Should state pay $219,000 for adopted Romanian boy's treatment?
Midland Daily News (MI)
HOLLAND TOWNSHIP (AP) – When David and Holly Meyers adopted a 7-year-old Romanian boy two years ago, they hoped to turn around his troubled life. They had no idea how difficult that would be.
The boy, now 9, suffers from severe reactive-attachment disorder, where a child resists forming loving relationships and can become unmanageable and violent. The disorder often is seen in adopted children who have spent a long time in abusive situations or institutions.
After spending the first year of his life in a hospital, the Meyers’ adopted son stayed in a state-run orphanage and foster homes.
"A lot of people go in thinking, ‘Oh, this poor child, he just needs to be loved,’" Holly Meyers told The Grand Rapids Press for a Sunday story. "Love is not enough once the damage has already been done."
The boy is accused of molesting another child, and a judge is trying to decide whether he should be placed in a New Mexico clinic at an expected $219,000 cost to Michigan taxpayers. Ottawa County and the state Family Independence Agency would be responsible for the fees.
County prosecutors made the placement part of a deal in which the boy would plead guilty to gross indecency. A more serious charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct would be dropped.
"This situation is unique, and I think I can say that without abusing that word," Ottawa County Judge Mark Feyen said.
New Mexico’s Villa Santa Maria, which specializes in treating children with reactive-attachment disorder, claims an 80 percent success rate. It has agreed to treat the boy for two years at a cost of $300 per day.
Court officials say it would be much more affordable to house the boy in a local juvenile detention center for a few months. He then could enter foster care while he receives additional treatment.
"We’re always struggling with these types of issues," court administrator Jack Plakke said. "We’re not talking a few hundred dollars; we’re talking hundreds for one day."
But David Zessin, the family’s attorney, said the outcome will justify the expense.
"We can spend the money now to fix the problem or pay when he victimizes or assaults somebody else," he said.
Holly Meyers said she first noticed her son’s behavior problems in September 2001. He began hitting his younger sister and the family’s dog and was very moody, she said.
She said she believes the New Mexico clinic could give her son a shot at a normal life.
"I don’t know what the future’s going to hold, but whatever the outcome is for his placement after treatment, I love him and I will always want what’s best for him," she said.