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‘Every level of leadership failed’ Report highlights bungled aftermath of sexual abuse claims at teen rehab center BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER eadership at Unity Healing Center in Cherokee failed to properly investigate or report allegations that an employee of the federally run rehab center for Native American teens had sexually abused one of its residents in fall 2016, a newly disclosed report concludes. The quality assurance review was completed by third-party consulting firm Milam Consulting in May 2020 and released last week in response to a 2019 Freedom of Information Act request from The Smoky Mountain News. It paints a scathing picture of incompetence, disregard for chain of command and a toxic workplace culture that created a “perilous environment” for staff and residents alike. “The review found that multiple staff at Unity failed to comply with mandatory abuse reporting requirements,” reads a statement from the U.S. Indian Health Service, which operates the center. “Unity Health Center staff did not recognize and report signs of possible abuse and suspicious behavior, and that left our patients vulnerable. The IHS acknowledges that it did not handle this incident appropriately.” One of five healthcare facilities under the jurisdiction of the Indian Health Service’s Nashville Regional Office, Unity is the only such facility that focuses solely on Native American youth ages 13-17. Teens typically stay at the residential facility for 80-90 days, and treatment is aimed at “breaking the cycle of addiction and restoring hope and wellness to Native American youth, their families and communities,” according to the facility’s website. Though heavily redacted, the newly released review backs up the version of events related in SMN’s August 2019 story about the sexual abuse allegations and in the June 2019 Wall Street Journal article that brought the situation to the public eye.
Smoky Mountain News
June 15-21, 2022
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ALLEGATIONS SURFACE
Unity was in crisis for years before the events of fall 2016, with former employees describing a chronically understaffed workplace where employees regularly came to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol and behaved in ways inappropriate to a professional environment. When staff became concerned about the relationship between a 47-year-old maintenance worker and a 16-year-old resident, the situation came to a head. SMN’s previous reporting established that the employee in question was Nathanial 12 “Bunsey” Crowe, a member of the Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians who had worked at Unity more than five years when the alleged incidents occurred. Crowe’s name is redacted in all but one instance in the 484-page Milam report. The names of the resident and the former employees who reported their concerns are also blacked out. Former Unity employees who spoke to SMN in 2019 said that, while they had been concerned for some time about Crowe’s behavior toward the girl in public spaces, giant red flags arose when, in September 2016, security footage showed Crowe and the girl walk into the bathroom adjoining her room and remain there for about four minutes. Though anti-ligature attachments prevented her from killing herself, the teen was taken to the hospital later that month after attempting to hang herself, the teen’s former therapist Tawna Harrison told SMN. The Miram report references additional concerning interactions. It refers to “at least two separate episodes” of two people, whose names are redacted, being alone in the bathroom for four to five minutes with the door shut. Unity leadership also viewed video of a male entering a resident’s room and remaining there for “30 seconds to one minute.” Around the same time, a Unity staff member found a “romantic” letter that the resident had written to the employee. Though the names of the parties involved are redacted, the report’s executive summary makes it clear that sexual abuse allegations centered around interactions between the single staff member — who SMN’s investigation found to be Crowe — and the teenage resident. When interviewed in 2019, Crowe disputed the allegations, saying he and the girl were never alone with the door closed. He said that he’d entered the bathroom to fix an electrical outlet that residents reported was emitting shocks, and that the bathroom door was open with another employee standing outside when the girl came in to point out the outlet causing the problem. The Miram report reached a different conclusion, stating that the resident and employee were alone in the bathroom and that the door was closed. In 2019, Harrison told SMN that Crowe gave the girl extra attention compared to the other residents, stopping by to chat, playing cards, and holding her hand in the hall, swinging it up playfully up and down like one might do with a child. While Crowe said he never showed the girl anything but simple kindness, the report backs up Harrison’s version of events, stating that the employee “altered his behavior and normal work patterns to place himself in close proximity to [redacted].” While the report found Crowe’s behavior violated boundaries, he has not been found
concerns in writing to Ms. Slee and Capt. Ruff, but at the time of this review no such documentation had been located.” Rife with errors or missing completely, guilty of a crime or even charged with one — documentation at Unity was so inadequate and determining his guilt or innocence was that the consultants had a hard time connot the goal of the review. The goal was to structing a timeline of events. The minimal identify what Unity and IHS leadership got actions that leadership did take only compliwrong when responding to the allegations, cated those efforts further. Despite a lack of and how to ensure those mistakes never hap- expertise and objectivity, Unity leadership pen again. took it upon themselves to investigate the allegations internally, and multiple staff accessed and viewed the security footage in AILURE OF LEADERSHIP question. This served both to taint the quality The report doesn’t mince words when of interviews and to violate HIPPA guidelines. Law enforcement didn’t learn about the summing up the situation at Unity. “Virtually every level of leadership failed allegations until May 2017, when to take action despite numerous opportuni- Christopher Herndon, a therapist at Unity ties to intervene and provide corrective who arrived on staff after September 2016, reported it to the OIG’s office upon hearing action,” it says. At the time of Crowe’s alleged actions, staff members talk about the apparently three women held the top spots at Unity. unresolved incident. Around the same time, Tiara Ruff was its CEO, Tracey Grant was its tribal law enforcement received an anonymous report regarding Unity Healing Center in Cherokee is alleged sexual abuse at Unity. “Protecting vulnerable a rehabilitation center for Native American youth run by the Indian [redacted] and protecting Health Service. Holly Kays photo persons who may be falsely accused are not incompatible goals,” the report says. “Ironically, the path to achieving both goals is identical. Securing the safety of the preservation of [redacted] documentation, creating space for objective evaluation of information, and deferring to trained professionals are essential tasks.” By the time Miram conducted its investigation, key information — certain docuclinical director and Cynthia Slee was the mentation as well as copies of the security supervisory social services assistant. The videos central to the allegations — was simreview found that all three failed to take the ply not available. The report also states that both the EBCI and the OIG declined to share allegations seriously. “Unity leadership dismissed the actions of information gathered over the course of their the staff member as non-sexual and deter- own investigations. EBCI Public Information Officer Breanna mined that the alleged victim was pursuing the [redacted] staff member who was ulti- Lucas countered that assessment, saying that mately not able to resist the advances of the the tribe “eagerly provided” the consultants alleged victim,” reads the report summary. as much information as it could in light of “The alleged victim who was powerless and laws protecting the privacy of underage victhe most vulnerable was deemed to be the tims. The Office of Family Safety “acted swiftly to protect the victim” after hearing the alleproblem.” Multiple social services assistants inter- gations and had “multiple conversations” viewed for the report said that, prior to 2019, with the consultants as they prepared the they hadn’t received any training on how to review. “After years of issues at this Indian Health report abuse allegations. At the time, they understood only that they should report con- Services managed facility, we are heartened cerns to their immediate supervisor — not to to see the agency finally take responsibility, local authorities and the Office of the seek an outside evaluation, and take new Investigator General, as they are trained to steps to address the many problems,” Lucas said. do now. Unity’s local leadership are not the only “It was difficult to quantify the degree to which front line staff (SSAs) reported frustra- ones who failed to respond appropriately. In tion with respect to the reported failures of fall 2016, Grant and Ruff conducted a Root Ms. Slee, Capt. Ruff and Ms. Grant to effec- Cause Analysis at the request of the tively manage concerns or issues reported to Governing Board overseeing Unity. The RCA them,” the report states. “Multiple SSA staff was not a response to the sexual abuse allegareported they were not aware of any mecha- tions, and while the report redacts language nism to effectively access higher level man- explaining what prompted it, in 2019 a foragement without fear of repercussions from mer Unity employee told SMN that the RCA Ms. Slee. Despite their fears some front-line was a reaction to the resident’s suicide staff reported they specifically submitted attempt.
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