Children in Tennessee DCS Custody Stranded in Hospitals for Months After Medical Clearance

Medically cleared children in state custody are occupying hospital beds for extended periods because the Department of Children’s Services cannot find appropriate placements.

• One child spent 276 days at a children's hospital after being cleared for discharge.
• DCS left a child at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for 270 days and another at a Johnson City hospital for 243 days.
• Commissioner Margie Quin requested $8.7 million to fund specialized Assessment Treatment Homes for medically hard-to-place children.
• The Children's Hospital Alliance of Tennessee said the children account for hundreds of additional days of unnecessary hospital care.