Name

Unit/Position

Des Moines--Recovery House

Tacoma--Adult Treatment Center

Renacer Youth Treatment Center

Visions Youth Treatment Center

March 6, 2006

Sea Mar Visions

1603 East Illinois

Bellingham, Washington 98226

Attention: Jeanette Palmer : Program Director

Dear Ms. Palmer:

 On January 31, 2006, I left my daughter [removed] in your care at Sea Mar Visions.  [removed] is currently at Sea Mar due to a court violation of her alcohol treatment plan.  Her appointed duty time to Washington State Courts is up May 19, 2006. For the time being, my daughter is ultimately in your care. Although my daughter is in your care, I am still her parent and therefore still have the right to be actively involved in her daily activities, healthcare, treatment care, school work and well being.  Because she is a minor and I am her legal guardian, I insist that Sea Mar Visions keep me informed and bring me up to date on what she has accomplished since she has been there.  Program policy or not I want to know what is going on with her treatment.  I expect to see paperwork citing weekly benchmarks and detailed progress.  Such reporting will aid me in my job as a parent to provide further support to her in aftercare and beyond.

 Since I left my daughter at Sea Mar Visions on January 31, 2006, I have been able to speak with her for a total of 22 minutes on the phone. Those calls have been monitored by your staff and have been in a room with or within listening distance of other patients.  Not only have these calls been monitored and on a speakerphone, but conversation directed toward my daughter has been intercepted and answered by staff listening in.  During conversation with my daughter on 2/27/06 on the phone, I witnessed staff having to tell other patients “to be quiet.”  This call was shorter than others and lasted only 2 minutes.  During our phone conversation on 3/6/06, staff members had to tell the girls to “keep it quiet” twice.  My conversation was being listened to by every girl in the facility along with a staff member.

I was told by Barbara  that confidentiality is a right afforded to the  patients, I understand that yet, it is not necessary to listen to private conversation between patient and family members.

I also want you to explain to me why family members that have been given permission to speak with [removed] on the phone have been denied that privilege by her counselor. I also want you to explain why [removed]’s brother is not allowed to visit, write, or speak to her on the phone.  At the time of in-take procedures on January 31, 2006 I was told by Tamara that males were not allowed visits because they could create a problem for the females in the unit.  Please explain this policy again to me.  During a conversation on 2/13/06 with Counselor Barbara, I was informed that any paperwork I filled out during intake was not valid and  that Sea Mar never lets family members other than parents speak to or write to patients until they have served at least 120 days or are in the recovery program. I understand how important parents are in the family system yet, in my family siblings are just as important as we believe that we all are responsible for each other. Limiting contact between [removed] and her siblings creates a hardship on the entire family. During this same phone conversation on 2/13/06, I was told repeatedly that Sea Mar policies are based upon what works and that is “little or no interference from the outside.” Seclusion from family members who provide support can not possibly lend toward a positive treatment program.  I am enclosing a copy of the permission slip I signed during intake. 

During this same conversation, I learned that I can be the only person to write letters to my daughter and that she would have to read all letters out loud in front of staff. This concern was dismissed as Sea Mar’s right to confidentiality and the right to search for contraband. Where are our rights to privacy!

As you know, I do not live close to Sea Mar, as such, transportation to and from the facility is difficult and often at the mercy of weather conditions.  As a result, I was not able to visit my daughter on our first visit so therefore, the phone calls and letters are important.  Before my daughter entered your program she had an enormous amount of community support, since entering the program we can no longer provide support or the support provided is contingent upon Sea Mar rules and policies.

Along with my concerns regarding communication with my daughter, I also want to voice a complaint about a caseworker contacting DSHS and utilizing my social security number to change my health care options to meet the needs of Sea Mar Visions.  The action was taken on 2/22/06 and was from someone who claimed to be her caseworker.  I would like a copy of all medical transactions made regarding my daughter while she has been there.  Please include actions deemed necessary without my consent. 

I am also asking that you provide me with copies of all intake papers and other paperwork that has [removed]’s signature on them.  I was promised all intake papers with her signatures the week following her intake and I am still waiting for them 35 days later.  I also want a copy of her treatment plan and any educational forms she has signed.  Basically, I want copies of any and all contracts or legal papers my daughter has signed.  I ask that in the future you send them to me in a timely manner as I am able to be informed and be a part of her treatment plan. 

I also ask that you send me data on research findings showing success rates of those who have gone through the Sea Mar Visions program.  If you cannot send hard data please direct me to an address where I can retrieve such results as I am interested in learning just how successful this program truly is.  

In closing, Ms. Palmer, I question the policies and procedures carried out by you and your staff.  Sea Mar Visions has not left me feeling good about where my daughter is. I demand that you take action to my concerns  immediately. I insist that policies requiring my daughter to read incoming mail aloud to staff members end immediately. I also demand that you immediately modify the manner in which phone calls are made and monitored.  I demand copies of papers requested and I demand a detailed plan of how Sea Mar Visions will resolve the concerns at hand. I expect a response within a reasonable amount of time or even sooner since I have been waiting more than a month for copies of signed paperwork.

Furthermore, I must inform you that I have been in contact with DASA and have voiced my concerns regarding those listed above.  Again I urge you to take my concerns seriously and act accordingly as I will not stand by and wait long.

Sincerely,

[removed]

Enclosures: 1: contact permission sheet