Seattle Times: Fircrest School fails Federal audit

Fircrest School Administration
and Health Services building
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

According to our news partner The Seattle Times, Federal inspectors found that required improvements at Fircrest School in Shoreline and Rainier School in Buckley have not taken place. 

According to DSHS, federal Medicaid auditors stopped paying for new admissions to the institutions after routine inspections in August 2016. 

Auditors cited Fircrest School for failing to provide active treatment of residents and gave the institution a year to comply with federal rules. They returned last September and found the problems had not been fixed.

They have informed the school that they have a year to be in compliance. If they fail the next inspection they will lose their certification and Federal Medicaid funds will be cut off.

DSHS, which has jurisdiction over Fircrest, is optimistic that additional staff called for in the Governor's two-year budget will solve the problems and meet federal requirements.

Fircrest is located south of Hamlin Park at 15230 15th Ave NE, Shoreline 98155. It is a residential rehabilitation center for severely disabled children and adults. It is owned by the state and managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

See the full article here