St. Mary’s Home for Children in North Providence closed its campus in August, along with outpatient and educational services. That left youth in need of home and community-care services without access to treatment. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
A trio of advocacy organizations filed a class action lawsuit Wednesday accusing the state of Rhode Island of failing to provide federally mandated behavioral and mental health care for children who qualify for Medicaid.
The 68-page complain t filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island relies on the experiences of 10 lead plaintiffs, all of whom are under 18 with mental or behavioral health needs whose care was coordinated by state agencies in charge of administering federal Medicaid and children’s health programs. Disability Rights Rhode Island, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, and Children’s Rights, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs, names Rhode Island Health and Human Services Secretary Richard Charest, and Ashley Deckert, director of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), as plaintiffs.