In January, the state Office of Child Advocacy released a scathing report on the North Providence facility, revealing abuse, neglect, understaffing and even a biker club security guard. In February, Milkowitz reported that North Providence police had been called to St. Mary's Church more than 300 times in the past two years, mostly involving children as young as 8 years old.
On the podcast “Rhode Island Report,” Milkowitz updates us and details the latest story about a family who sent their grandson to St. Mary's Hospital after he had been in and out of psychiatric hospitals. She received text and voice messages from teenager Trevor in response to questions and interviewed his grandparents extensively.
Milkowitz said Trevor was one of the children who ran away from home and was found by police on Interstate 295 last summer.
“I ran away and it was the motorway police who found me because people who saw me called me,” Trevor told the Globe.
Milkowitz said Trevor has sent photos of broken glass in his playground, reports of a rat infestation, broken air conditioning, and sweltering summer heat for his children. It is said that it has become.
“I was in the COVID-19 response room,” Trevor said. “They forgot to give me food and I was hot. They stopped my medication without telling anyone. They stopped my antidepressant, Prozac. They stopped it. It wasn't even a doctor.”
Milkowitz said Trevor's grandfather told him the area was filled with water or sewage and smelled bad. “There's a lot of complaints about how filthy it is, how dirty it is,” he says. “My feet are stuck to the floor.”
Trevor also told how his two other children entered his unlocked office, grabbed a set of keys to the family's van and drove off. Milkowitz said Trevor went into his office, found scissors and cut himself.
Eventually, the grandparents decided enough was enough and showed up and took Trevor home, Milkowitz said. But Trevor was in the custody of the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, and a few days later a family court judge ordered him returned to St. Mary's Hospital, where he remains, she said.
Trevor told Milkowitz that while there had been some improvement since the child advocate's report in January, more changes were needed.
“What I think has really improved is that the staff has become more responsive,” Trevor said. “But what I want is peace here, better food, more off-site…I want the staff to be able to handle the crisis better.”
On the podcast, Milkowitz talks about how St. Mary's responded to the Children's Advocate report and whether the proposed $11 million home expansion will move forward.
To get the latest episodes every week, follow the Rhode Island Report Podcast on Apple Podcasts, spotifyother podcasting platforms, or listen in the player above.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com.follow him @FitzProv.
