Tides Family Services To Take Over Operations of St. Mary’s Home For Children
Wednesday, May 08, 2024
The Board of Tides Family Services has voted to move forward with an offer from the Board of Directors of St. Mary’s Home for Children to enter into an agreement to manage the operations of St. Mary’s Home for Children in North Providence.
St. Mary’s has been under review after a range of violations were unveiled in 2023
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The two organizations announced this in a press release on Wednesday.
In March of this year, a federal lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court by Disability Rights Rhode Island (DRRI) against acting Child Advocate Katelyn Medeiros — alleging that Medeiros is refusing to provide the organization with records pertaining to St. Mary’s Home for Children to which “it is legally entitled.”
The State of Rhode Island’s Office of Child Advocate (OCA) in December had released its investigative report on the Department of Children Youth & Families (DCYF) and St. Mary’s, which is located in North Providence.
The scathing 392-page report detailed alleged abuse and neglect at the facility, with the investigation having been triggered by an overdose of a 17-year-old at the home in April 2023.
Under the agreement, Tides Family Services will assume day-to-day management of all of St. Mary’s programs, including St. Mary’s residential psychiatric treatment center, outpatient department, home-based treatment services through the Department of Children Youth and Families, and the George N. Hunt Campus School for students with learning, social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.
No timeline for the takeover process was announced.
“Tides has a 40-year record of helping vulnerable Rhode Island youth and their families through the provision of high-quality educational and community-based behavioral health services,” said Beth Bixby, CEO of Tides. “Over the coming weeks, Tides will begin to integrate our services staff, and move forward with an expanded continuum of care model that includes best practice elements identified by SAMHSA to meet the behavioral health needs of children. The Tides’ vision for this continuum of care includes a range of hospital diversion programming beginning with Mobile Response and Stabilization Services through a placement in the Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility.”
“St. Mary’s Home for Children is pleased to have reached an agreement with Tides Family Services to assume operational management of our North Providence-based programs, including our outpatient department, home-based treatment services, psychiatric residential treatment center and our campus school,” said Jeff Cascione, President of St. Mary’s Home for Children’s Board. “Tides has an outstanding record of providing services to children and families in need, and strong fiscal and management practices. We are confident that this agreement will ensure that the children and youth at St. Mary’s receive the services they deserve, and are confident in a smooth transition as Tides takes over day-to-day management and operations.”
