Study shows more disabled kids sent out-of-state
An advocacy group for people with disabilities is calling on North Carolina officials to better care for children who have both a mental illness and developmental disability, hundreds of whom have been sent to live in facilities outside the state because of a lack of adequate resources closer to home.
A study released Wednesday by Disability Rights North Carolina says the state is failing children with a “dual diagnosis,” such as having both autism and bipolar disorder.
A lack of available mental health services in the state is leading to waits in hospital emergency rooms that can last days. Hundreds of North Carolina children have been sent to out-of-state residential treatment facilities hours away from their families.
The report highlights the stories of four North Carolina children, including an 11-year-old boy injected with excessive doses of powerful anti-psychotic drugs while he was hospitalized, leading to new symptoms that include drooling and tremors.
The mother of another boy visited the state psychiatric facility where her son was sent to find he had been forcibly restrained by the staff, leaving deep bruises on his arms, legs and torso.
“These are not isolated cases,” said Vicki Smith, executive director of Disability Rights NC. “Sadly, they are examples of what happens every day to North Carolina children with complex needs.”