Former counselor accused of sexually abusing underage patients

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Chicago Mental Health Counselor Accused of Child Abuse Scandal at Hospital Facility

A 68-year-old former mental health counselor has been accused by Cook County prosecutors of sexually abusing five boys aged between 7 and 14 who were patients at Hartgrove Behavioral Health Hospital in Chicago. The abuse allegedly took place over a period of eight years, from 1993 to 2004.

According to the prosecution, Edmund Rivers worked directly with minor patients at the hospital, allowing him to target his victims at several locations, including patient rooms, a bathroom, and even a gym equipment room. The alleged abuse was said to be carried out under threat of sedation with a syringe if the children resisted.

The victims in question had no prior knowledge of one another, but each claimed that Rivers used his position of trust to exploit them. Several of the victims came forward after learning about a civil lawsuit filed last year, which alleged a pattern of child sexual abuse at Hartgrove.

The Cook County State's Attorney's office described the allegations as "horrific" and expressed admiration for the survivors' courage in coming forward years later. Instead of receiving support during their vulnerable youth, the victims allegedly suffered abuse by someone who was supposed to be in a position of care and authority.

Edmund Rivers was arrested last month by the U.S. Marshals Service, with a judge subsequently ordering his detention after a hearing on Monday. The hospital has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations.
 
😱 this is so messed up. a grown man who's supposed to be helping kids ends up abusing them... it's just not right. how can someone do that and get away with it for so long? 8 years of abuse is just sickening. and the fact that he was able to use his position to target these kids in all these different places makes it even more disgusting. i'm glad that the victims finally came forward, it's a testament to their strength, but it's also heartbreaking thinking about what they went through.

i don't think we should be surprised by this though, there have been plenty of cases like this before where powerful people have used their positions to exploit and harm others. it's just that in this case, it happened with someone who was supposed to care for these kids, not hurt them. anyway, i hope the guy gets held accountable for what he did and that the hospital takes steps to prevent something like this from happening again. 💔
 
😱 this is so shocking, I mean I knew it was bad when all these cases of abuse came out but I never thought it would happen in a hospital setting... how could someone who's supposed to help kids like that do such things? 🤷‍♂️ and the fact that he was able to target them at multiple locations is just gross... did they not have any witnesses or anyone who noticed anything suspicious back then?

and what's with the sedation thing, like how did they not notice it? 🤔 were they really that scared of him? and it's crazy that all these kids had no idea about each other because they were all victims separately... my heart goes out to them, I hope they get justice in the end.

I also wonder what led up to this, was there a lack of supervision or something? 🤔 and how is Edmund Rivers going to face consequences for this now that he's been arrested? did he confess or just get caught by the Marshals Service? 🚔
 
😱 I mean, 8 years? That's like trying to find a needle in a haystack... or in this case, a monster in a hospital! 🤯 Can you believe some people can hide in plain sight and abuse their power like that? It's like Edmund Rivers had a 'patient' manual that said 'How to Exploit Minor Patients' instead of the actual care guide. 😂

I'm glad those little guys came forward, it takes so much courage to share your story, especially after all these years. And to think they thought they were safe in a hospital where people were supposed to be helping them heal... 🤕 It's just heartbreaking.

You know what they say, 'behind every great man is a woman', but in this case, it was an 8-year-old boy with a syringe that was behind some pretty sick behavior! 😂 Sorry, I'm trying not to make light of the situation, but come on, who needs a supervillain when you have Edmund Rivers? 🤪
 
omg can you believe this 🤯 Edmund Rivers is like a total monster he's been using his position of trust to abuse these kids and it's just horrific 🚫 the fact that he was able to get away with it for so long is just crazy, I'm talking 8 years, that's like a whole lifetime of trauma for these poor kids 😱

and what really gets me is that they were supposed to be in a safe space at the hospital and yet this guy takes advantage of them 🤦‍♂️ it's not right at all. I hope he gets charged and punished for his crimes, but also I hope the victims get the help and support they need to heal from this trauma 💖
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this... 😱 I mean, how can someone who's supposed to be helping kids end up abusing them like that? It's just heartbreaking thinking about those poor kids who were in his care and he took advantage of their trust. The fact that he used sedation to silence them is just chilling... 🚫

I feel so bad for the victims, especially since they didn't even know each other and were all victims of abuse at different times. It's like this one person's actions ruined multiple lives. And it's not like we're talking about some obscure case or something that happened a long time ago... it's just 2025 and still happening 😢

The hospital needs to do way more than just say they haven't commented on the allegations, you know? They need to take responsibility and help these kids get the support they deserve. I hope Edmund Rivers gets justice, but not at the expense of the real victims here... 🤕
 
I'm actually kinda surprised that someone who's supposed to be helping kids ends up being a pervert 🤷‍♂️. I know it sounds crazy, but some people might think that counselors are like teachers or something, you know? They're just trying to help and guide these young minds, right? But apparently, Edmund Rivers was using his job to mess with them in the worst way possible 😱. I mean, who does that?! 🤯 And it's even more messed up because he allegedly used his power of trust to get away with it for so long... 8 years is a long time! 🕰️. Anyway, I'm not saying that what he did is okay or anything, but I do think we need to talk about why this keeps happening and how we can prevent it in the future 💡
 
Ugh, this is so messed up 🤕... I mean, how can someone in a position of care like that do such things? It's like they're taking advantage of these kids who are already vulnerable because they have mental health issues 🤯. And it's not just the abuse itself, but also that they used their power to threaten them and silence them. It's just horrific 💔. I feel so bad for those victims, they must be traumatized for life 😱. The fact that they didn't know each other before meeting Edmund Rivers is wild, like how did he even manage that? 🤷‍♀️ And what really gets me is that the hospital could've done more to prevent this or at least support them better during their childhoods 🤦‍♀️. It's a big shame for Hartgrove and everyone involved 🎖️.
 
man this is so messed up 🤯, i mean i know we all got to forgive and forget but these kids were basically preyed upon by someone they trusted in a place where they should've felt safe. eight years of that kinda abuse is just too much to even process. it's like he was right under the noses of the hospital staff and no one did anything about it, which makes it even worse. i hope the victims get some justice and maybe some closure after all this time
 
Ugh, can't believe this is still happening in our society 🤕. It's like, what are we even doing wrong? We have laws and systems in place to protect kids, and yet this guy was able to get away with it for so long. The fact that he preyed on these vulnerable kids who were supposed to be safe at the hospital is just disgusting.

And you know what really gets me? These guys are coming forward now, years later, and they're still having to deal with the trauma of what happened to them. It's like, we need to make sure that we're supporting our survivors, not just condemning the abuser. We should be having real conversations about how we can prevent this kind of thing from happening in the first place.

The whole system fails these kids, and it's time for us to take a hard look at ourselves and figure out what we can do better 💔.
 
Umm... I don't know, man 🤷‍♂️. On one hand, it's super crazy that someone in a position of trust like that could do something so heinous to these kids. Like, how could you even? 😱 And 8 years is a loooong time, so the fact that they were able to hide this stuff for so long is just... wow.

But on the other hand... I mean, we should be talking about why there wasn't anyone else looking out for these kids. Like, what kind of system fails that badly? 😔 And is it really fair to say that Edmund Rivers was "supposed" to be in a position of care and authority? Like, didn't he have his own agency or something? 🤔 I don't know, man... this whole thing just feels super complicated.
 
"the truth will set you free, but first it must destroy you" 🔥💔 This case is a devastating reminder that even those who are supposed to protect and care for our most vulnerable members of society can turn out to be predators in disguise. It's heartbreaking to think about the years of trauma and pain these young boys endured at the hands of someone they trusted. 🤕
 
OMG this is so messed up 😱! Eight years of abuse, like what even is that? And he's supposed to be a mental health counselor, not some predator preying on kids who are already vulnerable. The fact that he used his position to target them and threatened them with sedation if they resisted is just disgusting. I'm so angry for these kids and their families who have been suffering in silence all these years.

It's crazy that it took one of the victims learning about a civil lawsuit last year to finally come forward, though. And now we're hearing from multiple survivors, which is giving hope that justice will be served. But what really gets me is how this hospital and authorities failed these kids by not taking action sooner or providing them with support during their formative years. We need systemic changes to prevent something like this from happening again 💪
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one 🤯... I mean, how can someone who's supposed to be helping kids end up abusing them? It's just heartbreaking. Those poor kids were already vulnerable and in a place where they should've felt safe, but instead, they're left with trauma that'll last a lifetime. Eight years is way too long for this kind of abuse to have been happening, and the fact that it was covered up by the hospital makes me even more angry 😡.

It's not just about Edmund Rivers; it's about the entire system that failed these kids. How could they have missed all these signs? What kind of checks and balances were in place (or lack thereof) to prevent this from happening? We need answers, and we need them now 💔.
 
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