Highland Rivers Behavioral Health and its CEO are being sued by two people who say their employment at the organization was terminated or stifled because they spoke publicly about mismanagement they allege played a part in a patient's death.
Former Marketing Director Melissa O'Brien and Human Resources Training Coordinator Trevino Snowden filed the federal lawsuit against the community service board and its CEO Melanie Dallas in July.
Snowden and O'Brien allege they faced retaliation after they spoke to state investigators, lawmakers and media about alleged mismanagement and safety concerns that they say led to the death of 42-year-old Kimberly Ellis Loy, who had been participating in the organization's Mothers Making A Change program.
"When they (O'Brien and Snowden) learned of serious mismanagement at (Highland Rivers), including the failure to meet standards at a residential addiction services facility, they brought the problems to (Dallas), but she did nothing," the lawsuit reads. "Then they asked for help from elected officials, one of whom contacted the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to investigate, but not before a woman died at the facility."
Highland Rivers is one of Georgia’s 22 community service boards — state entities set up to provide free or low cost services to people with mental health conditions, developmental disabilities or addiction.
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