Senator urges DOJ to investigate youth treatment centers after probe uncovers 'rampant abuse'
The Department of Justice should investigate major operators of youth residential treatment facilities for civil rights violations and fraud, Sen. Ron Wyden argued.
The Department of Justice should investigate four of the nation’s biggest operators of youth residential treatment facilities for civil rights violations and fraud, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., argued Wednesday in letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
In two letters, obtained by NBC News, Wyden stated that his recent Senate investigation into the corporations — Universal Health Services, Acadia Healthcare, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health and Vivant Behavioral Healthcare — turned up evidence of “rampant abuse, neglect and substandard care.” He alleged that many facilities “fail to provide the treatment they purport to” and instead provide “worthless services” that don’t meet federal standards.
Wyden asked the DOJ to probe whether states are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by placing children in residential facilities when they could be getting services at home. And he requested the department look into whether the companies are committing fraud by providing substandard care and violating Medicaid regulations, which apply to these facilities because they serve thousands of foster youth and children from low-income families each year.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., led a two-year probe into residential treatment facilities for at-risk youth.Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty ImagesThe letters are the latest escalation by congressional lawmakers of both parties to crack down on misconduct in youth treatment centers, sparked by a wave of activism by former patients and news articles detailing allegations of maltreatment within some facilities. In June, the Senate Finance Committee, which Wyden chairs, released a report asserting that the facilities’ poor treatment of children was driven by an effort to cut costs to maximize profit.
If the DOJ investigates and finds evidence to substantiate Wyden’s allegations, it has the power to negotiate policy changes and order financial penalties for the facility operators.
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