Woman whose son was abused at center says ordeal isn't over

Her son's abusers are in prison and a settlement with the state of Missouri has just been finalized, but there's no end to the ordeal that Donna Uhlmansiek and her family have faced for four years.

Uhlmansiek's son, now 14, is among eight boys who were believed to have been the victims of a wide range of abuse at a state-run mental health center in Marshall, Mo. According to reports, boys at the Marshall Habilitation Center were slammed against floors, hit with books, forced into cold showers and made to attack each other.

Four former workers are behind bars for what went on at the center in August 2000. Last month, Uhlmansiek's son was awarded $950,000 in a settlement with the state. The mother said no amount of money will help her son recover from the trauma he went through. For the past 14 months, the boy has required round-the-clock care at a psychiatric hospital.

Even with the money, Uhlmansiek said her family must depend on a state mental health system she does not fully trust. The boy's treatment can cost more than $25,000 a month. The family can't seek private care without depleting the trust fund in as little as two years. Instead, the boy remains in state care under the Medicaid program.

"Unfortunately the settlement does not give us the financial independence we would need to not have to involve the state in his life," she said. At least four families have sued the state over the treatment at the Marshall center. Three were represented by the Jefferson City law firm of Roger Brown and Associates. Chris Slusher, a lawyer at the firm, said the two other families in the suit settled for $600,000 each last year. Uhlmansiek said she would have liked the case to have gone to trial, but following through after the other families had settled seemed daunting.