The company announced this month that it was shuttering a highly profitable facility in Illinois, the latest in a string of closures. An NBC News investigation last year found that multiple children have complained that staff members at Sequel-run facilities in other states used inappropriate physical restraints to control children, in some cases resulting in loss of consciousness. Since 2017, at least seven riots have erupted among residents at Sequel treatment centers in Florida, Utah, Ohio and Michigan. State investigators did substantiate claims of abuse at the facility, including excessive use of force by staff. At Forest Ridge, young women are offered immediate feedback from both staff and peers, allowing them to practice the interpersonal relationship skills of giving and receiving help. The Department of Health and Human Services moved to revoke Lakeside Academy's license following Cornelius' death. He had a really beautiful smile. Otter Tail County officials are once again searching for a place that will house him and help him. Despite repeated scandals, many states and counties continue to send kids to Sequel for one central reason: They have little choice. The domain sequelyouthservices.com uses a Commercial suffix and it's server(s) are located in N/A with the IP number 35.231.240.4 and it is a .com. And yet, the problems seemed to get worse, culminating in an incident this spring in which a 16-year-old boy at a Sequel facility in Michigan died after staff members pinned him to the floor for 12 minutes. While Sequel has not opened a facility in Washington, DCYF has used Sequel programs at several different locations in several different states over the last seven years. How do we verify what this for-profit corporation is telling us?. Critics say that Sequels approach leads to problems. And yet, right next door in Oregon, referrals continued. In late January of 2019, Oregon state Senator Sara Gelsers phone rang. Staff members told state investigators that Cornelius threatened to attack them when they released him from the restraint. The statement added that Lakeside Academy staff members were trained in the company's de-escalation techniques and that restraints should be used only when children are threats to themselves or others. Her anger with the company grew throughout 2019. In New Jersey, staff were found sleeping on the job. Gelser fired off long emails to regulators and lawmakers in other states urging them to pay attention to what was happening. The stories of licensing violations, sexual assaults, and physical restraints from across the country seemed overwhelming. A staff member, who had been standing next to Fredrick, trying to head off a food fight, responded by shoving the teenager to the ground. He appeared disoriented and semi-conscious. At least 10 kids ran away from the facility, including Austin. IE 11 is not supported. Daytime Phone Numbers (712) 362-5231 (712) 362-5608 (712) 362-4318 (800) 834-3395 It no longer sends any youth to Sequel facilities. Highest paying job at Sequel Youth and Family Services in Iowa, Highest paying department at Sequel Youth and Family Services in Iowa. Sequel Youth and Family Services is a privately owned company that develops and operates programs for people with behavioral, emotional, or physical challenges. The owners closed the operation two months after the first story. But the police report tells a different story. Another 12 minutes passed. Back Submit. Gelsers persistence had led regulators to crack down on Sequels Illinois facility, declaring that the deficiencies at the facility were so serious they constituted an immediate threat to the childrens health and safety. Fieger said he had to get a copy of the video from the prosecutor's office because Sequel would release it only if he agreed not to share it with the public. At Lakeside, for instance, a state inspection report from 2019 showed more than one-third of employees had been on the job less than a year. Bill works at Sequel Youth And Family Services as Senior Vice President Operations. Even as crises multiplied for Sequel, the company continued to pursue growth. On his good days, Austin was an intuitive kid with a great sense of humor. State records from previous years reveal incidents where staffers tackled, punched and body slammed residents. So he was stuck at the Sequel facility, even though the company had asserted that he needed a higher level of care than it could provide. Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. To Huff, it looked like the company was focused on keeping beds in the facility filled. Founded in 1999, Sequel Youth & Family Services is a leading national behavioral health organization that develops and operates a broad continuum of treatment programs for children . We want justice.. Lakeside Academy and its sister school in Michigan, Starr Albion, both closed about two months later under pressure from the governor. Sequel formed two decades ago to operate a single facility. As soon as she walked into Northern Illinois Academy in suburban Chicago, she saw a different side of Sequel. Graffiti on the walls of the abandoned Riverside Academy building in Wichita, Kansas. The database includes more than 1,000 calls reporting residents running away from Sequel treatment centers since 2010. Someone is going to die, she said. He also stabbed his father in the thigh with a lawn ornament. Three staff put her in a hands on restraint, pinning her to the floor by her feet, arms and stomach. Last month, the Kalamazoo County prosecutor charged staff members Zachary Raul Solis, 28, and Michael Joshua Mosley, 47, with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse for their part in the restraint. "She's been accused of not doing something based on some form of legal duty, which I'm still trying to decide what legal duty she had," Markou said. Andrea Sahouri covers breaking news for the Des Moines Register. The staff then failed to report the incident to the state as required by law. And in Iowa, the companys flagship Clarinda Academy had its license penalized following founded child abuse, according to state records. Explore more salaries. The prosecutor also charged Heather Newton McLogan, 48, a nurse, with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse, alleging that she failed to seek timely medical care; she did not call 911 until 12 minutes after the restraint ended. Its all we could do, she said. Get the latest business insights from Dun & Bradstreet. Depending on the facility, former employees said, starting wages for staff working in the dorms tended to be in the range of $11 to $13 an hour. Gelser had been keeping a close eye on the facility because Oregon had more than 20 foster children there. All residents were removed from the facility following Cornelius death. The facility that accepted Austin was in Kalamazoo, Michigan, some 700 miles from his home. "They're very worried about their financial impact," Fieger said. When her son was in crisis, Angela Hunter had nowhere to turn. One day, when he was 11, he came at his older sister with a weed trimmer. Gelser hasnt stopped her crusade, though. While news reports would occasionally detail scandals at its facilities, the full picture of the problems in Sequels programs was obscured by a patchwork of oversight bodies spread across multiple states and local jurisdictions. Gelser also reported spotting a child zipped from toe to chin in a body sock. Sequel Youth and Family Services salaries range between $24,000 to $47,000 per year in Iowa. California says it has no plans to block its counties from sending kids to Sequels remaining facilities. Another was in a seclusion room with the lights off. And, the email said, there were pictures. Do we really have kids there? Gelser texted a child welfare official. Jay Inslee to bring all Washington foster youth at Sequel facilities home and stop doing business with Sequel. It was valued by investors at more than $400 million. EIN numbers are also referred to as FEIN or FTIN. Youth Counselor at Sequel Youth Services Boone, Iowa, United States. The state wasnt ready to sever ties with Sequel. He loved to read books about the military and the Wild West. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. And we had no structure in Oregon around whos watching out for these kids. He asked if he could meet Gelser. Between January 2016 and the end of September 2019, Hennepin County paid Sequel-run facilities more than $2 million to provide treatment to its youth. Austin had started acting out at school around the time he turned 8. The program's license is still in good standing," the company wrote in a provided statement. Sequel Youth & Family Services We are passionate about what we do and delight in providing the individuals we are privileged to serve and instill permanent, positive change and propel them toward their best and full potential. Because it operates in so many states, Sequel is overseen by a dizzying array of government agencies: state departments of human services, corrections, health and education, county probation, social services and courts, local police and sheriffs offices, and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to name just a few. They described similar themes: low pay, high turnover, a staff stretched too thin, caring for children who have experienced trauma, and who have complex emotional problems and psychological conditions. She would wake up before her kids and pore through public records requests. Angela and Corey Hunter photographed near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, in September. For much of Sequels 21 years, the company eluded public accountability. Another says Fredricks. Find company research, competitor information, contact details & financial data for Sequel Youth and Family Services, LLC of Des Moines, IA. Oregon had one kid in the Kingston facility. Austin Hunter is back in Minnesota. Today Sequel is one of the market leaders in the behavioral health industry. Sequel Youth and Family Services pays the highest salaries in. The Red Rock records (recent!) Michigan Gov. They didnt feel like they were going to handle the kids the way they wanted them to be handled, said Gordon Kokenge, a Clarinda City Council member at the time. Sequel still operates eight facilities in Florida, one in Kansas, two in Utah and four in Alabama, even after the company closed treatment centers elsewhere in those states in the past two years. But she still suspected that something wasnt right. The specialized work of helping young women begin to heal those wounds and become healthier members of society has included a trauma-informed component at Forest Ridge for nearly two decades. Our profit comes from our ability to run better than the state, he told the Des Moines Register. An Iowa youth counselor who was fired for physically striking one of her clients has been denied unemployment benefits. Angela and her husband, Corey, live in western Minnesota, about 30 miles from the North Dakota border. Luckily for Ripley, one of the investors involved in negotiations saw promise in Sequel, SEC documents show. The spray-painted allegations of abuse were erased forever. It was condemned by everyone, from the governor of Michigan on down. McLogan told state investigators that she initially thought Cornelius was "faking" his loss of consciousness. Eventually they made him do his schoolwork on paper. In Columbus, Ohio, Christina Marshall went to the local TV stations after her 14-year-old son was beaten by other residents at a psychiatric facility called Sequel Pomegranate. domain. Utah investigators reported alleged abuses, including understaffing that led to violence and sexual misconduct in the program. It alleged excessive restraint practices and inadequate treatment at Sequels flagship Clarinda Academy in Iowa. I just felt like it was because he reported what happened.. A Kalamazoo, Michigan, police vehicle leaves Lakeside Academy on May 1. A few months later, a Bay Area private equity firm called Altamont Capital Partners acquired a controlling stake in Sequel, adding to its portfolio of healthcare companies. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has asked the department to ensure that Sequel no longer works with the state. Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longerabout a few weeks on average. Police found him three days later, hiding in the woods. Clarinda Academy's closure also follows the death of 16-year-old Cornelius Frederick, who had a heart attack and died last summer after being restrained by at least sevenstaff members at Sequel's Lakeside Academy in Michigan. Staff were overwhelmed. During the past two years, Sequel has come under newfound scrutiny because a crusading state senator from Oregon has sparked both media reports and government action. These events are antithetical to our mission and who we are as individuals, Sequel said in its written statement. She decided to stop at one more Sequel facility before flying home. And Oregons child welfare officials were buying it. As her Uber pulled up one day in late 2019, she felt relieved. Enter your email below to receive notifications of new stories. We made a commitment when we adopted him at 3 years old.. The Forest Ridge office phone number Is 712 . Sequel intends to place their Clarinda Academy clients in alternative programs and connect employees with internal and external job opportunities, the statement continued. Cornelius Frederick, 16, died in a hospital two days after staff members at Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo, which houses children in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, tackled Cornelius and restrained him for 12 minutes, allegedly for throwing a sandwich. Hagman didnt know much about what happened inside, only that the place had once been a hospital for unwed mothers and, more recently, a youth treatment center called Riverside Academy.
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