A youth psychiatric treatment program in East Bethel is under investigation. The Minnesota Department of Human Services is suspending the license of the Nexus Family Healing location in East Bethel.
In a letter to Nexus Family Health CEO Michelle Murray, DHS said on May 13 it determined “resident’s basic rights were not protected.” The letter lists violations including allegations of suspected maltreatment were not reported as required by mandated reporters, the plan of care was not updated in response to changing conditions, medications were not administered safely and accurately, there was not enough appropriately trained staff to ensure the resident’s treatment needs could be met, and treatment services did not include adequate supervision to support resident safety.
The letter adds the facility was not in good repair, “response to behavior that presented imminent risk of harm was ineffective” and implementation of safety policies were not monitored.
DHS writes, “Based on these findings, DHS cannot ensure the health and safety of the children served by your program at this time. DHS has determined there is an imminent risk of harm to the health, safety, and rights of children in your care. Therefore, DHS is suspending your license to provide children’s psychiatric residential treatment services.”
It suspends the license effective May 29 or whenever all youth served at the location have been transitioned to a new provider, whichever comes first.
The facility opened in late 2023. It has 40 beds for 10 to 21-year-olds with a higher level of mental and behavioral health needs.
Licensing records document a history of maltreatment investigations and correction orders since 2024.
A spokesperson for Nexus Family Healing told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS in a statement, “Nexus has a longstanding history of responsive, collaborative work with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. For that reason, we were surprised to receive notice from DHS on May 15 to temporarily close our East Bethel Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) and relocate the youth by May 29.
“Since the 15th, we’ve been reaching out to DHS to request a meeting and gain greater visibility into specific concerns. We are confident that the steps we have implemented and will continue to implement will eliminate the potential for harm that might have existed. We welcome DHS’s input on any additional recommended steps or safeguards.
“We are gravely concerned that the closing of East Bethel is not in the best interest of the youth and their families. These children are struggling with high levels of mental and behavioral health needs, and there are limited choices of proven, qualified providers. Our organization values and respects the role of DHS and all regulatory and licensing organizations who partner with us to ensure youth safety. We are committed to working with DHS, as we always have, so that we can continue serving the youth at East Bethel.”
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