Vista Maria ends residential treatment program in Dearborn Heights
Vista Maria drops residential services for young women in need
Despite ending its residential program, Vista Maria will continue to provide other services, including foster care, juvenile justice, transitional living, and more.
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Vista Maria, a facility for at-risk girls in Dearborn Heights, is ending its residential treatment program.
According to Vista Maria, "Over the last decade, a combination of social, systemic, and regulatory factors has made it increasingly challenging to care for youth whose mental health needs have grown more acute and complex."
The facility said many of the girls it serves "would benefit from receiving inpatient psychiatric support," but it is not licensed to provide such support.
Currently, there are 11 girls in the in-patient program. They will be transferred to other facilities by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services by Dec. 19. Vista Maria said that this number is so low because it paused admissions in September when it began a "planned stabilization period."
About 150 staff members will be impacted by this.
Despite ending its residential program, Vista Maria will continue to provide other services, including foster care, juvenile justice, transitional living, and more. According to data from Vista Maria serves more than 280 people through its other programs.
"I was talking to someone and I said I don’t even want to imagine where I would be if Vista Maria wasn’t a resource at the time," said Dr. Deandra Averhart, a former Vista Maria resident.
Dig deeper:
Vista Maria has been under scrutiny recently after several runaways, including one that led to a man being convicted of a sex crime charge after a teen was found with him. That disappearance led to a Dearborn Heights police investigation.
Vista Maria leaders address criticism after recent runaways from Dearborn Heights campus
Officials at the care facility for abused and at-risk youths say that despite some challenges, they are transforming lives.
Despite this, Vista Maria maintains that this is not the reason for ending the residential program.
"This decision was made after more than a year of reflection, data review, and discussions with our leaders, board, and community partners about what is right for the youth and staff who depend on us," according to the facility.
The Source: This information is from Vista Maria and previous FOX 2 reports.