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State report cites mistakes in
youth overdoses
June 26, 2008
ALLENTOWN, Pa.-Two girls living in
a group home were on their way to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting when
they overdosed on more than two dozen methadone pills stolen from a
counselor, leading to one girl's death, a state investigation found.
KidsPeace, the facility's operator,
has been cited for not properly supervising the girls and allowing
narcotics to be in their reach, according to a summary report
obtained Wednesday by The Morning Call of Allentown.
Katherine Rice, 16, died as a
result of the overdose; the other girl spent two days in a coma and
faces what a relative says will be a lifetime of care.
The girls lived in Saylorsburg at a
KidsPeace facility for troubled youths who have a history of
substance abuse.
According to the Department of
Public Welfare report, a counselor who had been prescribed the
methadone for chronic back pain used her own car to take four girls
to dental appointments on April 15. On the way, two girls stole the
pills from an unspecified place in the car.
A day later, the girls took 28
methadone pills while being driven in a KidsPeace van to a Narcotics
Anonymous meeting, the report said. At least one girl called a
relative later that night and said she had ingested some of the
pills.
On April 17, counselors couldn't
wake the girls and both were rushed to a hospital.
KidsPeace was also cited for
allowing a counselor to transport the girls in her car and for not
supervising the girl's phone call, the report said.
State officials closed admissions
to the home while it looked into the case, but now say KidsPeace has
corrected the problems and can accept youths into its program.
"Obviously, there were problems
surrounding this incident, but we've accepted their plan to correct
them," said Department of Public Welfare spokeswoman Anne Bale.
KidsPeace closed the Saylorsburg
facility last week but hopes to reopen the program in September at
its main campus in North Whitehall Township, said program spokesman
Mark Stubis.
"We are going to work hard to
strengthen our policies to ensure the safety of all of the youths we
serve," Stubis said. "This was a tragedy for all of us. The pain
will linger for a long, long time."
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