuals to question the drugging children with high levels of psychotropic and its billing to Medicaid.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65939129/20775_Pembroke_Ave_Detroit_MI_large_002_002_20775_Pembroke_St_Detroit0002_1500x1000_72dpi.0.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19541964/20775_Pembroke_Ave_Detroit_MI_large_011_011_20775_Pembroke_St_Detroit0011_1500x1000_72dpi.jpg)
