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Show Page 2 - January 27. 1998 EditoriaC Uintah Basin Standard Quality Foster Care Is Foremost Concern Gov. Mike Leavitt recently made another heart tugging appeal to the citizens of Utah to open their homes and become foster parents. He pointed out that there are 2,442 children in protective custody in our state and only 9S0 foster families. He said All of us can do more!,r A recent drug bust in Roosevelt found a foster parent - hired by an agency which privately contracts with the state for child placement services - at a party where drugs and alcohol was found. Three of his foster children were with him. What is wrong with this picture? The private child placement company. Youth and Family Center Services, didnt appear to think there was anything wrong and questioned whether the incident was worthy of generating any attention. If the State of Utah is going to remove a child from a home because of abuse or neglect, or if they take a child on as a ward of the state because they have been deemed unmanageable by their own parents, then it is crucial that a system is in place that will ensure that foster care providers are free of criminal records or behaviors. The Utah Division of Child and Family Services, the agency which contracts with the private child placement providers, has promised to investigate the circumstances surrounding hiring practices. DCFS officials were obviously concerned and more than willing to discuss their agencies poli cies when it comes to contracted foster parents. On the other hand, representatives with Youth and Family Centered Services did not return a single phone call and when we were able to reach them, expressed shock that the incident involving their foster parent was anyones business. Lets remind these private contractors that its the taxpayers who are paying their salaries. We expect them to hold themselves up to the highest standards if they are in the business of acting as surrogate parents for troubled youth. Certainly there are many fine foster parents employed both by the state and through private agencies who perform a valuable and appreciated service, and thats the way we want to keep it. But the matter of a foster parent who is at a drinking and drug party with his foster children is one that demands investigation, not excuses. There is no question that the state of Utah needs homes headed by responsible, caring foster parents - yet it is clear that the quality of foster care must be our foremost concern. It is everyones business to ensure that children placed in foster care are receiving appropriate care - neighbors, teachers, scout leaders, physicians, spiritual leaders, anyone who has opportunity to be involved, stay involved. One day die difference in a childs life may be just one voice, yours. Agencys Hiring Practices Questioned Foster dad under scrutiny for having kids at party busted by police By Lezlee E. Whiting A Duchesne County man who is employed as a foster parent by Youth and Fataily Centered Services ia still on the job even though he waa at a drug and drinking party which EDITOR'S NOTE: The Uintah and welcomes Basin Standard encourages opinions from readers int he form of letters to the editor. Letters may be utilized to express opinions or to highlight outstanding comments, " service of an individual or organization, or any other worthwhile purpose: Letters may not be used to replace Cards of Thanks, or to list sponsors, participants or contributors to a particular event or purpose. LETTERS MUST CONTAIN 400 WORDS OR LESS. BE TYPED OR WRITTEN LEGIBLY. SIGNED, AND INCLUDE NAME. ADDRESS AND NUMBER THE OF PHONE AUTHOR. Letters will be published unless they contain libelous or defamatory statements. We reserve the right to wilhould a name by request if the nature of the letter is positive, and to edit letters. Letters may be submitted to the Standard office at 268 S. 200 E Roosevelt, Utah. 84066 by the published deadline (normally Thursdays at 5:00 p.m.) All letters become property of the Uintah Basin Standard. Utah Legislature can end discrimination Dear Editor, Look at your medical insurance policy. Does it include coverage for mental illness, such as depression? If so, look at the limitations! How would you cope if your child needed hospitalization and the insurance company predetermined the length of treatment? Would this be fair or applicable for cancer or heart disease? Perhaps you need to see your doctor, but are told that your insurance will pay only half rather than eighty percent of each visit because this is a psychiatric problem. Mental illness touches all of us. Severe mental illness, such as major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, or panic disorder affects one in five families in their lifetime. One in six people will suffer clinical depression. Of these, one in six will attempt suicide. One in eight will succeed. This makes clinical depression as fatal as heart disease and some forms of cancer. Seeking psychiatric help is considered shameful by many people, even though these illnesses are as biological as diabetes, high blood pressure, or epilepsy. Many people still think that mental illness is the result of sin or personal weakness. Though medical treatment of mental illness is more effective than most treatment for heart disease, the stigma prevents many from seeking medical help. The twentieth century will be remembered as the century of human rights. Now the last great social cause of this century involves the rights and acceptance of people with mental illness. One way is to support a bill being introduced by Representative Brian Allen and Senator John Holmgren in the Utah legislature this year. This bill will require insurance companies to provide the same coverage for mental illnesses as it does for other medical" ailments. It is called the Mental Health Parity Bill, House Bill 38. Usually, health insurance policies require a twenty percent copayment by the patient for most medical services. However, psychiatric care often requires a fifty perIn addition, many polcent icies have an annual limit of zero to ten days for psychiatric inpatient care. Most psychotropic medications take up to three weeks to test their effectiveness. With inpatient psychiatric hospitalization costing around $1,200.00, the patient would y. "" Uintah Basin Standard Inc. USPS 646-9- 1 XI) Periodical postage paid at Roosevelt and Duchesne, Utah Published weekly at 268 S. 2M)E. Roosevelt. Utah 84066-310- 9 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Uintah Basin Standard at 268 S. 200 E.. Roosevelt. Utah 84066-310- 9 OFFICE HOURS: 8:1X1 a m to I :IJ0 p.m. Monday. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday thru Friday. 1 800 427-867Phone Fax: 7224140 DEADLINES: For all News. Legal Notices. Gassified A Advertising, the Deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m. PUBLISHER: Craig Ashby EDITOR: Le.lee E. Whiting ADVERTISING: Michelle Roberts OFFICE MANAGER: Tracy Womack PRODUCTION: Writers; Aldon Rachele. Cheryl Mectram. Dixie Brown and WassChapoose Production; Colette Ashby. Bonnie Parrish. Kaelyn Meyers and Kim Ames CORRESPONDENTS: ROOSEVELT - Trrsa Harmslon 722-2- 5 1 8; ALTAMONT -- ; BLUEBELL - Shana Lee HANNA - Tracy Roberts 848-5-4 Loertscher 454-397- 6; 7: LAPOINT - Marlene McClure MONTWELL - Nola Nelson 3534544; MYTON -- : TRIDELL - Loraa McKee 8: NEOLA - Zola Spencer WHITEROCKS - Virginia Ferguson 4; DUCHESNE - Onnda Gee I I I I I I I Subscription Rates: Clip and Send to: Uintah Basin Standard 268 S. 200 E. Roosevelt, Utah 84066-310- 9 In the Uintah Basin 1 Yr. $22 2 Yr. $34 Out of the Uintah Basin 1 Yr. $36 2 Yr. $56 - - Address. Cily Zip4 Cath or Check onh. Sorry So Charger be forced to pay the majority of hospitalization costa. The number of outpatient visits also ia limited, even through more generous outpatient care has proven to reduce inpatient stays. However, business groups and the insurance industry strongly oppose party insurance coverage because they believe the coats to them are too high. They do not consider that depression alone coats over forty-four billion dollars annually in lost productivity and medical care. Of the 17.6 million American adults who experience clinical depression each year, 12.7 million (72 percent) are estimated to be in the labor force. In 1990, it waa estimated that employers spent three thousand dollars on each worker with depression. These coats were for lost productivity and absenteeism, not treatment. How we treat mental illness ia an issue of social justice. Legislation waa necessary to accomplish equal rights for minorities and women. It will take similar legislation to eliminate discrimination against people with biological brain disorders. This process needs our voices and our actions. Let us get involved aa concerned citizens, by contacting our state senators and representatives, to ask their support for House Bill 38! Jennifer Johnson, and Rochelle Wenger Say no to charter schools Dear Editor, In spite of a rapidly expanding state population, Utah public schools are facing an overall decline in enrollment. There is a lot of discontent with public schooling the push for education reform ia failing to produce desired results. The number of families pulling their children out for homeschooling has grown from about 1500 in 1991 to nearly 25,000 today. Utah parents see public schools teaching incomplete and biased history (The Utah Adventure textbook), promoting - emotional environmentalism (Project Wet curriculum), and engaging children in introspective psychological exercises. They see pri- vate and home schools producing far better results. It is hoped that charter schools will satisfy client discontent by lowering restrictive rules and granting more autonomy - but then, Centennial Schools were supposed to do that. Charter schools will simply extend the public monopoly over more schools, making them subject to creeping government regulation. Since they will use federal money, they must accept federal requirements at the start. Charter schools are in demand in states that have them. They enjoy enough freedom to make more choices than regular public schools however, many private schools are lured by client demand for Tree education, often sacrificing what made them effective in order to get government funds. Schools that arent willing to sacrifice principles for money may be abandoned - parents are willing to go for second choice because its free, and the significant contribution of these unique -- waa broken up by police. According to police reporta, John Tester, 42, waa with three of his foster children at a party Jan. 10 in Roosevelt where police found alcohol, marijuana e, and drug paraphernalia. The party was thrown for one of hie foster children who was celebrating a birthday. Two adults at the party were charged with drug and alcohol offenses, and two juveniles were cited into juvenile court. Tester was not charged because police could not prove that any of the drug items were his, however, police reports note he waa in a bedroom with three other adults where drugs were found on the bed and throughout the room. Police are continuing to investigate the foster parent. Tester has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment. This isn't the first time Tester has attracted public attention because of inappropriate behavior while in a supervisory position. About 18 months ago Tester resigned as a jailer with the Duchesne County Sheriffs Department while he was under investigation for allegedly handing out special favors to a female inmate in return for sex. An independent investigation conducted by the Utah Department of Corrections uncovered enough evidence to warrant Testers dis- missal, however the Duchesne County Attorney's office did not press criminal charges against Tester. Marty Hallamn, ChiefExecutive YFCS Officer for the Orem-base- d says while he doesn't condone drug or alcohol use, he doesn't necessarily see a problem with Tester being hired as a foster parent or continuing on in his organization. He did aay he waa unaware of Testers past employment history. Duchesne County Sheriff Ralph Stansfield said his office was never contacted regarding a character reference before Tester was hired as a foster parent. Hallamn questioned why Tester was being singled out in the incident. Coming to Tester's defense, Hallamn said he may not have realized there were drugs and alcohol in the home where the party was being held. Although he first refused to say ifTCster waa still employed by YFCS after the company was informed of Tester's activities, he later indicated he was still functioning aa a foster parent. The incident raises red flags about the credibility of private child placement providers, and calls for an examination of how the Division of Child and Family Services con- - private and parochial schools ia thus lost. Tax credits allow for a much wider choice. Thats why we now see states with charter schools also trying to legislate tax credits, which ia what they should have done in the first place. And of course, the current president, the education establishment, and the teacher unions are fiercely fighting educational choice in every state in heir drive for universal power over Americas children. Both DCFS and YFCS say they rely on information supplied Ruth Lehenbauer Medicare clause Dear Editor, The U.S. 1997 budget bill included a provision that doctors would not be allowed to provide any medical care for people over 64 years of age except those approved by Medicare - even if the citizen paid the doctor himself - or the doctor would not be allowed to charge Medicare for any service to Medicare beneficiaries for two years. When Clinton threatened to veto the entire budget bill unless this dictatorial regulation was included, Congress caved in and included it. Now there are bills before the House and the Senate, S 1194 HR2497 (Medicare Beneficiaries Freedom to Contract Act). These bills will have to be veto proof to get past Clinton. So, all of you who prefer to live in freedom without bureaucratic dictatorship, please contact not only your own senators and representatives, but also the House and Senate leadership, asking them to support these two bills. Who controls the United States? A dictatorial bureaucracy or the sovereign citizens? You decide when you exercise your constitutional right to petition your congressmen or vote them out of office if they do not realize whom they work for. Robert W. English Salt Lake City tailed. She said DCFS has contracted with YFCS (formerly known as Youth Services International) for a long time, but it waa the divisions Western Region office in Provo which contracted the services through the YFCS for placement of the children in Testers home in Duchesne County. Youth in state custody who arent beet served in DCFS regulated foster homes - often the more challenging cases - are screened by a committee, and private agencies such as YFCS, are contracted with to fill the gap. DCFS pays the private contracting agency $50 a day, or about $ 1 ,500 a month to take a foster child the state doesnt have room for, or cant manage. Last year, YFCS advertised locally (as Youth Services International) for people willing to be foster parents at the rate of $450 to $600 per child each month. La Ray Brown, associate director for DCFS Western Region acknowledges that one of the really serious problems DCFS has when contracting with large private agencies is that they don't bear about problems unless they are made aware of them through an outside source. DCFS routinely conducts background checks on privately licensed proctor homes, Brown said, adding that her office is reaearchingTeatera hiring by YFCS. Its an issue ... well take this case on specifically. Sincerely, is tyranny tracts for outside foster care services. DCFS Eastern Region Director Ann Cheves said private agencies which contract with the state to provide child placement must be licensed and must have a licensing process they follow when hiring proctors such as Tester. They have to go through a Bureau ofCriminal Investigation background check, a home study and they must complete a certain number of training hours, Cheves de- John Tester 5th grader asks for information on our area Dear Editor, I am in the fifth grade at Northeast Elementary in Kearney, Nebraska. I have adopted your state aa a class project. I will be doing a state report and other projects. Then in May my class ia having a States Fair. I will display and report everything I have learned about your state. I am writing in hopes of getting some postcards, maps, brochures and any other information or items that will help me report about your state. It would be helpful to me if you could print this letter in your newspaper. I have not visited your state, but hope to someday. I decided to pick your state for my school project so I could learn more about it. I hope your readers can help with my prqject I will write the newspaper again in May if you would like and let you know how everything went Thanks for your help. Sincerely Lance Hwiatkowaki through a Bureau of Criminal Inrun vestigation background-checon prospective foster parents. But a BCI supervisor said that if someone has a criminal conviction in another state, or has had charges filed against them in Utah but no convictions on their record, their criminal background check will come up clean. If youre on the run, at least try to obey the law A jail escapee from Coloradc ceaefully eluded law enforce: officials for the past three mo until he made a stupid miati driving WITH A HEADLH OUT! Last week UHP troopei old Chugg pulled over Schafer in Duchesne to let him he was minus one headlight When trooper Chugg ran a tine check cm Schafer he discoi he waa a fugitive. Schafer waa ing time in Cortex, Colorado on charges when he escaped fror county jail. Due to equipment 39-ye- ar 1 ure and an alert trooper, police able to cross Schafer's name ol Wanted List |