17-year-old is living in hospitals with nowhere else to go, lawyer says

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY/Gray News) - A 17-year-old has been living in North Country hospitals since August because the system allegedly has nowhere else for her to go.“This is a hard situation to be in for everybody,” Rebecca Simser, the teen’s lawyer, said. Living without a planA stay-away order was issued in June because of the teen’s reported behavior problems that barred her from returning to her caregiver’s home.Since then, Simser said the 17-year-old has moved through four homes and four North Country facilities.“I have a family offense petition involving a minor alleged perpetrator, and so we are trying to protect the victim, which is our job, but we also need to be doing what’s in the best interest of the child,” Simser said.According to Simser, her client has been living in hospitals since the end of August, with nowhere to go and no safety plans.“She’s not in school at this point. I don’t know if she’s getting medication. She’s definitely not getting one-on-one mental healt