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March 7th 07, 06:00 AM
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/07/7oaks.html
Psychiatric center has been cited 37 times since 2004
Center where six residents were arrested now subject of new investigation.
Listen to this article or download audio file.Click-2-Listen
By Andrea Ball
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
A South Austin psychiatric center where six residents were arrested
Sunday has been cited for licensing violations 37 times since late 2004.
According to documents from the Texas Department of Family and
Protective Services, the Oaks Treatment Center at 1407 W. Stassney Lane
was cited for:
•A February 2006 incident in which a staffer punched a child in the face
during a physical restraint.
•A September incident in which a resident said she was sexually
assaulted by another resident.
•An October incident in which a resident said an employee gave him
marijuana.
•Failure to perform criminal background checks on staffers.
•Failure to report serious incidents, such as when two residents
reportedly beat up a younger child, in a timely manner.
Dr. Ed Prettyman, CEO of the center, and Brent Turner, executive vice
president of parent company Psychiatric Solutions Inc., did not return
phone calls seeking comment.
The Oaks facility, which provides psychiatric care for children ages 5
to 17, is licensed and inspected by the Department of Family and
Protective Services. The department can deal with licensing violations
by increasing inspections, enforcing corrective action plans and
suspending or revoking licenses.
The state never did any of those things. Department spokesman Chris
VanDeusen said that, until Sunday, inspectors had not seen a pattern
that warranted such intervention.
The center "was certainly on our radar screen," he said. "We just didn't
have a case assembled to take that corrective action."
On Sunday, six residents of the Oaks center were arrested after they
became unruly and trapped several staff members in an office, Austin
police said.
Two of the older residents, both 17, have been charged with unlawful
restraint, a misdemeanor. Investigators are debating whether to charge
them with criminal mischief, police said Tuesday.
The status of the four juveniles who were arrested is not public record.
The state is looking at the incident and has had several investigators
at the center this week, VanDeusen said. Investigations generally take
several months, but the state can take action sooner than that, he said.
"It's something we're treating very seriously," he said. "We're trying
to find out whether state standards were violated. In addition to that,
we have concerns about past problems we've seen. This is not an isolated
thing we're looking at."
According to department records, of the 37 violations the Oaks has
received since 2004, 26 have come in the past 14 months. The results of
three additional investigations are pending.
The violations listed with the state include paperwork problems and
failure to protect children from employees and other residents.
Violation reports on the Department of Family and Protective Services
Web site do not provide specifics or the facility's response to every
incident. For example, the online report about the February 2006
incident in which a child was punched does not say how the center dealt
with the problem.
But some documents do provide additional detail.
According to a September 2005 report, "A (staffer) intentionally pulled
the child's hair during a restraint and also called the child a
derogatory name. The staff member was dismissed from her employment at
the facility."
A January 2006 report states, "Staff failed to protect the (health)
safety and well-being of a child in care when he slapped her in the face
in (an) attempt to 'calm her down.' The facility reacted appropriately
when the incident occurred and this particular (staffer) is no longer
employed at the facility."
The center also suspended the employee accused of giving a resident
marijuana and has no plans to bring him back, VanDeusen said.
; 912-2506
About the Oaks Treatment Center
•A private, residential psychiatric facility for youths ages 5 to 17
that has been owned by Psychiatric Solutions Inc. since April 2003.
•Treats children for problems including depression, conduct disorder,
oppositional defiant disorder, truancy, impulse control disorder and
substance abuse.
•Licensed by the Department of Family and Protective Services.
•Licensed for 118 children, with an average length of stay of 90 to 180
days.
Sources: Oaks Treatment Center Web site, Department of Family and
Protective Services
Psychiatric center has been cited 37 times since 2004
Center where six residents were arrested now subject of new investigation.
Listen to this article or download audio file.Click-2-Listen
By Andrea Ball
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
A South Austin psychiatric center where six residents were arrested
Sunday has been cited for licensing violations 37 times since late 2004.
According to documents from the Texas Department of Family and
Protective Services, the Oaks Treatment Center at 1407 W. Stassney Lane
was cited for:
•A February 2006 incident in which a staffer punched a child in the face
during a physical restraint.
•A September incident in which a resident said she was sexually
assaulted by another resident.
•An October incident in which a resident said an employee gave him
marijuana.
•Failure to perform criminal background checks on staffers.
•Failure to report serious incidents, such as when two residents
reportedly beat up a younger child, in a timely manner.
Dr. Ed Prettyman, CEO of the center, and Brent Turner, executive vice
president of parent company Psychiatric Solutions Inc., did not return
phone calls seeking comment.
The Oaks facility, which provides psychiatric care for children ages 5
to 17, is licensed and inspected by the Department of Family and
Protective Services. The department can deal with licensing violations
by increasing inspections, enforcing corrective action plans and
suspending or revoking licenses.
The state never did any of those things. Department spokesman Chris
VanDeusen said that, until Sunday, inspectors had not seen a pattern
that warranted such intervention.
The center "was certainly on our radar screen," he said. "We just didn't
have a case assembled to take that corrective action."
On Sunday, six residents of the Oaks center were arrested after they
became unruly and trapped several staff members in an office, Austin
police said.
Two of the older residents, both 17, have been charged with unlawful
restraint, a misdemeanor. Investigators are debating whether to charge
them with criminal mischief, police said Tuesday.
The status of the four juveniles who were arrested is not public record.
The state is looking at the incident and has had several investigators
at the center this week, VanDeusen said. Investigations generally take
several months, but the state can take action sooner than that, he said.
"It's something we're treating very seriously," he said. "We're trying
to find out whether state standards were violated. In addition to that,
we have concerns about past problems we've seen. This is not an isolated
thing we're looking at."
According to department records, of the 37 violations the Oaks has
received since 2004, 26 have come in the past 14 months. The results of
three additional investigations are pending.
The violations listed with the state include paperwork problems and
failure to protect children from employees and other residents.
Violation reports on the Department of Family and Protective Services
Web site do not provide specifics or the facility's response to every
incident. For example, the online report about the February 2006
incident in which a child was punched does not say how the center dealt
with the problem.
But some documents do provide additional detail.
According to a September 2005 report, "A (staffer) intentionally pulled
the child's hair during a restraint and also called the child a
derogatory name. The staff member was dismissed from her employment at
the facility."
A January 2006 report states, "Staff failed to protect the (health)
safety and well-being of a child in care when he slapped her in the face
in (an) attempt to 'calm her down.' The facility reacted appropriately
when the incident occurred and this particular (staffer) is no longer
employed at the facility."
The center also suspended the employee accused of giving a resident
marijuana and has no plans to bring him back, VanDeusen said.
; 912-2506
About the Oaks Treatment Center
•A private, residential psychiatric facility for youths ages 5 to 17
that has been owned by Psychiatric Solutions Inc. since April 2003.
•Treats children for problems including depression, conduct disorder,
oppositional defiant disorder, truancy, impulse control disorder and
substance abuse.
•Licensed by the Department of Family and Protective Services.
•Licensed for 118 children, with an average length of stay of 90 to 180
days.
Sources: Oaks Treatment Center Web site, Department of Family and
Protective Services