Facility profile Colorado

Open Sky Wilderness Therapy

Closed Durango, Colorado

Open Sky Wilderness Therapy was a wilderness therapy in Durango, Colorado. It operated from 2006 to 2024.

About Open Sky Wilderness Therapy

It opened in 2005.

It selected as one of Colorado's Companies to Watch (CCW), 2009.source It cost about $558 per day; one-time enrollment fee $3,194.source Stays lasted 9 to 12 weeks average.source It also ran a voluntary young adult program, ages 18-28.source Five-level system: Gateway, South, West, North, East.source

Survivor testimony

What people who lived or worked here say happened. Survivors' own words are published with their permission; forum accounts are what was posted publicly and are reported as claims, not findings.

Reported on survivor forums

Timeline

From the records: who ran it and the deals that moved it, its names, and the deaths, incidents, inspection findings, lawsuits and news stories on file. Point at an event, or tap "More about this", for the details.

2006200720152018202420062024

  1. 2006

    1. Opened

      Opened in Durango, Colorado

  2. 2007

    1. IncidentOctober 2007

      Injury

      In October 2007 a girl at Open Sky fell about 20 feet and was taken to a hospital with neck and back pain.

      Injury October 2007

      source

    2. IncidentOctober 2007

      Runaway

      In October 2007 a girl ran away from Open Sky and ended up on a woman's porch without shoes, saying her wrist was hurt when she refused a strip search, per a...

      Runaway October 2007

      In October 2007 a girl ran away from Open Sky and ended up on a woman's porch without shoes, saying her wrist was hurt when she refused a strip search, per a San Juan County Sheriff's Office report.

      source

  3. 2015

    1. IncidentDecember 2015

      Injury

      In December 2015 six teenagers at Open Sky were hospitalized for frostbite and two needed an emergency flight to Denver; the program's licensing and...

      Injury December 2015

      In December 2015 six teenagers at Open Sky were hospitalized for frostbite and two needed an emergency flight to Denver; the program's licensing and accreditation were questioned but it kept operating.

      source

  4. 2018

    1. Lawsuit

      Aetna Class Action Challenges Wilderness Therapy Coverage Denials

      Aetna Class Action Challenges Wilderness Therapy Coverage Denials

      Plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit against Aetna Life Insurance Co. alleging wrongful denial of coverage for medically necessary mental health and substance abuse services provided by licensed wilderness therapy programs and residential treatment centers. The lawsuit claims that Aetna imposes a blanket exclusion violating health plan terms and the federal Mental Health Parity Act.

      Outcome: The court dismissed the action without prejudice after the plaintiffs failed to file an amended complaint following the granting of the defendant's motion to dismiss.

      Court
      U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
      Case number
      9:18-cv-80773
      Status
      Dismissed

      All lawsuits on record

  5. 2024

    1. Closed

      Closed

Lawsuits

  • Aetna Class Action Challenges Wilderness Therapy Coverage Denials 2018 | Dismissed | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida | 9:18-cv-80773 Names this facility

    Outcome: The court dismissed the action without prejudice after the plaintiffs failed to file an amended complaint following the granting of the defendant's motion to dismiss.

    Plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit against Aetna Life Insurance Co. alleging wrongful denial of coverage for medically necessary mental health and substance abuse services provided by licensed wilderness therapy programs and residential treatment centers. The lawsuit claims that Aetna imposes a blanket exclusion violating health plan terms and the federal Mental Health Parity Act. Plaintiffs seek to represent a class of similarly situated insured individuals who were denied coverage for licensed wilderness therapy programs or residential treatment centers.

Every case in the lawsuit directory

Incidents on record

  1. October 2007 Injury

    In October 2007 a girl at Open Sky fell about 20 feet and was taken to a hospital with neck and back pain.source

  2. October 2007 Runaway

    In October 2007 a girl ran away from Open Sky and ended up on a woman's porch without shoes, saying her wrist was hurt when she refused a strip search, per a San Juan County Sheriff's Office report.source

  3. December 2015 Injury

    In December 2015 six teenagers at Open Sky were hospitalized for frostbite and two needed an emergency flight to Denver; the program's licensing and accreditation were questioned but it kept operating.source

  4. Injury

    Many survivors, particularly those there in winter, report developing hypothermia or frostbite at Open Sky.source

News coverage

  • Durango Herald Jan 13, 2024 Closure

    Open Sky Wilderness Therapy announces closure

    Open Sky Wilderness Therapy, a residential wilderness therapy program in Durango, announced it would close operations on February 15, 2024. The decision followed a decline in enrollment and financial challenges, and the organization will continue to serve its current students until the final day. Staff and families expressed sadness over the closure and reflected on the program’s impact on participants.

Staff

Notable staff

Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Documents

Documents on file (5)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (5)

From SCIAD NET

17 documents about Open Sky Wilderness Therapy that Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. SCIAD NET keeps them on Google Drive, where they open.

DHS Records (1)
Court records (10)
Program Documents (6)

Wiki entries

Materials and links

External links

A program's own website is linked as an archived snapshot, so the page reads as it did when it was captured.

Survivor posts and discussion

Staff listing or directory

Advertising and marketing listings

Reference and research

Archived pages

Other links

Record updated . Generated from the Kids Over Profits facility database. Suggest a correction