Judging by the seemingly never-ending string of alarming police calls to Belmont Pines Hospital in Liberty, that behavioral health facility for youth has begun to resemble ground zero for chaos and mayhem in the Mahoning Valley.

In recent weeks, township police have been called at least three times to deal with reported assaults, runaways, vandalism and other turmoil. Over the past year, many other disturbing reports have unfolded. Teens have been arrested after countless reported assaults on staff members. Portions of the residential treatment facility have been severely damaged amid fighting and other assorted bedlam. Last summer, police had to quell an “aggravated riot” at the facility, and allegations of sexual abuse of patients in the facility also have surfaced.

Clearly, a prescription for structural improvement in internal security and safety at the hospital is long overdue. The ongoing chaos obviously takes its toll on Belmont Pines’ noble mission to provide comprehensive and compassionate behavioral health care to the scores of troubled teens it serves. The stakes for the vulnerable young people it treats are too high to not do all possible to maximize their safety and security.

Toward that end, we call on the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health to launch a thorough investigation of Belmont Pines operations with a focus on identifying problems and implementing long-term strategies to quash violence and other criminal episodes so that the largest treatment facility in the region for young people with behavioral health issues can do its job more effectively.

In addition to the formal police reports, a quick glance through online reviews of the hospital from former patients and their families proves discomforting. Though some positive and complimentary comments on the quality of care there can be found, many bemoan alleged subpar conditions.

A former patient alleges she was sexually assaulted by an adult staff member during a strip search. Others report having suffered bruises and injuries from altercations with staff. Another commenter last month wrote, “If you admit your child to Belmont Pines after hearing the stories about that place, SHAME ON YOU.”

Criticism and complaints of the quality of care at residential youth treatment facilities, however, is not isolated to Belmont Pines. In fact, a 2024 report released after an exhaustive investigation spearheaded by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee presented shocking conclusions about such facilities nationwide.

The report, titled “Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers Are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities,” offered this chilling summary of its key findings ”The Committee’s investigation found that children at RTFs (residential treatment facilities) suffer harms such as the risk of physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of staff and peers, improperly executed and overused restraint and seclusion, inadequate treatment and supervision and nonhomelike environments. These harms amount to acute safety concerns and have long-term effects, including suffering, trauma and even death.”

Not surprisingly, that damning report uses Belmont Pines as an example several times to underscore its points.

It notes that in one case in 2022, an emergency room nurse told dispatchers that a 9-year-old who had been assaulted at the facility was “covered in bruises, had a laceration and a large hematoma on his head.” Another mention notes a group of girls who “rioted” in an attempt to “elope” from Belmont Pines. The Senate report also includes an accompanying police report that said,

“[i]t was clear at that time that the staff of Belmont Pines had lost complete and total control of the facility and the risk of serious physical harm was imminent to the individuals housed there, the staff members and responding officers.”

In response to the eye-opening findings of the Senate investigation, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., recently introduced legislation designed to protect vulnerable youth from violence and abuse in such facilities nationwide.

The legislation, called the Better Results through In-community Delivery, Greater Enforcement, and Stronger Services (BRIDGES) for Kids Act,” takes a multi-step approach to improving the care of vulnerable children who have mental health needs. The legislation focuses on investing in community-centered solutions, increasing state and federal oversight of RTFs, and improving conditions at them.

It would also mandate more transparency in actions at facilities like Belmont Pines by requiring an online dashboard with data about such metrics as the number of incidents of restraining children, inspection report details and staffing levels.

Clearly, the BRIDGES for Kids Act merits bipartisan support in the name of compassion for troubled young people in the Mahoning Valley and across the nation. Its tougher reporting and investigative protocols could go far toward ensuring Belmont Pines and other RTFs can achieve their maximum potential. Sadly, many of them today fall woefully short of that potential.