RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - An advocacy group for people with disabilities is calling on North Carolina officials to better care for children with both a mental illness and developmental disability, hundreds of whom have been sent to live in facilities outside the state because of a lack of adequate in-state resources.
A study released Wednesday by Disability Rights North Carolina says the state is failing children with complex treatment needs. A lack of available mental health services in the state is leading to waits in hospital emergency rooms that can last days.
Hundreds of North Carolina children have been sent to out-of-state residential treatment facilities hours away from their families. The report shows the state quadrupled the number of children housed in facilities outside North Carolina between 2005 and 2010, from 117 to 494.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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