State officials say they are shutting down Maple Lake Academy’s girls program over their concerns that it has had continued problems keeping clients safe in the nearly three years since a girl died there.
The decision comes after a client at the Utah County teen treatment center suffered “significant injury” in her recent attempt to end her life, licensers said.
The Department of Health and Human Services recently denied Maple Lake Academy’s renewal application for its girls program, saying it must discharge its clients by Sept. 13. This is a rare regulatory move for the Office of Licensing, which in the past has faced criticism from the Disability Law Center and others who say licensers are reluctant to shut down programs who are offering inadequate care.
Licensers began keeping a close eye on Maple Lake Academy after a 14-year-old girl named Sofia Soto died there in January 2022. They said staff there did not give Soto proper medical care despite worsening symptoms and her mother’s requests that she be taken to a doctor.
Since Soto’s death, licensers have documented other instances in which girls were seriously hurt or did not receive medical care. In April 2022, the facility was cited after staff did not immediately seek medical help after a girl fell and hit her head, lost consciousness and vomited multiple times. Last August, the program was cited after staff refused to provide medications to a client.
And in July, licensers found Maple Lake Academy had failed to protect the client who attempted to end her life.
“We want to make sure all Utah licensed providers are giving the highest level of care and ensuring safety of those in services,” DHHS spokesperson Katie England said in a statement. “Repeat rule noncompliance that places vulnerable people at risk is unacceptable.”
But it appears Maple Lake Academy is not going down without a fight.
In a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, management indicated that it would challenge the state’s decision.
“We were disappointed that the State would act suddenly and harshly in the absence of a full investigation and hearing,” the statement from Maple Lake Academy management reads. “We believe regulators have taken action based upon incomplete information and that a full investigation will show that our staff acted appropriately in a difficult situation. That said, we have faith in our system of due process and will continue to work with state regulators to resolve their concerns.”
England said DHHS did a full investigation, and considered the facility’s 36-month history before making the decision to deny the license application.
“The department has a clear and transparent process to address noncompliance,” she said. “That process was followed.”
The denial letter sent to Maple Lake indicates it can request an administrative hearing if “there is a disputed issue of fact.” England said Thursday that Maple Lake Academy has not yet submitted an appeal.
Maple Lake Academy continues to hold a license for its boys program. England said the boys program, which is licensed separately, “does not have the same history of rule noncompliance” and this decision does not affect it.
The program’s website says it caters to teenagers who have autism, anxiety, depression and certain learning disabilities. Licensing records indicate that its girls program was relatively small, able to cater to 15 clients at a time.
“We find that our students are thought of as ‘soft kids’ with lots of anxiety and/or depression, difficulties in regulating their emotions, a poor history of making and keeping healthy friends, and are deeply desirous of having connections with others and close friends,” its website reads.
If the academy asks for an administrative hearing, it will be the second time it’s challenged the state over an effort to shut the program down. In May 2022, the Office of Licensing announced Maple Lake Academy would lose its license after Soto’s death and the accident where the girl hit her head on the pavement. But regulators backed down three months later, reaching a deal with the program that would keep it open.
Simon Bolivar, director of the Office of Licensing, said then that the agency’s goal is to work with providers to “make sure the health and safety of vulnerable populations are protected.” That work, he said, includes helping centers comply with state rules and assisting them on “paths for correction.”
“If the Office of Licensing determines that the provider is walking in the right direction, our job is not to close them but to support their efforts to become better providers,” he said, “as long as the health and safety of their clients are not compromised.”
For Soto’s parents, it’s been difficult to hear that other girls have been hurt since her death, their attorney, Terry Rooney, said in a statement. They “remain devastated by the loss of their dear Sofia,” Rooney said.
“They send their condolences to the families that have suffered due to MLA’s pattern of failing to comply with Utah State Rules,” he added, “and are heartbroken by this news that more children, and parents, have needlessly suffered.”
(Courtesy Gross & Rooney law firm) Sofia Soto, pictured here in an undated photo provided by her parents, died at Maple Lake Academy on Jan. 16, 2022. Her parents are suing the Utah teen treatment facility, alleging staff failed to provide adequate medical care in the days before the 14-year-old's death.
The Sotos are suing Maple Lake Academy, alleging that their daughter had been left to suffer alone, dying in a hallway, while a staff member who was supposed to check on the residents had fallen asleep in another room.
Sofia’s cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, and was not listed in the lawsuit. Her parents allege in their lawsuit that Maple Lake Academy contributed to her death because staff did not get medical care for Sofia as she vomited for days and her health deteriorated. Had staff acted sooner, the lawsuit alleges, Sofia could have received an early diagnosis and treatment.
That lawsuit is still pending.