Copyright M Live Michigan
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI – A Michigan nonprofit is ending its youth residential mental health program, resulting in 154 layoffs. Vista Maria, located at 20651 West Warren Ave. in Dearborn Heights, announced plans to discontinue the program in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed with the state on Oct. 21. “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,” Vista Maria CEO Kathleen Regan said in a statement to MLive. “Many of these young people would benefit from receiving inpatient psychiatric support that we do not, and are not licensed to, provide.” The Federal WARN Act requires businesses to provide advance notice of at least 60 days in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs. Regan said 154 employees will be permanently laid off from Vista Maria, effective Dec. 19. The affected employees do not have bumping rights to displace other employees. The laid-off positions include youth coaches, counselors, therapists, education specialists, family specialists and more. According to the nonprofit’s website, patients in Vista Maria’s residential youth mental health program receive individualized treatment plans that can include therapy, trauma-informed care, regular sessions with a psychiatrist, and on-campus education. While living on campus, residents have access to physical and mental health services, an on-site junior and senior high school provided by the Clara B. Ford Academy, a large cafeteria, a community and family resource center and recreational facilities, the website says. Regan described the program as a “bridge between hospitalization and home” where patients can receive structured, round-the-clock care while also building coping skills. “For decades, Vista Maria has been part of Michigan’s safety net for children with deep trauma, young people whose mental-health or behavioral needs couldn’t be safely met at home, in foster care, or through outpatient therapy,” she said. Regan said Michigan once had dozens of residential treatment programs for youth, but only a handful remain today. With so few able to sustain that model, Regan said there is a need to fix the system. Vista Maria will continue to strengthen its other programs, which include foster care and adoption, independent living and juvenile justice services, Regan said. FOX 2 Detroit reported there are 11 girls currently enrolled in the in-patient program. Regan said those residents will be transferred by Dec. 19 to other care facilities with the support of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for securing placements and ensuring continuity of care.
