ROCK HILL, S.C. — Police in Rock Hill have responded to more than 100 calls at the New Hope Carolinas Treatment Center.
Neighbors told Channel 9 South Carolina bureau reporter Tina Terry that kids have been seen running away from the facility, which provides behavioral health care.
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Terry asked officials with the state and the facility about what is being done about the safety concerns.
Employees at Hope Carolinas care for dozens of children from all over the country who have behavioral, conduct and psychiatric challenges.
However, an anonymous Channel 9 viewer said in an email they had inside information about the facility.
“Residents are breaking out by kicking out doors, stolen badges and through stolen keys,” the viewer stated in an email to Channel 9. “Staff are quitting in droves … someone is going to get hurt or killed in this place.”
Rock Hill police said they had 120 calls for service last year and 43 this year for missing persons reports, assaults and follow-ups to prior calls.
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“I saw the police in the neighborhood and then I saw them shining lights in our yard,” neighbor Sally Bedenbaugh said. “So I put it out on our Facebook page.”
Bedenbaugh watched police respond a few days ago and hopes neighbors can work with the facility’s new director to turn things around.
Executive Director Matt Simon sent a statement Wednesday saying, “Given the nature of our population, we experience challenges in our facility with youth behavior.”
He also stated, “Data regarding incidents in the building with youth behavior have all trended down for the last 24 months.”
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Simon also added, “New Hope reviews all incidents daily with a multi-disciplinary team and puts in actions, policy changes, and facilities improvements.”
Bedenbaugh hopes the facility and neighbors can work together to ensure the safety of those inside and outside the facility.
“We’re hoping the line of communication will open up where there we can get calls, or meetings and let us know what we can do as a community to help and be on guard for,” Bedenbaugh said.
Terry also contacted the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Wednesday.
Officials said the department received 13 complaints about the facility in the last six months, including three so far this month.
DHEC has conducted two complaint investigations in the past six months. The most recent investigations conducted by DHEC were on Jan. 14.
“As always, if anyone has specific allegations involving potential violations of Regulation 61-103, we ask that you please submit a complaint using our online complaint form here so we can appropriately investigate,” DHEC said in a statement.
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