This Star Tribune story documents that 145 teens who are dangerous to themselves or others lived at some point since last September in the M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital ambulance garage.
The root cause of this problem is Baltimore’s Annie E. Casey Foundation. Their lobbying got the 2018 Family First Act passed, which eliminates federal funding for residential treatment centers.
Why? Because Casey thinks foster care is bad, and restrictive placements are worse. But, some young people really need intensive residential services to learn to live safely in the community.
As this Child Welfare Monitor analysis shows, the ensuing disaster is national in scope.
Meanwhile, Casey execs have zero accountability for the consequences of their actions.
Their outlook would likely change if they spent a week in the garage with these youth and the medical staff who support them.
What do Casey’s lobbying campaign and closing juvenile detention centers have in common?