A Mother's Quest for Accountability

Facility put on probation, but free to take new clients

By Kirsten Stewart The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:10/13/2007 12:55:43 AM MDT

A residential youth treatment center was cited on Friday for providing inadequate medical care to Brendan James Blum, a 14-year-old California boy who died at its Draper facility.

Utah licensers placed Youth Care of Utah on probation, requiring the center to, among other requirements, retool employee training. Youth Care was not fined and it is free to accept new clients, though no more than five every 30 days.

The disciplinary action was reached as part of a settlement between the facility and lawyers for the state Human Services Office of Licensing, which regulates Utah's teen-help industry. Licensing director Ken Stettler said he hopes Friday's action shows the state takes its watchdog role seriously. It comes a day after criminal neglect charges were filed against two former Youth Care counselors in connection with Brendan's June 28 death.

It also coincides with a congressional probe into wilderness camps, which detailed thousands of cases of abuse nationwide since 1990. Of 10 deaths detailed in the federal report, five occurred in Utah.

The cases showed a pattern of lax government oversight and medical neglect, with counselors assuming the teens were making up their symptoms. Brendan Blum's mother, Dana Blum, fears the same issues may have played a role in her son's death. Blum said she "feels" for the employees at Youth Care, but said the facility should have been shut down, at least temporarily, and the owners held accountable.

"Nothing will bring Brendan back," said Blum. "But the bottom line is that when a parent makes a difficult decision to place their child in a treatment program, the management and caretakers have a responsibility to ensure their safety. There shouldn't be any tolerance for the death of a child."

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Charges Filed in Death of Brendan Blum

2 youth counselors charged in California boy's death
14-year-old was staying at treatment center in Draper

By Pat Reavy and Rebecca Palmer
Deseret Morning News
Published: October 12, 2007

Two counselors at a residential youth treatment center in Draper where a 14-year-old boy died in June were charged Thursday in connection with the boy's death.

Deborah Cole and Jorge Ramirez, from Youth Care Inc., 12600 Minuteman Drive, each face one count of abuse or neglect of a child, a third-degree felony.

On June 27, Brendan Blum of California was suffering bowel and stomach problems. He had been vomiting and suffering from diarrhea all night, said Draper Police Sgt. Gerry Allred. Rather than contacting the on-call nurse as the facility's policy dictates, the boy was simply given some medicine and put in a separate room away from the rest of the boys, he said. The next morning, the boy, who was listed as a disabled child because he had Asperger's syndrome, was found dead on his mattress.

"There was no really good reason why they didn't take him ... no explanation except they just thought it was an upset stomach," Allred said.

An autopsy determined the boy had an obstructed bowel that deteriorated as the night went on, Allred said. The on-call nurse, who was later interviewed by police, said if she had been called to look at the boy she would have advised he immediately go to the hospital, he said.
The Utah State Medical Examiner concurred, "if medical intervention had been obtained, (the boy's) death would have been preventable," according to court documents.

The boy's mother, Dana Blum, said she is appalled that workers at the facility didn't take him to an emergency room. Any time a child dies while in the care of a licensed facility, the facility should be shut down immediately, she said.

Blum has filed a complaint with the Utah licensing board and is waiting for the investigation to be completed.

She hopes the individuals who operated the facility will be held accountable along with the workers.

"I don't wish them any ill, I would just like to see justice done for my son," she said.

The facility issued a statement shortly after the boy's death saying it was the result of a "medical condition." The group home is operated by Aspen Education Group, based in Cerritos, Calif. It is a division of the CRC Health Group, which runs boarding schools, outdoor education programs and weight-loss camps.

Ironically, the charges came one day after the Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C., found thousands of abuse allegations at camps and other private treatment facilities around the country.

Blum hopes the national attention will result in stricter standards and more accountability across the board.

Brendan was placed in the facility following treatment at a California hospital. Blum said she researched Youth Care Inc. extensively before sending her son there.

"This is double-edged sword for me," she said. "I am not a deadbeat mom."

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Caretakers at Draper youth care center charged with child abuse in death of 14-year-old

By Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune Article
Last Updated: 10/11/2007 05:22:00 PM MDT

Two caretakers at a Draper assisted-living facility were charged Thursday with failing to provide medical aid to a 14-year-old resident who died under their supervision in June. Jorge Ramirez and Deborah Cole were both on duty at Youth Care Inc. on June 27 when 14-year-old Brendan Blum of Santa Barbara, Calif., died.

An autopsy concluded that Blum died from an inadequate blood supply to his small bowel, according to a criminal complaint filed in 3rd District Court. On the night of his death, Blum had a loss of bowel control, vomited and complained of stomach pain, but Ramirez and Cole did not provide or seek medical help for him, the complaint states.

Blum was found dead on the morning of June 28. A state medical examiner concluded that Blum's death could have been prevented if he had been given medical attention.

"Secure treatment facilities are responsible for providing appropriate medical treatment and care for the children entrusted to their supervision," Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller said in a news release. "In this case, it is alleged that a young boy's need for emergency medical treatment was ignored and that this negligence resulted in the boy's death." Miller also said that state law requires that treatment facilities and their employees be held to a "heightened standard of care."

Blum was at the facility because he had Asperger's Syndrome, a disorder related to autism.

Cole and Ramirez are each charged with one third-degree felony count of abuse or neglect of a child. The crime is punishable by up to five years in jail.

WHO'S WATCHING THE CAREGIVERS?

Brendan James Blum, 14

[Photo Personal Property of the Blum Family and May Not Be Used by Others Without Their Permission]

There are many questions yet to be answered about the death of 14-year-old Brendan Blum on June 28, 2007 at Youth Care, a private treatment facility in Draper, Utah.The facility, which recently had its license suspended for 90 days, is part of the Aspen Education Group (Cerritos, California) one of the nation's largest providers of education programs for struggling or underachieving young people.

According to the results of an autopsy, the official cause of Brendan's death was determined to be a bowel infarction (restricted blood supply to a part of the intestine) a life-threatening condition that could have been prevented all together had the staff at Youth Care taken Brendan to the hospital when he first became ill instead of placing him alone in a room and leaving him there until the following morning when it was too late to do anything -- except call Brendan's family in California (who had no idea he was even sick) to notify them of his death.

NOTE: Anyone with information pertinent to this case is asked to contact justiceforbrendan@hotmail.com

News Reports

Center for Troubled Youth Could Have Its License Suspended
August 31, 2007 (KSL News)

A Draper center for troubled youth could have its license suspended because staff did not follow policy the night a boy died there.A Youth Care counselor found the 14-year-old California boy dead on the morning of June 28. Authorities say he'd been sick with stomach flu-like symptoms. A spokesperson for the state's human services department said today Youth Care staff did not contact an on-call nurse the night the teen died.Youth Care says they will appeal the notice of suspension and work closely with state officials. They also say they are conducting their own review of procedures.They called the death an unfortunate accident and an unexpected loss.

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Youth's death is still under review
July 18, 2007 DRAPER

The Salt Lake district attorney will be asked to decide what, if any, charges should be filed in connection with the death of a 14-year-old boy at a youth treatment facility in Draper.The Southern California boy, whose name was not released, was found dead at the Youth Care of Utah on June 28. He had been suffering from stomach and bowel problems and placed in a room separate from the others. In the morning, he was found dead on his mattress.

Draper Police Sgt. Gerry Allred said Monday an autopsy had been completed, but he did not want to comment on it until all factors were looked at."We're looking at it really hard to make sure we're not missing anything," he said.Allred said the case was suspicious only because a teenager in the care of adults died."We want to make sure no negligence was involved," he said.In a statement released by the Youth Care & Pine Ridge Academy shortly after the death, they declared the boy died of a "medical condition."

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Medical condition' blamed for death
June 30, 2007 Associated Press

A Southern California boy who died at a group home in Draper had a "medical condition," the group home's director said Friday.The 14-year-old boy awoke early Thursday complaining of stomach and bowel problems, was placed in a separate room from other children and was found dead the next morning, said Carol Sisco, spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Human Services."We are interviewing everyone involved who was in the unit at the time," Draper Police Sgt. Gerald Allred said.Allred and other police officials were unavailable Friday to comment on whether an autopsy had revealed a cause of death for the boy, who entered the group home in February. His name was not released.

The boy died of a "medical condition," Trina Packard, executive director of the Youth Care & Pine Ridge Academy, said in a statement issued Friday. Packard didn't specify the medical condition or say why she was certain he died of it, and she didn't return a message left by The Associated Press.The group home is operated by Cerritos, Calif.-based Aspen Education Group, a division of CRC Health Group that runs boarding schools, outdoor education programs, weight-loss camps and "weight- loss residential high schools," according to its Web site.

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Boy found dead at Draper group home
June 30, 2007 Assoiciated Press SALT LAKE CITY

A southern California boy died at a group home in Draper, apparently in his sleep.The 14-year-old boy awoke early Thursday complaining of stomach and bowel problems, was placed in a separate room from other kids and found dead the next morning, said Carol Sisco, spokeswoman for Utah Department of Human Services."We are interviewing everyone involved who was in the unit at the time," Draper police Sgt. Gerald Allred said.

Allred and other police officials were unavailable Friday to comment on whether an autopsy had revealed a cause of death for the boy, who entered the group home in February. His name was not released. The boy died of a "medical condition," Trina Packard, executive director of the Youth Care & Pine Ridge Academy, said in a statement issued Friday. Packard didn't specify the medical condition or say why she was certain he died of it, and she didn't return a message left by The Associated Press.
"We are extremely saddened" by the boy's death, she said, pledging to cooperate with authorities. "We are providing therapeutic services to the boy's family, as well as counseling services for our own staff and students."The state division that licenses the group home will inspect the facility after police are finished, Sisco said. Among things inspectors will look at is whether the group home had adequate staff on duty, she said.

The group home is operated by Cerritos, Calif-based Aspen Education Group, a division of CRC Health Group that runs boarding schools, outdoor education programs, weight-loss camps and "weight-loss residential high schools," according to its Web site. Corporate officials didn't return telephone and e-mail messages left Friday by the AP.

"It sounds like he woke in the night and was having diarrhea and vomiting," Sisco said. "They took him into a separate room, and within a few minutes he went asleep. They checked on him a couple of times, but he was dead by the morning."The group home takes troubled children 11 to 17 years old sent voluntarily by their parents, Sisco said.It does not take any court-assigned children, she said.

"The program notified us (of the death) within 24 hours as they are required to do. We'll be looking at reports from the program, law enforcement, the medical examiner and then going out and checking the program physically to see if there is anything they could have done differently," Sisco said.