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WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – Vista Maria announced it will be transferring the residents living there to other care facilities by December. All residents at Vista Maria will be transferred to other care facilities under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ support by Dec. 19, 2025, according to the all-girls treatment center in Dearborn Heights. There are 11 people currently living in Vista Maria’s residential mental health treatment program. The decision to transfer the residents was made on Oct. 20 with the support of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Vista Maria’s Executive Leadership and Board of Directors. Vista Maria is not closing, according to the facility’s website. Its other programs, such as foster care and independent living, will continue. Previously, The Investigators at Local 4 reported in September on the multiple violations that Vista Maria faces. The investigators went through documents from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) that showed dozens of violations published in 2025. Some of those violations were posted as recently as August 2025. Read more: Inside Vista Maria: State investigations lead to more violations at all-girls treatment facility Trisha Wade, the aunt of a teen who went missing from the facility, broke down in tears hearing the news. “I don’t even know where to start,” Wade said. “I’m just so ecstatic that some good actually came out of everything that happened, the residents’ stories are getting out there and the community is listening.” Here is the full statement posted to Vista Maria’s website: “In keeping with our commitment to empowering women, children, and families to heal, grow, and realize their full potential, Vista Maria is making a thoughtful shift in how we serve Michigan’s youth by ending residential youth mental health programming. 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. Many of these young people would benefit from receiving inpatient psychiatric support that we do not, and are not licensed to, provide. Therefore, residents will be transferred by December 19, 2025, to other care facilities under the support of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), as it is responsible for securing placements and ensuring continuity of care. Vista Maria will continue to strengthen our other programs, such as foster care, independent living, and juvenile justice services. To help provide additional context, we have prepared a Q&A document, Residential Questions & Answers, which outlines this decision and answers some questions in more detail."
