North Texas Mental Health Hospital Chain Investigated By I-Team For 5 Years Shuts Down
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Sundance Behavioral Health Hospital surrendered its license on Friday and is no longer accepting patients.
The law firm of Varghese Summersett issued the following statement on behalf of Sundance Behavioral Healthcare System:
"Due to the ongoing criminal prosecution, Sundance Behavioral Healthcare System is financially unable to sustain services to the mental health population in our community. As a result, the hospital voluntarily brought its patient count to zero. On December 21, Sundance surrendered their license to Health and Human Services and is no longer accepting patients."
In Arlington Friday, maintenance crews removed and covered signs on the building and a note on the door reads, "Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room."
In Arlington and at the Garland facility, people coming and going would only tell CBS 11 the place is closed.
Fort Worth State Rep. Stephanie Klick said North Texas needs quality facilities and that's not what patients were getting here.
"I'm glad this is concluded," Rep. Klick said.
Sundance now faces a total of 20 criminal counts claiming its Arlington facility "knowingly violated a provision in Texas' mental health code" by "failing to assist a patient"... "in creating a written request for discharge".... even after the patient wanted to leave the hospital.
The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office office said seven new patients came forward adding the new charges after the first indictment last month.
Since 2013, patients and their loved ones have reached out to the I-Team complaining about abuse, neglect, threats with needles and more.
But the one complaint CBS 11 receives most is from loved ones who say patients are held against their will.
Darrell Leblanc, Jr. says he wanted to get out but couldn't, even after he signed a medical release. "There was no way I was going to get out of that place," he told CBS 11's I-Team.
For years, the CBS 11 I-Team found complaints and more substantiated in state inspection reports.
Court documents also cite a suicide in September, reports of patients escaping, assaults, a rape and illegally injected chemical restraints.
In interviews, children have told CBS 11 about needle threats with the so-called "bootie juice."
The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys office said Sundance's shutting down does not impact the continuing criminal investigation.