Friday, October 9, 2020

Firings of therapists who alleged wrongdoing left abused children without treatment: A nonprofit group that is paid nearly $1 million a year by Montgomery County to provide counseling and medical care to abused children has been accused of inflating the number of patients it serves and failing to protect their personal information.


A nonprofit group that is paid nearly $1 million a year by Montgomery County to provide counseling and medical care to abused children has been accused of inflating the number of patients it serves and failing to protect their personal information.

Three psychologists and a social worker who raised concerns about the Rockville-based Tree House organization say they were abruptly fired soon afterward, leaving dozens of vulnerable children without the therapists they had grown to trust.

“It’s like walking away in the middle of surgery,” said Stephanie Wolf, a psychologist who was fired in August. “I don’t understand how an organization that is supposed to be caring for kids would do this.”

The Tree House is a public-private nonprofit that provides free mental health services, medical assessments and victim advocacy for children who are suspected to have been physically or sexually abused. It is the only accredited child advocacy organization in Montgomery County, a suburb of 1 million people just outside the District...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/tree-house-montgomery/2020/10/07/71462bc0-0330-11eb-897d-3a6201d6643f_story.html#comments-wrapper

3 comments:

  1. ". . .and failing to protect their personal information."
    Who is responsible for enforcing the HIPAA?
    https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/consumer_rights.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  2. No accountability in Montgomery County. Why is anyone surprised at this?

    ReplyDelete
  3. “It’s like walking away in the middle of surgery,” said Stephanie Wolf, a psychologist who was fired in August. “I don’t understand how an organization that is supposed to be caring for kids would do this.”
    If a psychologist doesn't understand such behavior, what does that say for the layperson?

    ReplyDelete

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