Universal Health Services: Former Foundations Employee Sentenced in Patient Assault

June 11, 2026

A former behavioral health worker at Foundations Behavioral Health in Pennsylvania has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to assaulting a care-dependent juvenile patient. According to authorities, the worker forcibly pulled a calm youth from a chair and slammed the patient to the floor during an incident at the facility.

Foundations is owned by Universal Health Services, the for-profit psych hospital chain infamous for putting profit way ahead of patient care and safety.

The employee, identified as Dwayne Leon Shepherd Jr., pleaded guilty to charges including endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault. Prosecutors said the victim was a vulnerable juvenile under the facility’s care at the time of the attack. The case raised concerns about the safety of children and adolescents placed in behavioral health treatment settings and the conduct of staff entrusted with their care.

A Bucks County judge sentenced Shepherd to probation rather than incarceration. The case serves as another reminder that abuse can occur even in facilities responsible for protecting vulnerable youth, underscoring the importance of oversight, reporting, and accountability when allegations of patient mistreatment arise.

(Central Bucks Now, June 9, 2026)