For more than two years, Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in New Kent, Va., has been under criminal investigation focused on allegations of child abuse and neglect, according to a CBS 6 report.
CBS 6 conducted a six-month investigation and found that the Virginia State Police launched a probe into Cumberland, a residential facility for chronically ill youth or those with neurological or behavioral issues, Oct. 17, 2017. Since then, state police have collected "approximately 250 pages of documents and information" which includes complaints, court orders, photographs and witness statements.
There have been complaints of children being injured and being transferred to other hospitals in the area when their conditions worsened. One such case was of an 11-year-old girl who was transferred out of the hospital in 2013 and taken to Penn State Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center, where a child protection team found she was suffering from multiple infections, including MRSA and E. coli and had multiple bruises. The team at Hershey said they "suspected physical child abuse from referring facility."
In another instance, a 12-year-old was transferred out of Cumberland in January 2019. An April 2019 New Kent Department of Social Services investigation concluded that he had suffered physical neglect and abuse.
The CBS 6 investigation also found that from 2015 until now, the Virginia Health Department said it received 31 complaints about the facility, of which 18 were founded.
The Attorney General of Virginia's Office is also investigating the allegations.
"Cumberland Hospital has been, and continues to be, in good standing with our licensing and regulatory authorities," Cumberland CEO Gay Brooks said in a news release obtained by CBS 6. "We are surveyed regularly, and like many healthcare facilities, promptly address any deficiencies that may be cited. Further, any complaint or allegation is taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and addressed as appropriate."