Utah facility for troubled teens injured and isolated them, students say

Alumni and advocates want more oversight of Elevations Residential Treatment Center in Syracuse, Utah, part of the same company as a wilderness camp where a boy died.

Elevations Residential Treatment Center in Syracuse, Utah, says on its website that it strives to provide “guidance, support, and relief to students of all genders” in a safe, therapeutic environment.

But some former students say that description bears little resemblance to the facility they attended. 

Two recent attendees say they incurred serious injuries while being restrained by staff. In the past five years, Elevations employees have failed to follow mandatory reporting requirements for child abuse, improperly secluded children for days on end and have conducted unauthorized strip searches, according to state records. 

“They need to close their business down,” said Chloe Gilliland, 18, who attended Elevations from July 2023 to June 2024. “I don’t understand how they can go to sleep at the end of the day.”

Elevations is part of Family Help & Wellness, a company headquartered in Oregon that operates 10 treatment programs in four states for adolescents with behavioral and mental health challenges. Many, like Elevations, attract children from other states.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/utah-elevations-rtc-injuries-troubled-teen-facility-rcna159783

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