Youths removed from Lincoln Behavioral

By William K. Alcorn

Among the youths removed from Lincoln Behavioral were three placed there by Mahoning County Children Services.

YOUNGSTOWN — About 70 youths were moved out of Lincoln Behavioral Health Care’s residential facility Monday morning for “their safety,” according to a company spokeswoman who refused to identify herself.

Large, unmarked white vans were loading the young people at about 10 a.m. They were being returned to the counties that had sent them there, said the woman, who then ordered a Vindicator reporter off the property.

Children and young adults, age 8 to 20, are sent to Lincoln for counseling and other services, primarily by county children services agencies and juvenile justice courts.

A Lincoln spokesman, Christopher Flak, said Friday that the company planned to close its residential facility but that it was negotiating with a national company to take over the business, located in the former Woodside Hospital at 800 E. Indianola Ave. on the city’s South Side.

Among the youths removed from Lincoln Behavioral were three placed there by Mahoning County Children Services. Two were removed Thursday and one Monday, said Denise E. Stewart, MCCS executive director.

The children, who are in the custody of MCCS, were moved to other facilities after MCCS received a letter from Lincoln saying the residential unit was to be closed effective Aug. 1, Stewart said.

In his letter to Stewart, Carl Vaccar, chief executive officer of Lincoln Behavioral, blamed the “current economic situation combined with a loss in funding” for the need to terminate his contract with MCCS.

The same letter apparently went out to other children service agencies and juvenile courts in several counties in Northeast Ohio and as far away as Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Franklin (Columbus) and Hamilton (Cincinnati) counties, which placed youths at Lincoln Behavioral.

The facility is licensed for 240, but the census is down from about 200 to just over 70, Flak said.

None, however, were from the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center. Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick said she has not placed anyone at Lincoln for some time.

Last week, Flak said Lincoln Behavioral Health Care, 800 E. Indianola Ave., is close to merging with a national company and is not closing its doors.

However, an employee who called The Vindicator and requested to remain anonymous said that is not true.

As of Friday, about 10 employees had been laid off, and more job losses were expected because of program changes associated with the proposed merger, Flak said.

A telephone call to Vaccar was not returned.

Information from another anonymous Lincoln Behavioral employee says workers were told by Vaccar in meetings earlier this month there will be downsizing. Residential services will be closed but could be regained in the future.

Employees also said Vaccar told them that Lincoln’s funding source will pay only for time actually worked but will not be responsible for personal time, sick time, vacation and holiday pay, and Vaccar won’t pay it.

Flak said last week that the business is not closing but rather going through a transition. “To keep the company viable, we have layoffs,” he said.

alcorn@vindy.com