child deathillegal restraintsexual abusegraphic descriptions of physical abuseseclusionself-harmtransphobia
Elevations RTCTrails Carolina
Staff Mentioned: David Faust (Elevations RTC), Jennifer Wilde (Elevations RTC)
Survivor stories from Chloe Gilliland, Stella Downey, Miranda Goodwill, Sabrina Jonas, Finn Pool
Chloe Gilliland attended Elevations from July 2023 to June 2024
Elevations RTC is owned by Family Help & Wellness (FHW)
Other FHW programs have been cited for regulatory violations
Disability Law Center of Utah has received complaints about Elevations RTC
Stella Downey attended Elevations from June 2020 to February 2021
Elevations RTC has been making more calls to the police as the years go on
In 2023, there were 56 police calls. That number is expected to be higher for 2024.
Elevations RTC is a NATSAP member
Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act (SICAA) is a bipartisan bill that would make it easier for officials to communicate across state lines regarding child welfare
SICAA would also “create the first national database of restraints and seclusion in youth treatment centers”
Sabrina Jonas’ mother reported Sabrina’s abuse to her local school district, who is no longer doing business with Elevations
California Department of Education investigated Elevations in 2023
The investigation concluded that Elevations failed to handle allegations of sexual abuse properly
28 school districts in 7 states have paid to send students to Elevations
FHW bought Island View in 2014 and turned it into Elevations
A survivor sued Elevations in 2018 for permanent injuries resulting from abuse
The 2018 lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount
Elevation’s maximum capacity is 90 students
Tuition at Elevations is over $500/daily
David Faust, an Elevations RTC therapist, plead guilty in 2023 for failure to report Finn Pool’s child abuse
“From May 2023 to May 2024, Elevations reported at least 105 incidents of self-harm and 138 uses of physical restraints, according to state records.”
“In Idaho, North Carolina and Utah, where the Family Help & Wellness youth programs are based, officials said they do not take violations at affiliated facilities in other states into account when evaluating programs. Only the child welfare agency in New Mexico, where one treatment center is, said it is currently looking into that program’s association with Family Help & Wellness, though its actions are limited to the facilities in its state.”
“Katie England, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees facilities like Elevations, said that it ‘does not have the statutory authority to use facility violations or adverse incidents in other states when making Utah-specific licensing decisions.’”
