R.B., Yakama Nation Tribal Member R.I.P.

R.B. was born in December of 1995 and died January 21, 2011.
A member of the Yakama Nation, R.B. was a 15 year old Yakama Native whose emotional and behavioral issues were identified him as a youth who was a priority to be served by the Yakima Valley Systems of Care Mental Health Transformation project.   It is more than tragic that  he lived the last several months of his life in other communities, among strangers.  He was even placed in a facility out of State for a time.  He should have been right here, in the heart of Washington, were he was born, it is where all children belong, in their home communities, among their kin.

In August of 2010 Children's Administration, as his legal guardian, initiates a Children's Long-term Inpatient application.  It was THREE MONTHS before Yakima County Human Services to authorize proceeding with the CLIP application.  Why Yakima County take three months to have this application authorized? It was obviously not a high priority...

In November 29, 2010 the Greater Columbia Behavioral Health Regional Support Network held a staffing and determines R.B. eligible for a CLIP placement; which only places him on a waiting list. He is then sent to Cypress House in Lynwood, WA clear across the state in Snohomish County in early January. Cypress House staff were contracted by the State of Washington to provide line-of-sight and hearing supervision---at all times. He jumped from an Interstate 5 freeway overpass at approximately 2:30 pm on January 21, 2011. It was hours later that Cypress Hill staff were informed. They were apparently not looking for him; although they were aware he was missing, and of his fragile state.

This young man had been a Ward of the State of Washington since May 1998; when he was three years old and had been in 22 different residential facilities and foster homes.  From June 2009, until his death, he had been in a handful of staffed residential facilities.

When we were created, 

we were given our ground to live on

and from this time these were our rights. 

This is all true. 

We were put here by the Creator.

I was not brought from a foreign country 

and did not come here. 

I was put here by the Creator.

Chief Weninock,  Yakama,  1915