GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's been several months since the State's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) alerted a Greensboro substance abuse and mental health agency to clean up its act - or lose its license.
United Youth Care Services, Inc. has now been notified the State will be officially revoking its license.
In the notice, dated January 15, DHHS Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) maintains the agency failed to comply with licensing rules and client rights, stating the facts upon which the license revocation is based come from two detailed Statements of Deficiencies - one from August 2019, and another from December 2019.
The agency's license to operate will be revoked effective 60 days from the mailing of the notice - and United Youth Care Services will also have 60 days to appeal by filing a petition for a contested case hearing.
In September, the state release a 60-page Statement of Deficiencies, where DHSR found the president and clinical director of United Youth Care Services, Inc., "oversaw and paid for substandard housing in various locations" and "orchestrated an elaborate system of using clients with mental health and substance abuse diagnoses, to make their housing contingent on the facility obtaining Medicaid reimbursements for treatment services that were not properly documented, falsified or not provided."
The state also alleged that "multiple clients reported they were instructed to lie about drug use to ensure their continued access to housing services" and "facility staff confirmed client reports of false urine tests and inaccurate assessments."
DHSR sent letters dated September 12 to Sandra A. Grace, the clinical director for the agency, explaining the state intended to revoke the license, to fine the agency $6,000, and suspended all admissions to the facility.
According to the report, one client told the state "staff were employed by United Youth Care Services, Inc. to recruit possible homeless people and drug addicts who had Medicaid."
WFMY News 2 reached out several times to the agency for comment, and haven't heard back.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
