Advocating as a healing process

Part of my healing process with my mentor is holding people accountable and reporting issues to the appropriate agencies.  I have been advocating for my son for many years and the inadequacies and blatant negligence by the schools, county mental health, the police, probation and other treatment facilities is appalling.  I am working step by step to report these incidences.  If nothing else, I will learn a lot.  My wish is to help another child and their parent work through "the system". 

While my son was in a treatment facility recently, he punched a wall.  He is terribly embarrassed, but it happened.  He reported it to the nurse, who told him he would be fine.  She gave him a week off of PE, but those orders were delayed two days.  He was required to participate in PE, which included many push ups. 

When my son returned home, he went to the gym.  He showed me his hand afterwards it was swollen and deformed.  I asked him what happened, and he told me about punching the wall.  The gym must have agitated it.  I made an appointment with his doctor, who examined and ordered x rays.  The following day, the doctor called and reported that it was definitely broken.  It had started to heal, and had been broken for about six weeks.  He referred us to an orthopedic specialist to examine and cast it. 

My son was falsely arrested, and missed the specialist appointment.  I told the juvenile hall that he had a broken hand, and needed to be examined by the specialist.  They told me that they would take care of it there.  When I visited my son a few days later, they had a half cast on with an ace bandage around it.  He stated that it really hurt, and his fingers were numb.  The cast belonged to someone else, so it was dirty and did not fit him.  The DA refused to prosecute my son, and he was released shortly after being detained.  We immediately took the "cast" off.  His hand was more swollen, and he could not feel his fingers. 

I made another appointment with the specialist, and this time we got to see the doctor.  He x rayed again, and took copious notes.  He said that it was almost healed, but new bone had formed.  His hand will always have a bump there.  He also said that the numbness will eventually go away. 

I am working with a patient rights advocate to document this and report to the licensing medical board.  I will work with her further to see if the nurse can be reported as well.  She suggested that I get a lawyer, as this sounded like malpractice.  I am not sure that I want to go that route yet, but I certainly am going to report it. 

This is just one, in the very long list of issues that I am reporting.  Maybe it will prevent another kid from receiving inappropriate care.