Moriah Behavioral Health: A Parent's Cautionary Experience

Overview: My Experience with Moriah Behavioral Health

This website documents concerning practices observed at Moriah Behavioral Health in Las Vegas, a residential mental health facility. As a parent of a former patient, I feel compelled to share these experiences to help other families make informed decisions about mental health care for their loved ones.

The issues detailed here reflect systemic problems that affected quality of care, patient rights, and treatment efficacy. While individual staff members may provide compassionate care, organizational policies and leadership decisions created troubling situations that families should be aware of before choosing Moriah.

Most concerning was the facility's apparent disregard for parental rights under HIPAA and their refusal to allow direct communication with treating clinicians. These issues were not isolated incidents but represented a pattern of behavior that severely impacted the quality of care.

Patient Rights and Family Communication Concerns

Restricted Access to Medical Providers

Despite being a parent and paying for the health insurance covering treatment, I experienced:

• Inability to speak directly with treating psychiatrists
• Limited communication with clinical staff (only one call with a therapist over a five-week period)
• Minimal updates about treatment progress
• Requests to speak with clinicians being deflected or denied
• Explicit statements from the CEO that "There will be no bypassing of this structure to speak with individual team members"
• Refusal to provide the facility's written policy on parental access to medical information
• Refusal to provide the facility's HIPAA policies regarding parental rights

Information Withholding

The facility appeared to selectively communicate with certain individuals while restricting information to others, despite legal rights to medical information. This created significant barriers to informed decision-making about treatment.

HIPAA Concerns

When explicitly reminded about parental rights under HIPAA, which recognizes parents as personal representatives of minor children with rights to their health information, the facility redirected these concerns to their "legal department" rather than addressing them directly. Despite multiple requests, no HIPAA policies were ever provided.

Child Protective Services (CPS) Involvement

Nevada Child Protective Services has become involved with Moriah Behavioral Health, revealing additional concerning patterns:

• A CPS caseworker disclosed that there are numerous open cases regarding Moriah Behavioral Health
• The caseworker reported that Moriah Behavioral Health consistently does not permit CPS representatives to meet with children in their care
• When the caseworker was finally allowed to meet with my son, she was not permitted to speak with him alone
• During this supervised meeting, the caseworker observed that my son was unable to complete a sentence
• This pattern of restricting access extends beyond families to include government agencies tasked with protecting children's welfare

Treatment Concerns at Moriah

Inconsistent Medical Recommendations

A particularly troubling pattern observed was the sudden reversal of medical recommendations without explanation:

• Initial treatment recommendations from nursing staff were suddenly changed
• After making initial recommendations, the nurse practitioner abruptly stopped communicating
• The facility director (Mendi Baron) began intervening in medical decisions despite not being a prescribing medical professional and not being directly involved in day-to-day treatment
• Requests to speak with the original nurse practitioner about the changed recommendations were denied
• When questioned about these changes, the CEO claimed that previous medical recommendations from his staff were "all fiction"
• The nurse practitioner specifically prescribed medication for the patient, but Mendi Baron unilaterally overrode this medical decision despite having no prescribing authority, claiming the medication wasn't necessary
• After overriding the nurse practitioner's prescription, Baron then refused to allow any communication with the medical staff who had made the original recommendation

Questionable Medical Oversight

There were significant concerns about the actual medical care being provided:

• My son was allegedly under the care of Dr. Timothy Jeider, though I was never permitted to speak with him directly
• I received conflicting reports about how often and for how long my son actually met with Dr. Jeider
• Mendi Baron admitted that he "forced" Dr. Jeider to write a letter to the insurance company
• Baron also claimed this letter was backdated, raising serious ethical and potentially legal concerns
• The Nurse Practitioner (Alexa Carrozza) who initially made treatment recommendations was removed from the case, potentially because she couldn't be controlled by Baron
• This pattern suggests medical decisions may have been influenced by non-medical factors rather than clinical best practices

Inadequate Level of Care

Blue Cross Blue Shield denied continued coverage for treatment at Moriah on February 19, 2025, determining that a higher level of care was required than what Moriah was providing. This independent assessment validated concerns about the adequacy of treatment.

Dangerous Medication Management

Moriah admitted that the patient was kept off necessary psychiatric medication for five weeks while at their facility. The nurse practitioner in charge of care, Alexa Carrozza, repeatedly acknowledged that the patient was "decompensating" (deteriorating mentally) during this time, yet no appropriate action was taken to address this serious medical concern. This represents a potentially dangerous lapse in care for a patient with significant mental health needs.

Financial Considerations Appearing to Influence Treatment Decisions

There were indications that financial considerations may have influenced treatment decisions:

• Reluctance to transfer patients to higher levels of care that might interrupt billing
• Resistance to treatments that would require temporary transfer to other facilities
• Continued insistence that a patient was "OK" and "does not require this medication to function with our facility" - prioritizing facility convenience over the patient's mental health stability and long-term wellbeing
• When the patient refused medication, the facility avoided the necessary step of hospitalization (which would have interrupted their billing) despite clear clinical indications that higher level care was needed
• The facility appeared to be keeping a patient who needed more intensive care than they could provide, seemingly to maintain continuous billing

Leadership Concerns: Mendi Baron, CEO

Questionable Professional Practices

Mendi Baron, the CEO of Moriah Behavioral Health and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), demonstrated concerning practices:

• Intervening in medical decisions despite not being a prescribing medical professional
• Restricting communication between parents and medical providers
• Managing the facility remotely while not being physically present at the location
• Overriding recommendations from prescribing medical staff without apparent medical justification
• Using his LCSW credentials to influence medical decisions outside the scope of his role as facility director
• Making statements like "I am not somebody to be played" when questioned about treatment decisions
• Using emotionally manipulative language such as "one day you guys may find yourself standing outside his grave and wishing you had" to discourage questioning of facility practices
• A facility therapist confirmed that Mendi Baron was personally blocking access to doctors due to a personal issue with the parent, not for any clinical reason

Potential Conflicts of Interest

Several observations raised questions about potential conflicts of interest:

• Apparent personal relationships that may have influenced treatment decisions
• Inconsistencies in referral information (claims about referral sources that were later denied by those sources)
• Soliciting referrals from organizations in ways that raised ethical questions
• Providing contradictory information about referral sources when questioned
• Patient reports that the CEO had personal relationships with certain individuals involved in their care

Concerning Staff Practices and Potential Fraud

An insurance appeals letter from Moriah Behavioral Health revealed troubling staffing issues:

• The appeals letter was signed by Katrenia White, who had reportedly been off the case for over two weeks prior to signing the document
• Katrenia White is located in Louisiana, not Nevada, raising questions about her actual involvement in day-to-day care
• The letter was also signed by Getiye Dubale, whose credentials were listed as MSW (Master of Social Work) rather than LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
• Further investigation revealed that Getiye Dubale has a felony conviction and spent time in prison, potentially explaining why he only holds an MSW rather than a license
• This staffing arrangement suggests Mendi Baron may be employing individuals who are particularly dependent on him for employment, potentially making them more susceptible to pressure regarding treatment decisions
• The removal of Nurse Practitioner Alexa Carrozza from the case may have been motivated by her unwillingness to comply with Baron's directives that contradicted her professional judgment
• Having staff sign documents regarding cases they are no longer involved with raises serious concerns about potential insurance fraud

Communication Issues

Delayed and Obstructed Communication

The facility demonstrated a shocking pattern of obstructing and delaying communication:

• It took three weeks of persistent attempts just to reach anyone at the facility - what reputable healthcare provider ignores a parent for three weeks?
• After five weeks, only one call with a therapist and a few brief communications with a nurse practitioner had occurred
• Multiple emails went unanswered
• Requests for information were redirected to the CEO rather than clinical staff
• When communication issues were raised, they were acknowledged but never resolved
• Text messages and calls were frequently ignored or responded to days later
• When asked for basic information about treatment or policies, the CEO would add attorneys to email chains rather than providing the requested information

Mischaracterization of Legitimate Concerns

The facility repeatedly mischaracterized legitimate requests for medical information as being disruptive rather than addressing them as valid parental concerns about treatment. This pattern appeared designed to avoid providing information rather than facilitating proper care.

Personal Vendettas Affecting Patient Care

Perhaps most concerning was the confirmation from a facility therapist that the CEO's personal feelings were dictating access to medical providers. The therapist acknowledged that the refusal to allow communication with doctors was based on the CEO's personal issues with the parent rather than any legitimate clinical or policy reason. This represents a serious ethical breach where personal feelings were permitted to interfere with appropriate medical care and communication.

Intimidation Tactics

When pressed for information or access to treating clinicians, the facility's responses often included:

• Implications that questioning treatment decisions showed a lack of concern for the patient
• Suggestions that communication requests were disruptive to treatment
• Statements that appeared designed to intimidate rather than inform
• Threats to provide negative reports if questions continued

Insurance and Coverage Issues

Families considering Moriah Behavioral Health should be aware of potential insurance challenges:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield determined the facility was not providing an appropriate level of care
• Insurance denial after several weeks of treatment suggests potential issues with medical necessity documentation
• Families may face unexpected financial burdens if insurance determines the facility is not providing appropriate care

Resources for Families

Questions to Ask Any Treatment Facility

• What is your policy on parent communication with medical providers?
• How do you handle situations where a higher level of care is needed?
• What is your success rate with insurance approvals?
• How do you document medical necessity for insurance purposes?
• What is your protocol when medical recommendations change during treatment?
• How do you ensure that parents are properly involved in treatment decisions?
• Can I see your written policies on parental access to medical information?
• How often will I be able to speak directly with my child's treating psychiatrist?
• What is your facility's process for handling treatment plan changes?
• Who is physically present at the facility on a daily basis, and what is the chain of command for treatment decisions?

Know Your HIPAA Rights

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), parents are generally considered personal representatives of their minor children and have the right to access their medical information. Facilities that refuse to provide this information or prevent direct communication with treating clinicians may be violating these rights.

Alternative Resources

When researching mental health facilities, consider consulting:

• The Joint Commission for accreditation information
• Your state's licensing board for any complaints or violations
• Independent review sites not affiliated with treatment centers
• Mental health advocacy organizations for recommendations
• The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for information on filing HIPAA complaints