Florida Review Exonerates CompCare Drug Program
A state review of a Florida drug treatment center run by Comprehensive Care Corp., ordered in response to nationally televised allegations of shoddy practices at the facility, shows that the center is meeting regulatory standards, a Florida health official said Wednesday.
In an Aug. 21 broadcast, Irvine-based CompCare was accused in a segment of ABC television’s “20/20” newsmagazine show of various abuses at its Jacksonville Beach CareUnit facility, including admitting teen-agers who did not need drug-abuse treatment, failing to provide psychiatric care and discharging patients when their insurance coverage ran out.
The broadcast, which contributed to a $1.125 a share drop in the price of CompCare stock the next day, also alleged that patients at the Florida facility had access to cocaine, Valium and liquor.
A review by the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, however, found little basis for the allegations, concluding that the facility is “in substantial compliance” with state regulations, said Harry Smith, supervisor of the department’s alcohol, drug abuse and mental health program.
“We feel totally exonerated,” said Ken Estes, a CompCare spokesman.
Although the report states that the CareUnit meets state standards, Smith said other complaints, including allegations that CompCare failed to disclose to patients and their insurance companies the actual costs of treatment and that the program itself is ineffective, were not addressed in the report.
“We have received several complaints,” Smith said, “but these things they are complaining about are not covered by (health department) regulations.”
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