Investigate why 500 Children were illegally forced out of vital drug treatment
- Target:
- California Senator Roderick Wright
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- amhec.org
Over the past few months alcohol and drug treatment programs in the inner cities of Los Angeles have been "reviewed" by the State of California Department of Health Care Services and as a result have been "temporarily" suspended.
These "reviews” have not been audits or investigations and no wrong doing has been found, however, the programs all received a letter stating they are being investigated for fraud and their ability to continue to deliver vital substance abuse services has been abruptly stopped!
Our program was servicing a total 500 youth on a daily basis with substance abuse, anger, cutting and other moderate to severe conditions that were immediately stopped as a result of the State’s illegal action of cutting Federally mandated programs under the guise of “cracking down on Medi-Cal fraud”.
We have parents who have reported to us that investigators have gone to their homes and told them not to go to the program and have even asked them what their immigration status is, (more than 80% of our students are Hispanic) creating major fear within these parents and stopping these students from receiving the services they so sorely needed.
We have refused to take the direction of both the State and the County of Los Angeles to shut our doors, leaving no place for our students to receive needed services. Instead, we continue to deliver, without the funding to which we are entitled under our County contract, despite Federal law, which states the government must pay for substance abuse services to any agency which delivers them when requested by a potential client.
There is quite a bit of media proclaiming rampant fraud within substance abuse centers but no one is talking about the truth about the important work these agencies are delivering each and every day. Our students deserve to be seen and heard and we are standing as advocates for them and for all those in our community struggling with substance abuse issues, needing effective help to assist them as they work to turn their lives around.
Your help is needed to get our elected officials to take a serious look at this matter and to make calls to the head of the Dept of Health Care Services and to the Chief of the Medical Review Board of the Dept of Health Care Services. These executives must be held accountable and must actually investigate fraud and not simply accuse agencies and shut them down without a full investigation to prove wrong doing.
Please reach out to the following:
Senator Rod Wright
323.751.6900
Assemblyman Isadore Hall
(310) 223-1201
Assemblyman Steve Bradford
(310) 412-6400
Toby Douglas
Director Department of Health Care Services
Contact: 916-440-7500
Contact: 916-440-7660
Mark P. Mimnaugh
Chief Medical Review Board
916-440-7549
Mark.Mimnaugh@dhcs.ca.gov
Please pass this along to all who care for the youth of our communities.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwqngheoJ1OtNGg1RVZRMjVqX2M/edit?usp=sharing
We, the undersigned, call upon our elected officials to investigate the actions of the Department of Health Care Services to explain why services to 500 youth serviced by American Health and Education Clinics, (AHEC) were abruptly stopped without credible proof of any wrong doing on the part of AHEC.
In addition, we the undersigned are in interested in knowing how a State agency is allowed to bypass minimum notification by giving a 10 day notice to “temporarily suspend” this agency when the law specifically states a minimum 15 day notice is necessary. This action subsequently stopped the release of funding owed to AHEC for services already delivered, which in turn has cause severe financial harm to the agency.
AHEC operates in a Health Resources and Services Administration designated mental health professional shortage area, where a disproportionately high number of youth are ravaged by the harmful effects of substance abuse, gang violence and a host of other social ills.
The services of AHEC as well as some of the other agencies who were unlawfully shut down are vitally needed and your help is required to initiate a full investigation into the unlawful practices of suspending agencies without cause.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Investigate why 500 Children were illegally forced out of vital drug treatment petition to California Senator Roderick Wright was written by American Health and Education clinics and is in the category Children's Rights at GoPetition.