Last August, Sequels Pompano Youth Treatment Center failed a state inspection that found a range of deficiencies at the 24-bed Florida treatment center. In June, Sequel announced it was shutting down its 60-bed treatment center in Mountain Home, Idaho, a city of 16,000 people located about 40 miles southeast of Boise. Below are some of the allegations from victims, staff, and advocates which were shared during the NBC investigation and a report filed by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program of what was seen at just one Alabama location: Parents and adoptive parents have stated, "they come out worse than they were when they went in.". Jay Ripley speaks at the Merrick School of Business in Baltimore in 2015. You can make money in this business if you control staffing, said Ripley, who at the time made $104,167 per month from Sequel as chairman, according to a financial disclosure. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the company currently operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states, totaling 34 establishments. Many of Those Kids Were Abused There. She said she regularly witnessed staff members putting girls into violent restraints, to the point where they struggled to breathe, allegations also documented by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program and in NBC News interviews with other former residents. I just want people to be held accountable, Patricia said. The statute of limitations for each state determines the amount of time that a victim has to file an abuse lawsuit. We focused on public pay because we figured kids are always going to have issues and they're always going to get in trouble, and again, the government has to figure out a way to take care of them, Ripley explained, according to a video recording. Those close relationships come in handy when the company faces scrutiny. HUNTSVILLE, Ala., June 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequel Youth and Family Services today announced that Chris W. Roussos has been appointed the Company's Chief Executive Officer. Potential defendants in the Sequel Youth and Family Services abuse lawsuit may include one or more of the following parties: To best determine potential defendants, consult with an experienced attorney. You can still file a Sequel abuse lawsuit against facilities that are closed. These cookies do not store any personal information. The series focused particular attention on the state of Florida, which has become emblematic of a nationwide trend in which growing numbers . Sequel TSI in Owens Cross Roads emailed a statement reading "TSI . The company has offered all-expenses-paid trips to state employees to tour the companys facilities. While much of the abuse in Sequel facilities allegedly went undocumented, many other instances were well reported and even noticed by state officials responsible for ensuring the safety of youth residents. The lawsuit, filed by the parent of a child, identified as Hunter C., placed at Sequel's Courtland facility in north Alabama in early 2018 at age 14, claims he suffered long-term abuse at the . Members of our attorney team have first-hand experience with youth residential treatment facilities and abuse cases. There were feces on the floor, stuck inside the doorframe, stuck around the window.. The state investigation found no rule violations. They are supported by a dedicated team of staff that are as equally friendly and helpful. Instead, it responded with a written statement saying, Jay Ripley and his family formed Vivant with the goal to help youth and adult consumers of behavioral health services and that the company was committed to providing ethical and quality treatment services to its clients and their families and communities.. Toxic chemicals in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF Firefighting Foam) have been linked to numerous types of cancer, including: AFFF Firefighting Foam lawsuits aim to hold manufacturers accountable for putting peoples health at risk. Sequel was established to operate Clarinda Academy in Iowa, but soon expanded to operate dozens of youth residential treatment facilities around the country. Ohio announced recently that it was forcing the Sequel Pomegranate location to relinquish its license to operate the treatment facility. A 14-year-old boy with a bloody gash just beneath his hairline told her that staff members had shoved him headfirst into a wall, Johnson said. The lawsuit alleges: Tevin did not receive the necessary mental health treatment he needed but was instead physically abused and emotionally traumatized at Sequel Tuskegee. The company later said in an email that in cases where a child's safety is threatened, "we take all necessary actions from employee termination, to policy and process changes, to staff-wide retraining to ensure we live up to our high standards of care for the youth we serve.". The company used marketing to secure state funding, despite government inspections flagging violations. They hope to raise awareness by speaking out. When you think about the amount of money that these facilities and Sequel are receiving, he said, it makes you wonder: Where exactly is that money going?. An employee at a Sequel facility in Utah was arrested for sexual battery and showing pornography to minors. Northern Illinois Academy (NIA), located in Aurora, Illinois, is an 87-bed facility that receives funding from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), and the . Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 2.8. Five years ago, Sequel Youth & Family Services ran a chain of treatment programs that took in and tried to help troubled kids from all over the United States. Vivant is using the change of ownership to fight litigation against the treatment centers formerly owned by Sequel. I highly recommend this law firm! The state did not end its relationship with Sequel. Sequel formerly ran the following facilities: Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Sequel Youth and Family Services, alleging abuse of all sorts and negligent behavior of staff and management. Ratings by category. Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional & Psychological Abuse. It was valued by investors at more than $400 million. Theyre worth nearly $13 million. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Responsible for the recommendation of all admissions, transfers, and discharges of . "At Sequel Youth & Family Services, we have dedicated our careers to helping this nation's most vulnerable youth. With the goal of continuous improvement and our support, the company has consistently invested in quality and safety initiatives and in its staff to raise the bar and drive positive outcomes for thousands of individuals trusted to its care.. That national corporation also owns Woodward Academy and Forest Ridge Youth Services in . Sexual abuse has also been reported in Sequel facilities and is just as unreported and undocumented as physical abuse. The operation housed a significant number of children from Oregon, which stopped sending them to Sequel treatment centers in 2020. Dont' waste time, contact our law offices today. 3. The company dreamed of dominating Americas $220 billion behavioral health care industry. As recently as November, Sequel garnered attention when it announced the sudden closure of its Bernalillo Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which treated youths with behavioral and developmental challenges. That's not what we saw.". Fredericks went into cardiac arrest April 29. Ripley sold a majority stake in Sequel to private equity firm Altamont Capital Partners in 2017, shortly after his bid to take the company public fizzled due to insufficient investment. The Alabama Department of Youth Services contracts with the facility as a private provider, placing boys there for a maximum stay of 120 days. For what theyve done, and what theyre not doing. An NBC News investigation based on more than 10,000 pages of records from 14 states and interviews with former Sequel residents, their parents and attorneys, probation officers and watchdog groups reveals how Sequel became one of the biggest behavioral health youth facility operators in the country. Alamo Drafthouse revealed it is selling itself as the dine-in cinema chain filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday -- and one of its new co-owners is a private-equity firm that has been engulfed in a . Tevin did not feel safe at Sequel Tuskegee. In 2017, when a private equity firm bought a controlling stake in Sequel Youth & Family Services, it had 35 residential treatment centers in 16 states. Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. You can also sue facility staff members who are no longer working for Sequel. Sequel Youth and Family Services received nearly $9 million in reimbursement payments from the state of Michigan in 2019, according to the state. I guess we just lifted each other up.. In an article from APM Reports analyzing Riverside Academy in Kansas, a former Sequel operation, it was found that: In the four years before it closed, the facility had been cited 38 times by Kansas officials for problems including excessive force by staff, poor supervision, under-qualified medical personnel, neglect and bullying by residents, according to state licensing records.. We've recovered over $4 Billion in verdicts & settlements, 16 Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Diseases & Symptoms, Sequel Youth and Family Services Abuse Lawsuit. A majority stake in Sequel was bought by Altamont Capital, a private equity firm located in California, in 2017. Multiple lawsuits have been filed in Alabama, alleging rampant abuse in Sequel's . Sara E. Teller, Alabama father brings lawsuit against Sequel facility alleging staff abused his son, LegalReader.com, Jan. 1, 2021 (available at https: . In response to questions about allegations of abuse and negligence at Sequel facilities, Altamont said in a statement: We conducted significant due diligence prior to our initial investment and are confident that Sequel Youth and Family Services is one of the best operators in the industry. In 2020, 16-year-old Cornelius Frederick died after he was reportedly smothered to death by Sequel employees in Michigan after he threw a sandwich. Tommy James, an attorney representing the boy identified only as Hunter C., said his client lived at Sequel TSI of Courtland in 2018 and 2019, where . The latest Sequel treatment centers to close are in Idaho, Florida, and Iowa, all of which had been under government scrutiny in recent years. However, advocacy groups say that Sequels track record should be a red flag to states that send Sequel their most troubled children along with millions in taxpayer dollars. The Alabama Department of Human . Officials at Sequel Youth & Family Services did not respond to requests for comment on the Oct. 14 report. lawsuits and interviews with former residents, staff . Responses to the Youth Risk Behavior survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention biannually, showed that over 40% of high school students reported feeling so sad or . The Training Manager is responsible for directing, planning and implementing the training program.Also, takes the lead with staff training and personnel development. Sequel Youth & Family Services. Illuminating Journalism from American Public Media. What we do is we strive every day to provide the best care we can for kids in these facilities, Birmingham said. Alabama Sequel Facility a House of Horrors for Foster Child, Lawsuit Claims. He watched through a window as children made their way to class. Sequel, a company with locations in 20 states that turned a $25 million profit in 2016, markets itself as a national leader in providing specialized care for at-risk youth. Alabama cannot wait for the death of a child before severing ties with Sequel, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program told state agencies in its July report, which called on the state to end its contracts with Sequel and revoke the companys licenses. Both options are completely confidential and completely discrete. TorHoerman Law is an extraordinary law firm a firm that truly makes the clients best interests the primary concern. Physical abuse at these facilities often includes: Northern Illinois Academy in Des Plaines, operated by Sequel, was closed because of reported abuse by staff, and improper restraints were highlighted in news reports surrounding the closure. Today, youth counselors at Sequel facilities start off making $12 to $15 per hour, depending on the location. He and the other children at Sequel Tuskegee were treated like animals by staff. Government regulators and the media took notice. I dont want any other kid to have to go through that, Tristan said. He named his new business Sequel because it was his second foray into the industry. Iowa's Department of Corrections rents buildings and land to its owner, Sequel Youth and Family Services. The lawsuit alleges that Pike was placed in isolation as punishment, sometimes for days, during which he had no access to food and water and was forced to urinate in the corner of the segregation room. In Alabama alone, Sequel received nearly $25 million in Medicaid payments from 2018 to this August. Many states have reportedly revoked contracts with Sequel (but not Alabama). CORRECTION (Dec. 16, 2020, 5:17 p.m. A 16-year-old Michigan boy went into cardiac arrest and died after several staff members of the residential treatment facility he stayed at restrained him, according to a lawsuit filed Monday. Earlier that year, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare wrote a scathing report accusing the treatment center of significant failure in staff oversight and training resulting in over 100 incidents of aberrant sexual behavior by five children over at least three months, and possibly as far back as seven months.. The doorframe, stuck inside the doorframe, stuck around the window than $ 400 million formerly owned by.... Facilities that are as equally friendly and helpful, in 2017 his second foray into the industry the... Them to Sequel treatment centers formerly owned by Sequel the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $ 100 lawsuit... 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