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'They Didn't Protect My Child': Mother Demands Change At Medical Center Of Aurora

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A mother in Brighton is raising concerns after she says her 11-year-old daughter was bullied and assaulted while getting treatment at the Medical Center of Aurora. Brittanie who asked CBS4 to not use her last name or identify her daughter is sharing the details of her families fight against bullying.

"It's just been like teasing, name calling. My daughter's a lot bigger than a lot of the 6th graders. She's taller and they tease her because of that she looks a lot older," Brittanie said.

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CBS4's Karen Morfitt interviews Brittanie (credit: CBS)

Mom says there was signs that something was wrong, and she did her best to address it.

"I noticed a change in my daughter you know? Just, she would call me to get her home from school, 'Mom, I have a stomachache.'" Brittanie says she struggled to get the help her little girl desperately needed.

"I got a call and they had told me that my daughter had taken some pills. She had a whole bunch of pills in different baggies and she had taken them to school."

Her daughter was rushed the hospital.

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(credit: CBS)

Doctors told Brittanie her daughter was medically okay, but because of the circumstances, she needed to be transferred to the Medical Center of Aurora, into a behavioral health and mental wellness program for adolescents.

"I thought my daughter was in a place where she was going to get help," Brittanie said.

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(credit: CBS)

She quickly learned her daughter was feeling uncomfortable with comments from another girl and says she reported the issue to a nurse.

Over the next 24 hours, Brittanie got two more calls. One from her daughter who said the bullying turned physical, and she had been involved in a fight.

Mom says all she could do was demand someone look into it.

"I got a call from house supervisor, and she told me she didn't know how to tell me and she didn't know what happen, but that my daughter had been assaulted by a group of girls," she said. "I was like 'So, is this the same incident as before?' and she's like 'No, this just happened with in the last 15 minutes.'"

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(credit: CBS)

Immediately, Brittanie rushed to the facility calling the Aurora Police Department on the way.

"I will never forget the way my daughter's face looked that day. I was mad, I was very mad," she said.

Her daughter's eye was black and blood shot... injuries she documented on her phone.

Despite the "involuntary hold" status Brittanie was initially told her daughter was being held on, they allowed her to go home. Mom believing the hold was involuntary says all she could do was demand someone look into it.

"The two that did this are 17-year-old girls. My daughter is an 11-year-old child that is a huge age difference," Brittanie said.

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(credit: CBS)

The three girls involved were charged, two with battery and assault another with harassment. Brittanie now wants answers about how it happened.

CBS4 took her concerns to officials with the facility.

In a statement, a spokesperson with the Medical Center of Aurora says:

While not commenting on the specifics of this matter, we take any patient safety concern very seriously, including bullying, which is a nationwide problem that we address with all of our child and adolescent patients in the treatment setting. We are dedicated to providing exceptional care and service to our patients and if issues are reported during a stay, we address those issues and conflicts. We are committed to ensuring all patients are treated in a safe environment through a variety of measures, including the supervision of patients and our intake process, where we can be made aware of treatment issues.

Brittanie says what should have been a step forward for her family ended up putting them two-steps back. She hopes sharing her story will spark change.

"They took my rights away as a parent, and they didn't protect my child, and I'm very upset about that, and I don't want that happening to anybody else's kids," she said.

Mom says she has tried to reach out to the facility on multiple occasions, but says she cannot get anyone to call her back.

The spokesperson for the Medical Center of Aurora says they have tried to reach out to check on her daughter, but that they have not received a call back.

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