Photos of notorious abandoned "Children's Center" in Maryland

A Photo set on Flickr:

Wikipedia says: "Forest Haven was a children's developmental center in Laurel, Maryland. It is sometimes referred to (inaccurately) as "DC Children's Center", although this was not an official moniker.

It was notorious for its poor conditions and abuse of patients. It was shut down in 1991 by a federal court."

We spent more than 5 hours walking around the campus and probably only saw half of the buildings. Just a huge area of urban decay to explore.

An interesting write-up of Forest Haven can be found here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/daily/march99/grouphome14.htm

If you want to see more photos from Forest Haven, check out the photosets from Jon and Chris.

Maryland psychiatrist Anil Sanghera surrendered her license to practice

Maryland psychiatrist Anil Sanghera surrendered her license to practice medicine in November 2007. Sanghera, a member of the Maryland Board of Physicians, consultant to the organization Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD) and the Georgetown University Center for Personal Development, was found guilty by the Board of immoral or unprofessional conduct, among other charges.

Among specific violations cited in the Board's documents was that Dr. Sanghera prescribed to family, friends and one employee without conducting physical examinations, evaluations or follow up care and did not maintain any medical records for some of these individuals. She specialized in the treatment of adult ADD.

Here are some of the documents we have received in this matter.

First we have the complaint that was filed in 2005

Read this doc on Scribd: Anil Sanghera Medical Board Charges 15 September 2008

Then we have the etter from November 2007 where the psychiatrist surrenders their license in order to avoid criminal prosecution by the state of Maryland.

Read this doc on Scribd: Anil Sanghera MD psychiatric board order 11-28-07

Psychiatrist Loses Criminal Appeal

As seen in this report from the Capitol News Service

A Maryland court Wednesday upheld disciplinary action against the psychiatrist who leaked details about the sexual habits and mental health of convicted spy Robert Hanssen in 2001.

A three-judge panel of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld lower court rulings against Alen J. Salerian, who had been hired by defense attorneys to evaluate Hanssen, a former FBI agent arrested for giving highly classified information to Russia.

The two met over the course of a week in April 2001, during which Hanssen admitted he had a "long history of sexual betrayal and exploitation" of his wife -- a fact that Salerian later shared with Hanssen's wife.

Court documents said Salerian was warned repeatedly by Hanssen's attorney, Plato Cacheris, not to disclose any details of his conversations with the former FBI agent. Salerian, along with most others involved in the case, had also signed a letter from the U.S. Attorney General promising not to disclose information about Hanssen due to "national security interests" involved.

In May 2001, within a week after telling Hanssen's wife about the sexual betrayals, Salerian was fired by Cacheris. Salerian also received a letter from Hanssen forbidding him from discussing their meetings with anyone other than defense attorneys, including family members and "certainly with anyone outside the family."

But in the following weeks, Salerian was quoted in numerous media outlets discussing Hanssen's mental state.

In a June 2001 CBS report, Salerian claimed that he had disclosed the information with Hanssen's permission. Salerian, who believed the FBI, the church and the medical system had failed Hanssen, said it was "a situation where there was life and death involved and I had to make a call as a physician to say what I think is right."

In a disciplinary hearing against Salerian, Hanssen testified via telephone that he had agreed to let Salerian tell his wife about the sexual exploits because Salerian convinced him that the media were about to publish it.

Hanssen pleaded guilty to espionage in July 2001 and is serving life in federal prison. The 2007 film "Breach" was based on his arrest.

Hanssen's attorneys and wife filed a complaint against Salerian in September 2001 with the Maryland State Board of Physicians, charging he disclosed confidential information. That same month, Salerian's license to practice medicine in Maryland expired.

He applied for reinstatement of his license in September 2002, only to be told the board was charging him with immoral and unprofessional conduct and violating attorney-client and physician-patient privilege. He attempted to withdraw his application in July 2003, but was told he could not do so while charges were pending.

An administrative law judge initially recommended that Salerian be fined $20,000, have his license revoked and be barred from applying for reinstatement for up to three years.

In January 2005, the board decided instead that Salerian be fined $5,000 and be placed on probation for two years, which would not end until he completed an ethics course.

Salerian challenged the action, but it was upheld by the Montgomery County Circuit Court. He raised 10 issues in his appeal to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, which rejected all 10 Wednesday.

Messages left on his voicemail Wednesday at the Washington Center for Psychiatry were not returned. A woman who answered the phone at the address listed for Salerian in the state physicians board's records said he had not lived there for six years.

Cacheris called Wednesday's ruling accurate and said he agreed with the penalties against Salerian.

Mental Hospital to Get Overhaul After Federal Funds Cut Off

Finally, an action that almost makes sense. Federal funds have been removed from a hospital that has a horrific track record in patient care. After all why should we reward the place with extra money if they have a track record of screwing it up? As seen in this report.

Broughton Hospital will be reorganized to increase staff supervision and patient safety after the federal government cut off funding for the mental health hospital, state health officials announced on Monday.

Health officials hope the reorganization will turn convince the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to begin paying coverage for Broughton patients again. CMS cut off the funds on Aug. 25 after a probe into patient treatment at the Morganton facility.

"We cannot emphasize enough how seriously we take this matter, as well as our expectations that the prescribed actions are immediately undertaken to resolve the identified deficiencies," state health secretary Dempsey Benton and Mike Moseley, director of the state's mental health division, wrote in a memo to Broughton director Seth Hunt.

Federal funds were denied after two incidents involving patients.

In February, Anthony Lowery, 27, died while staff members, including one who laid across his chest, restrained him. On August 19, a patient who was supposed to be under close supervision fell. That patient has recovered.

Broughton will now give staffers more training on how to use physical restraints and how to prevent falls, said Dr. Michael Lassiter, psychiatrist who lead the review.

Supervision of clinical staff by clinical professionals will also be increased. Prior to the review, the lack of oversight meant nursing staff members did not report to the director of nursing, Lassiter said.

"The organization needs to be realigned, so that it is clear that the clinical team is supervised by professional staff that understands the role of clinical staff," Lassiter said. "We need to set up an organizational structure that empowers and enhances physicians' and nurses' oversight and accountability functions for clinical services."

Lassiter will lead the three-member reorganization team of nursing and administrative experts, which will report weekly to state health officials.

The team will conduct a mock CMS survey after the review, which is expected to last a month, and then request CMS look over the hospital's plan of correction.

I wonder what odds we should put on them getting their act together?

Sentencing in Medicaid Fraud Case at MYPO Mental Health Clinic

From a press release by the Masrlyland Attorney General, as reported on South Maryland Online

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Angelo Reynolds, 39, of the 8400 block of Pattette Place in White Plains, has been sentenced to five years incarceration with all but one year suspended, and to be served in home detention. The sentence comes after Reynolds pleaded guilty in Baltimore Circuit Court to one count of felony Medicaid fraud for his role in defrauding the Medicaid program of at least $150,000. The Honorable John M. Glynn also ordered Reynolds to pay restitution of $150,000 over the course of five years of supervised probation.

Reynolds, who holds a PhD in Education and is a former police officer, was the owner of MYPO, Inc, a mental health clinic that had its principal office at 1600 Calvert Street in Baltimore City. From November, 2003, through June, 2004, Reynolds’ company billed Medicaid $496,000 for mental health therapy sessions it claimed had been provided to residents of Baltimore City and Prince Georges County. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General revealed that throughout the seven month period, MYPO billed for multiple therapy sessions before anyone from the company had met with the patient. Additionally, company documents showed that Reynolds’ company billed for having treated patients during time periods when no therapist was even assigned to the individual seeking therapy.

MYPO received the vast majority of its patients as a result of referrals from The Bridges Project, LLC, a provider of unskilled counseling services to eligible Medicaid recipients, mostly children, in the Baltimore area. Prior to referring patients to MYPO, Bridges had been referring patients to Dr. James An Nguyen, a psychiatrist. Dr. Nguyen pled guilty in 2005 to defrauding Medicaid of $340,000 and received a sentence that included 18 months incarceration. Two of the owners of Bridges, Guy Bell and Robin Carroll-El, have been charged with felony Medicaid fraud and theft of as much as four million dollars in and are scheduled to go to trial in Baltimore Circuit Court on May 16, 2007.

The case was prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. The MFCU conducted the investigation with assistance from the Mental Hygiene Administration (MHA), which suspended payments to MYPO in June of 2004. MHA has been working with the MFCU to root out fraud in its programs, and several cases of fraudulent behavior by MHA providers have been successfully prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstock for his work on the case.

Owings Mills Woman Sentenced for Medicaid Fraud

From the Maryland Attorney General's Office

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler today announced that Susan Carol Mehlman, 54, of Owings Mills, MD, was convicted of Medicaid fraud in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Judge Martin P. Welch sentenced her to five years in prison with all but six months suspended and to be served in home detention. Mehlman, a licensed psychologist and Medicaid provider of mental health services, was also sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation upon her release from home detention. Mehlman has already paid $96,750 in restitution and penalties to the state Medicaid program.

While rendering therapy services to clients at A Caring Hand, an adult medical daycare center located in Anne Arundel County, Mehlman submitted claims to and received payment from Medicaid totaling more than $118,000 between February, 2004 and September, 2005. Mehlman repeatedly submitted claims for rendering as many as 13 units of service in a single day, although each unit of service is approximately 45-50 minutes, and the daycare center was only open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. She also billed and received payment for family therapy, although there was no evidence that such services were ever rendered.

Mehlman was suspended from the Medicaid program and as a provider of public mental health services in September, 2005. As an additional consequence of her conviction, Mehlman faces exclusion from the program as a Medicaid provider for a period of at least five years.

The case was prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. The MFCU conducted the investigation with assistance from the Mental Hygiene Administration (MHA). MHA has been working with the MFCU to root out fraud in its programs, and several cases of possible fraudulent behavior by MHA providers are currently under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office. In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Eileen McInerney for her work on the case.

Psychiatrist Accused In Drugs-For-Sex Case Sued

he Baltimore County psychiatrist who was suspended in February amid allegations that he traded pain pills for sex is facing more legal trouble.
As seen in the report from WBAL in Baltimore

A lawsuit filed in Circuit Court alleges Dr. Nelson Hendler raped a female patient while she was under sedation. The woman is identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe II. She is seeking $50,000 in damages.

Hendler's lawyer said he was unaware of the lawsuit.

Hendler was the founder of the Mensana Clinic in Stevenson. He is scheduled to go on trial in February on seven charges of possessing a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute.

His license was suspended after the Maryland Board of Physicians accused him of sexual improprieties with three patients and handing out painkillers without proper prescriptions

NIH Psychiatric Researcher Accused in Conflict of Interest Case; of Improperly Taking Money From Drugmaker

From the Baltimore Sun

UPDATE: As seen in this report, the corrupt shrink has plead guilty.

A senior government scientist working in Alzheimer's disease research was charged by federal prosecutors yesterday with accepting $285,000 in consulting fees and travel expenses from the world's largest drug manufacturer without proper approval from his bosses.

The criminal case emerged as a rare example of a top leader in the sciences being accused of breaking the law over a breach of professional ethics.

Leaders at the National Institutes of Health and their overseers in Congress have described the private financial arrangements between drug companies and publicly employed scientists as the worst scandal in the history of the agency.

Pearson "Trey" Sunderland III, chief of the geriatric psychiatry branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, which is part of the NIH, was charged yesterday with conflict of interest. He is accused of accepting payments from Pfizer Inc. without authorization from his superiors and ethics watchdogs. The misdemeanor charge was filed by criminal information instead of by indictment, which usually signals that a guilty plea is expected.

If convicted in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, the 55-year- old scientist from Chevy Chase could be sentenced to up to one year in prison and fined up to $100,000. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday.

His attorney, Robert F. Muse, declined to comment yesterday.

Arthur Caplan, chairman of the medical ethics department at the University of Pennsylvania, called the case "unbelievable. It's just staggering news that will have an enormous ripple effect."

In October, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester M. Crawford pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges, admitting that he lied about owning stock and options in companies regulated by the agency.

This fall, the Los Angeles Times reported that an internal agency review had found that Dr. Thomas J. Walsh, who has helped lead major clinical trials involving cancer patients at NIH, improperly received fees totaling $100,970 from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies without prior disclosure. Walsh, who has not been charged by federal authorities, remains an agency employee.

NIH officials confirmed yesterday that more than 40 scientists at the agency are thought to have engaged in outside, fee-based relationships with private companies. Almost none of them were charged with crimes. Instead, officials said, the scientists were disciplined internally or retired from the agency.

A spokesman for Rep. Edward Whitfield, a Kentucky Republican who is chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, declined to comment on the charge against Sunderland.

Rep. John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who is expected to take over as chairman of the powerful energy committee in January, said the case raises questions about the management of the National Institutes of Health.

"Sunderland remained on the payroll for years after NIH was given information from this Committee about this conflict and while the Surgeon General sat on an NIH recommendation that he be removed," Dingell, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said in a statement. "Will a criminal conviction for conflict of interest be enough to get someone fired from NIH?"

Other committee officials said the criminal charge helped explain why Sunderland declined to testify before its investigative subcommittee this year.

"It looks like there was a reason that Dr. Sunderland took the Fifth when he came to testify before our committee, and that was because he'd done something wrong," Larry Neal, a spokesman for the energy committee, said in a statement.

Sunderland remains an employee of the National Institute of Mental Health, spokesman Don Ralbovsky said yesterday.

His continued employment baffled some members of Congress.

"Hopefully, this announcement will also clear the way for Dr. Sunderland's termination from the Commissioned Corps," Neal said in his statement. "That as of a few months ago he continued to collect his salary and travel to Hawaii and other locales on taxpayer-funded trips is a total betrayal of the public trust."

Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, said that if Sunderland is not disciplined "even after criminal charges have been brought, we can only conclude that no one is being held accountable, the system is broke and the public trust has been violated."

In a congressional report released in July, Sunderland was accused of accepting more than $500,000 from Pfizer without obtaining required advance approval.

Federal prosecutors declined yesterday to explain the disparity between that accusation and the more limited scope of the federal charge, saying they would not comment beyond the allegations contained in court papers. A message left for a Pfizer spokeswoman was not returned yesterday.

Speaking more broadly about the ethical restrictions on government scientists, Caplan said the recent scandal has put researchers in a difficult position.

"There is a mixed message here, which is: Stay away from the private sector but please work with the private sector," the ethicist said. "A lot of the rules that have been put in after the scandals are too restrictive. ... Saying your secretary's husband can't own stock in a pharmaceutical company doesn't make any sense to a lot of people."

With degrees from Harvard and George Washington universities, Sunderland has been a leader in his field. He has written more than 250 articles, book chapters and reviews, and he co-wrote the book Aging and Mental Health.

As branch chief since 1997, Sunderland supervised his agency's geriatric research, including the creation and management of collaborations with outside partners.

According to court papers filed by prosecutors, Sunderland was required under agency rules to disclose all income earned from outside activities and travel expenses exceeding $260 that were reimbursed by outside sources.

In addition, before engaging in outside employment, Sunderland was required to file a form disclosing the name of the outside organization, the nature of the employment and any anticipated compensation.

In late 1997, Pfizer representatives approached Sunderland about his agency's joining a scientific collaboration, according to court papers. It was to involve researchers at Pfizer and the British company Oxford Glycosciences Limited who were searching for new Alzheimer biomarkers, physical traits in the blood or cerebral spinal fluid indicating the presence and progress of the disease.

Prosecutors allege that Sunderland joined the collaboration without full disclosure. From 1998 to 2003, the branch chief and his staff members, acting in their official capacities, provided Pfizer with advice, expert opinions, statistical analyses and data interpretation.

According to the criminal information filed against Sunderland, Sunderland signed an agreement in June 1998 to serve as a private consultant for Pfizer.

During his five years as a consultant, Pfizer paid Sunderland $125,000 in retainer fees, $35,000 to attend company meetings and additional money for related travel expenses.

According to the criminal information, Sunderland did not disclose to his supervisors at the National Institute of Mental Health the nature of his work and compensation from Pfizer.