Trauma health centers like Starr Behavioral Health play a vital role in the healthcare system. Staffed by medical professionals and highly trained assistants, these facilities provide necessary coaching and health services for children, families, and communities.
They often serve vulnerable populations, such as individuals with mental health issues, addiction, or behavioral challenges.
Community-based programs must adhere to professional standards of care, prioritize patient safety, and provide quality services. They must also be committed to preventing harm from befalling patients, such as negligence, emotional abuse, medical malpractice, or sexual abuse.
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This may include additional professional trauma training to provide trauma-informed care training. Centers must create positive, nurturing environments and regularly engage in training and coaching programs to provide the best bare possible.
Although health centers exist to support children, families, and communities, they often fall short of this expectation. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is a legal team specializing in supporting victims of abuse or neglect in healthcare facilities. Our Michigan residential treatment center abuse lawyers can help you recover compensation for legal damages suffered due to negligence, abuse, or harm.
About Starr Commonwealth
Overview
Starr Commonwealth is a company in southern Michigan. Its headquarters is at 13725 Starr Commonwealth Rd, Albion, MI 49224. Starr Commonwealth operates two behavioral health centers in Detroit and Battle Creek.
Currently, it provides direct behavioral health services to children and families and offers trauma-informed care training for childcare professionals, clinicians, educators, and parents.
Until a few years ago, Starr Commonwealth was a residential treatment center for at-risk youth, but these services transitioned into more community-based programs and professional trauma training in recent years.
The target population for Starr Commonwealth’s services is individuals who have experienced trauma, whether they are children, adolescents, or families. The leadership believes that past trauma does not seal an individual’s fate, and these programs can provide trauma-informed care training to improve outcomes.
Not only does it not seal an individual’s fate, but many can overcome it.
Starr Commonwealth is driven by a passion for helping others. It is known for its professional trauma training and direct training sessions for professionals. These programs are for childcare professionals, clinicians, educators, and anyone else who needs to be certified in trauma training and direct services.
Its student resilience and empowerment center provides a program to help children develop resilience and build positive self-esteem. This program has the same message as Starr Behavioral Health.
It states that trauma doesn’t seal an individual’s fate and helps children heal through trauma-informed coaching. The six-week program can help children develop necessary skills, including social skills.
Ownership and Affiliations
Sometimes referred to as Starr Behavioral Health, Starr Commonwealth partnered with Sequel Youth and Family Services until 2020. When this partnership ended, Starr Commonwealth ended its residency services to focus on community-based programs for children, families, and communities.
Training and coaching programs help teach clinicians, educators, and parents how to create positive nurturing environments and that trauma is real. Other training and coaching programs provide necessary certifications for employees. They also offer academic support, counseling, and family services.
Starr Commonwealth is a separate entity operating two behavioral health centers in southern Michigan. One of the company’s new programs is the Student Resilience and Empowerment Center in Calhoun County, which supports middle school students.
Notable Legal Actions Against Starr Commonwealth
When Starr Commonwealth was a residential treatment center that provided direct behavioral health services, it did not have a perfect record. Many patients suffered from abuse or neglect while staying at this facility or receiving care services.
For caregivers to create positive, nurturing environments for healing and mental health support, abuse and neglect must be prevented. Here are some notable legal actions against Starr Commonwealth highlighting its checkered past of poor training and direct services.
Child Drowns While Under Care of Foster Parent in Starr Commonwealth’s Network
On April 15, 2000, Marcel D. Hare jumped off a bridge into the Kalamazoo River and drowned. She had been living in the home of a foster parent named Selma Melvin. Melvin was a foster parent in Starr Commonwealth’s system, and after several unsuccessful stays with other foster parents, Marcel had been placed under the care of Melvin.
The plaintiff named Starr Commonwealth and Melvin in their lawsuit, alleging that the facility had been negligent in sending Marcel to a foster parent who was unreliable when caring for foster children.
Allegedly, Melvin had allowed Marcel to wander off multiple times, and one of these times occurred the day she drowned. Eventually, the court dismissed Starr Commonwealth’s involvement in the lawsuit but allowed the case to proceed with Melvin as the defendant [1].
Former Employee Sues Starr Commonwealth After Being Raped By a Resident
In 1980, Diana Rathbun was an employee at Starr Commonwealth For Boys. According to a lawsuit she filed, multiple employees at the facility engaged in negligence in allowing a certain patient to stay at Starr Commonwealth.
With the help of Michigan sexual assault attorneys, Rathbun alleges that this patient, Troy Williams, raped her after being admitted to the treatment center.
Her lawsuit stated the defendants in question had allowed an exception for Williams to move into the facility, which they did not have the authority to make. Furthermore, Rathbun accused them of not providing all the information about the patient’s past before granting the exception, which included second-degree sexual misconduct [2].
Escaped Starr Commonwealth Patient Commits Murder
In 2009, Sharon Brooks filed a wrongful death action on behalf of the estate of Dominique Wade. Starr Commonwealth and Bridgeway Services LLC were listed as the defendants. In this case, Michael Kirksey was a 16-year-old patient participating in the residential program at Starr Commonwealth.
He was admitted there with a history of criminal activity and escaping from juvenile facilities. After multiple escape attempts, it was decided Kirksey would be moved to a higher security location.
However, before the transfer went through, Kirksey escaped again and killed Dominique Wade 11 days later. This patient was allegedly supposed to be in a locked unit at Starr Commonwealth but was placed in an unlocked cottage instead. Therefore, Wade’s estate attempted to sue the facility for negligence [3].
Nearly 30 State Investigations Reveal Multiple Incidents at Starr Commonwealth
Between 2017 and 2020, almost 30 state investigations were conducted into Starr Commonwealth’s practices. These investigations revealed multiple violations of healthcare standards.
In one incident, a male staff member slammed a youth patient onto the ground, and the patient lost consciousness. The ensuing incident report filed by the staff member did not include an accurate portrayal of the event.
At this time, Starr Commonwealth was being supervised by Sequel Youth and Family Services, which was under fire for the death of a teenager in another facility. These violations, plus the end of the contract with Sequel Youth and Family Services, contributed to the end of Starr Commonwealth’s residency programs.
Since 2020, the focus has shifted to helping people heal through trauma-informed care training and direct services [4].
Understanding Your Rights
Starr Commonwealth’s commitment to direct behavioral health services and trauma-informed care training has helped many children, families, and communities.
However, staff failures in the past have led to a questionable reputation for this healthcare entity. Victims who have suffered from abuse or neglect from this facility and its programs have the right to pursue compensation for legal damages.
If you or a family member have suffered abuse or neglect from Starr Commonwealth’s staff or programs, such as the Student Resilience and Empowerment Center, you should consider legal action.
You can pursue legal damages, such as lost income, medical bills, future medical costs, emotional distress, pain and suffering, or loss of quality of life. Whether you are a victim of medical malpractice, negligence, or sexual abuse, you can hold this company accountable for your suffering.
Finding the right lawyer to guide you through the legal process is essential. An attorney who specializes in sexual abuse, surgical errors, medical negligence, or other fields has more experience with your specific situation.
At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, our residential treatment center abuse attorneys can help you recover compensation for various types of abuse and neglect. It is essential to act quickly when taking legal action.
Secure Expert Legal Representation!
Although Starr Commonwealth is driven to provide nurturing environments for children and helpful training and coaching programs for childcare professionals, clinicians, educators, and parents, this company hasn’t always delivered. When you or a family member suffer from abuse or neglect, that trauma is real and may last a lifetime.
Before we sign an agreement, you can take advantage of a free consultation. You can speak with an experienced lawyer and ask questions about your case or the legal process.
Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. Instead of paying legal fees upfront for our services, payment only comes out of the settlement if we successfully recover compensation on your behalf.
With our team, you will have sound legal guidance throughout the claims process. We will help gather evidence, assess your legal damages, negotiate for fair compensation, and represent you in court if necessary. Call us today at 888-424-5757 or complete the online form to request your free case evaluation.
Resources: [1] Caselaw, [2] Casetext, [3] One Court of Justice, [4] Michigan Public
All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.
