A 13-year-old boy with autism has spent nearly four weeks in the emergency department at UCHealth Long Peaks Hospital in Longmont, Colo., after being abandoned there by his father, CBS Colorado reported July 10.
Boulder County Human Service agreed to take custody of the boy at first, but later refused and said he was safe where he was, according to the report. Hospital employees were told it could be weeks before the boy was placed elsewhere, as residential treatment options are limited for children with complex medical and behavioral health needs.
One employee recently emailed Rep. Judy Amabile of Boulder — who is working to increase the availability of residential treatment options — to ask for interference.
"Boulder County DHS has not spent more than five minutes with this child since his arrival three weeks ago," the hospital employee wrote, per CBS.
The employee also contacted Boulder County and Colorado Human Services, which replied they were working on it.
"Patients are always our top priority. However, hospitals are not equipped to provide long-term services for people who do not need acute medical care," Kelli Christensen, public and media relations officer for UCHealth told the news station. "We rely on our partnerships with city, state and county organizations to assist us in finding appropriate solutions when patients are ready to leave and need a safe place to go."