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BRENDAN BLUM
Died:
June 28, 2007, 14
years old
Program: Youth Care of Utah, Draper, Utah
Cause of Death: Preliminary cause medical negligence
ARTICLES:
October 13, 2007 -
Four recent deaths in programs
October 13, 2007 -
Care Center on
Probation After Boy's Death
October 12, 2007 -
Caretakers charged with child abuse
October 11, 2007 -
Youth Center Workers
Charged in Child's Death
August 31, 2007 -
Center for
Troubled Youth Could Have Its License Suspended
July 18, 2007 -
Youth's death is still
under review
June 30, 2007 -
Boy found dead at
Draper group home
June 29, 2007 -
Teen boy found dead at
treatment center
June 28, 2007 -
Teen boy
with flu-like symptoms dies at Draper facility
Four recent Utah deaths in
treatment programs
Facility put on probation, but
free to take new clients
October 13, 2007
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."
Sent to bed
Blum said the coroner described her son's death as "violent and
painful." An autopsy concluded that he died after his bowel twisted,
cutting off the blood supply to his small intestine.
Brendan had vomited and been suffering diarrhea all night, according
to police. Instead of phoning the on-call nurse, per Youth Care's
policy, counselors treated the boy with an over-the-counter medicine
and sent him to bed, said Draper police Sgt. Gerry Allred.
The next morning, Brendan, who had Asperger's syndrome, a form of
autism, was found dead on his mattress.
The on-call nurse, who was later interviewed by police, said had she
been consulted, she would have advised sending Brendan to the
hospital, said Allred. The Utah State Medical Examiner said with
medical intervention, the boy might have survived.
'Flu-like' symptoms
Youth Care officials maintain Brendan complained only of "flu-like"
symptoms.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family, and we continue to
work closely with Utah officials and law enforcement. But we are
confident a criminal prosecution will be found unwarranted," said
Kristen Hayes, spokeswoman for Aspen Education Group, which owns
Youth Care.
Based in Cerritos, Calif., Aspen is a division of the CRC Health
Group, which runs boarding schools, outdoor education programs and
weight-loss camps.
For two decades, Youth Care has "delivered the highest standards of
care," treating more than 1,300 children with behavioral and
addiction problems last year, said Hayes. "All of Aspen's programs
either meet or exceed state and national standards."
Aspen's record
Stettler confirmed Aspen's reputation, saying, "They've had a pretty
spotless record."
Three of four recent deaths at Utah treatment programs, however,
happened at Aspen facilities: Blum's and two suicides; one in July
2004 at Island View Academy in Syracuse, and another in April at
Aspen Achievement Academy of Loa.
Stettler said the April suicide remains under investigation by law
enforcement, but his own probe found Aspen wasn't at fault. The
suicide at Island View happened before Aspen purchased the facility.
Blum said she thoroughly researched Youth Care and Aspen and was
never told of the fatalities.
"If nothing else, I would like to see them create a searchable
database so parents can review deaths and complaints and not have to
rely on the subjective descriptions of licensors," said Blum.
The Web site of state licensors has contact information for
facilities and shows whether their license is in good standing. But
for more detailed information, parents need to phone regulators, who
keep only paper files.
Sense of justice
Blum has "taken heat" for enrolling Brendan at Youth Care, but she
says research shows behavioral modification programs can work for
children with Asperger's.
"The real problem is there are not adequate community resources for
kids with mental health problems," said Blum.
Brendan was "erratic and unpredictable," and started acting
aggressively at age 3, said Blum. "There were no consequences that
were meaningful to him. You could take away privileges with friends,
TV, or PlayStation. It didn't matter."
Trips to her county mental health facility, school counselors and
private therapists yielded no firm diagnosis.
It wasn't until Brendan turned 13 and got swept up in the juvenile
justice system that doctors at a local university diagnosed him with
Asperger's.
"They said he was a textbook case of high-functioning autism and
should have been diagnosed at age 8," said Blum.
Brendan had a "fine-tuned sense of justice. As his mother, I feel I
need to make sure Youth Care is held accountable," said Blum.
"These kids come from families that care about them. They're not
just throwaway kids."
kstewart@sltrib.com
Care Center on Probation After
Boy's Death
October 13th, 2007
 SALT
LAKE CITY (AP) -- State regulators have put a Draper youth facility
on probation and cited operators for providing inadequate medical
care to a 14-year-old California boy who died there in June.
Disciplinary action against Youth
Care of Utah was part of a settlement reached between the facility
and lawyers for the state Human Services Office of Licensing.
14-year old Brendan Blum
Youth Care was not fined and is
free to accept new clients.
Brendan James Blum was found dead
at the center on June 28.
An autopsy concluded he died after
his bowel twisted and cut off the blood supply to his small
intestine.
A police investigation found the
boy had been vomiting and suffering from diarrhea, but that staff
failed to contact an on-call nurse.
On Thursday, prosecutors charged
two counselors from the residential facility with one count each of
third-degree felony abuse or neglect of a child.
Youth Care officials say Blum
complained only of flu-like symptoms.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated
Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Caretakers charged with child
abuse
Two are accused of not providing medical aid to boy, 14, who died
October 12, 2007
By Jason Bergreen
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 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 adequate 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.
jbergreen@sltrib.com
Youth Center Workers Charged in
Child's Death
October 11th, 2007
By Sarah Dallof
 Two
workers at a Draper center for troubled youth have been charged in
the death of a 14-year-old boy.
According to court documents
obtained by KSL News, the death of 14-year-old Brendan Blum could
have been prevented if two workers at the facility had called for
medical attention.
Brendan was originally from Santa
Barbara, Calif., and had Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.
The Salt Lake District Attorney
says that on June 27 he became violently ill, vomiting, losing
control of his bowels and complaining of stomach pain. But the
district attorney says despite the symptoms, workers Deborah Cole
and Jorge Ramirez failed to notify the on-call nurse or contact a
doctor.
Brendan was found dead around 7
a.m. An autopsy revealed he died of a small bowel infarction, a
condition the medical examiner feels would not have been fatal if
Brendan had received medical attention.
Cole and Ramirez are charged with
felony abuse or neglect of a disabled child.
KSL News spoke today with the
executive director of Youth Care. He commented on the charges, as
did Draper police. "We are confident that a criminal prosecution
ultimately will be found to be unjustified and unwarranted. In the
meantime, we will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities
and also to support our dedicated staff," director Trina Packard
said.
Draper Police Sgt. Gerry Allred
disagrees. "We're confident that these are the right charges and
that, you know, hopefully this will bring something to the industry
so that we don't keep having these things happen," he said.
Officials with the Utah Human
Services Department say they moved to pull Youth Care's license
right after the death, but the boy's mother says it took two months
for any action.
The facility appealed the move, and
while that's being decided, the center is still open and operating.
Cole and Ramirez have been summoned
to appear in court on Nov. 20. If convicted, they each face up to
five years in prison.
Center for Troubled Youth Could
Have Its License Suspended
August 31st, 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.
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.
Boy found dead at Draper group
home
June 30, 2007
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.
Teen boy found dead at treatment
center
By Rebecca Palmer
June 29, 2007
DRAPER — Workers at the residential
youth treatment center Youth Care of Utah found a 14-year-old
California boy dead inside their facility Thursday morning.
The boy had been suffering with
bowel and stomach problems, so had been separated from other youths
at the home, according to Draper Police Sgt. Gerry Allred. The sick
teen had been placed in a room and was allowed to sleep on his own
mattress.
When workers with the private
company checked on the boy early Thursday, they found he had died.
Police were called and responded to
the Horizon House facility near 12600 Minuteman Drive at 7:07 a.m.
An autopsy was performed Thursday
afternoon, Allred said, and authorities were working to complete an
investigation into the death.
They will not rule out the
possibility of filing criminal charges until their investigation is
complete, Allred said.
Youth Care of Utah declined to be
interviewed by the Deseret Morning News on Thursday but promised to
release information as it becomes available. The company's Web site
says the company accepts students between 11 and 18 years old and
treats them for behavioral, mental and substance abuse problems.
The company employs two registered
nurses and a psychiatrist in addition to several therapists and
counselors and is licensed by the state to house up to 43 students
at a time.
On July 30, 2004, a 16-year-old boy
was found hanged in a youth treatment home in Syracuse. The 110-bed
facility where he had been staying was ordered by the state to take
"corrective action" in the case, which was determined to be suicide.
A second treatment home was
disciplined by the state in 2004 for operating outside of state
regulations. The residential support center is currently licensed in
Mount Pleasant, Sanpete County.
E-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com
Teen boy with flu-like symptoms dies at Draper facility
June 28, 2007
By Nathan C. Gonzalez
Draper police are investigating the
Thursday morning death of a 14-year-old resident of a local center
for troubled teens, said Sgt. Gerald Allred, a police spokesman.
About 3 a.m., the boy fell ill and
complained about having stomach and bowel problems, Allred said.
Center staff then placed the teen in a separate room to prevent
other children from getting sick.
Staff tried to wake the boy around
7 a.m. and found him dead. "We are interviewing everyone involved
and that was in the unit at the time," Allred said. "We are not
ruling out anything at this point."
Police are awaiting an autopsy. In
February, the boy entered at the private facility that counsel teens
needing special attention or help with learning and personality
issues, Allred said. "
(Teens) are put in there by their
parents, to teach them the extra skills they need," Allred said. The
Division of Child and Family Services licenses the facility but will
not review the case until after the police investigation is
concluded, said division spokeswoman Carol Sisco.
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