Boy's death halts some referrals: Lehigh County
department won't send youths to Lancaster site
Morning Call Feb 9, 2006
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full article
Before ViaQuest Behavioral Health opened the center, the facility
operated under different management but had a similar mission to
help youths. The state refused to renew the license of the prior
operator, called the Terraces, after finding more than 20 violations
of state regulations, forcing it to close, the Lancaster New Era
reported.
Staff writer Romy Varghese contributed to this story.
grossman@mcall.com
610-820-6168
ViaQuest's Goals:
Summit Quest Academy
Ephrata, Pennsylvania
ViaQuest Behavioral Health assumed the
management of SummitQuest Academy in rural Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania in March 2000.
From the beginning, ViaQuest was charged with
the transformation of a problem-plagued adolescent residential
treatment facility known as The Terraces into an effective
residential treatment operation.
Everyone needed ViaQuest to succeed, including
the institution that sought someone to assume the loan, the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that was considering closing the
facility, the community that was fed up with ongoing interactions
with police, and, most important, the kids who remained at the
facility.
At first, the challenge appeared daunting. The
Terraces had been cited for numerous violations and the facility was
about to lose their license from the Pennsylvania Department of
Public Welfare. Agencies in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington
D.C. had stopped sending referrals to the facility, which suffered
from a sinking reputation and low employee morale. In addition,
agencies in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. actually removed
individuals from the facility.
With the increased negative media coverage and
lack of community support, the situation escalated and became a
political hot button.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge closely
monitored the situation and requested biweekly reports prior to and
after ViaQuest assumed management.
Among ViaQuest’s first steps was to move Lee
Balser, a highly-experienced residential treatment facility manager,
to SummitQuest as Interim Executive Director. This gave ViaQuest an
immediate on-site management presence that proved extremely helpful.
Under ViaQuest’s management, SummitQuest
Academy:
– Increased staff-to-resident ratio from a
state-mandated 1.8 to 1.6 and in some instances 1.4
– Reduced turnover by 20 percent
– Increased and emphasized employee morale
– Improved community relations
– Increased positive media coverage
– Revamped treatment programs and focused on
specialized treatment populations
– Reduced the overall operating budget by
$600,000
The results of this investment are
overwhelming. Today, SummitQuest’s reputation has dramatically
improved. Agencies that stopped referring are referring once more,
pushing referrals up to 50 a month. Management is exploring ways for
residents who have graduated from high school – utilizing
SummitQuest’s on-campus, Alternative Education Program supervised by
the Pennsylvania Department of Education – to add skills and learn
trades at local centers or community colleges. The overall
transitional living program provides varying levels of support to
help the individuals learn the skills they need to become successful
members of the community.
Thanks to ViaQuest, SummitQuest is now leading
the Midwest in care for behaviorally challenged adolescents.
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