- Lehigh County commissioners likely will delay an investigation into potential reforms to the county’s Office of Children and Youth Services
- The potential delay comes after the Greater Lehigh Valley Parents’ Medical Rights Group appeared to take steps toward litigation
- Commissioners will discuss the issue at their next meeting on Nov. 8
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Those pushing for reform in Lehigh County’s system for handling suspected medical child abuse may have to wait longer.
The county Board of Commissioners likely will delay its investigation into potential reforms to the county Office of Children and Youth Services, according to Commissioner Bob Elbich, chairman of the committee tasked with leading the investigation.
“It’s disappointing that we can't resolve this and find a better path in the future without having to go through lawsuits.”Lehigh County Commissioner Bob Elbich
The potential delay comes after the Greater Lehigh Valley Parents’ Medical Rights Group, or PMRG, appeared to take steps toward litigation against Lehigh Valley Health Network.
“It’s difficult to work in an atmosphere where there are a lot of legal issues coming forward,” Elbich said. “It’s disappointing that we can't resolve this and find a better path in the future without having to go through lawsuits.”
"It's been more than two months and nothing has changed," President of PMRG Kim Steltz said. "Continuing to delay corrective actions only brings more victims to the table."
Elbich said commissioners will discuss the issue at their next meeting on Nov. 8.
The commissioners’ Human Services Committee at its Oct. 18 meeting discussed potential actions county commissioners could take following allegations of false diagnoses of child abuse, which advocates say came from a flawed system.
A report on the issue
Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley in August released a report on this issue. The report calls for an independent investigation of the county’s Office of Children and Youth Services, among other recommendations.
Pinsley, who is up for re-election on Nov. 7, has worked with PMRG.
It was formed in response to allegedly false accusations of child abuse by Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Child Advocacy Center, which is run independently from the county but gives recommendations to Children and Youth Services.
LVHN spokesman Brian Downs said in an earlier statement that when cases are determined to be unfounded, it does not confirm that a false accusation has occurred.
"In some instances, it may mean that authorities have decided to pursue a different path, such as providing support services and a safety plan for any child/children and family members involved," Downs said.
PMRG recently endorsed Philadelphia area law firm Francis Alexander LLC for potential legal action against Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Firm owner Francis Malofiy previously donated $50,000 to Pinsley’s campaign, causing some county commissioners to raise ethics concerns.
Steltz said "political campaign contributions are not and never were part of PMRG’s decision" to endorse the firm.
A lawsuit against LVHN?
PMRG appears to be preparing for litigation against LVHN, or at least encouraging others to file lawsuits.
On Wednesday, the group posted on Facebook that it was “proud to announce and endorse” the law firm Francis Alexander LLC to "seek justice for the many families who have been hurt by the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen and her colleagues, the Child Advocacy Center and/or Children and Youth Services."
The group directed people who have had similar experiences to another website called ChildInterrupted.com. That website has a form asking for people’s contact information and details about what happened.
"It's been more than two months and nothing has changed."President of PMRG Kim Steltz
No lawsuit against LVHN or the other parties has been filed, but Elbich said the threat of potential litigation makes it “very difficult to move forward” with an investigation.
Steltz said in an email that "continuing to delay corrective actions only brings more victims to the table."
"It's been more than two months and nothing has changed," Steltz said.
What commissioners have done so far
At the Oct. 18 Human Services Committee meeting, Elbich raised two potential recommendations the committee could forward to commissioners.
One was requiring implementation of an optional standard set by the National Children’s Alliance, which says medical reports given to Children and Youth related to sexual and physical trauma could be reviewed by an advanced medical consultant.
The other was requiring any feedback forms given to Children and Youth to be reviewed by another department, such as the Lehigh County Executive's Office, to make sure the feedback was properly addressed.
Lehigh County commissioners also unanimously approved the promotion of Heather Reed, former second-in-command at Children and Youth, to lead the department.
Members of PMRG asked commissioners not to approve the promotion, arguing Reed would maintain the status quo.
