hospital facilitated rapes in Forest Park

Riveredge Hospital (north side of Roosevelt Road, west of the Des Plaines River) has come under scrutiny for allowing known sexual predators to sexually assault mentally disabled children. See Chicago Tribune (Associated Press).

A Department of Children and Family Services spokesman said the punishment was made because of "serious concerns" about the way Riveredge Hospital in Forest Park handled a fight among patients, including its failure to promptly notify DCFS. But Kendall Marlowe said other changes -- including retraining staff about their legal duties to report abuse and more training by DCFS -- were a direct result of a Chicago Tribune's investigation published Thursday....

According to government records, the attacker allegedly raped the same victim again the next day.

In all, records indicate at least 10 mentally disabled children were assaulted at Riveredge during the last three years, six by other youths and four by adults.

Do you really think it was lack of training that caused the staff to not report rapes? "Gosh, it never crossed my mind that I have a legal obligation to report rapes to competent legal authority."

Chicago Tribune (David Jackson):

After the newspaper asked about the series of assault reports, the state Department of Children and Family Services last week stopped admitting wards to Riveredge—a punishment imposed on just three other psychiatric hospitals since 2004, records show.

Do you get the impression DCFS waited to do the right thing until it was exposed that the agency was doing the wrong thing?