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Investing in Our Team and Campus
Across Michigan, residential programs like Vista Maria have been facing new and growing challenges. Youth have more complex trauma, risky behaviors, and fewer safe options for placement. In response, we’ve been working closely with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) for more than a year to build a stronger, more responsive model of care.
This summer, we began putting that plan into action. Our entire team is going through an intensive season of training to refresh and deepen their skills in trauma-informed care, de-escalation techniques, sensory integration, and mental health treatment. Clinical staff are also receiving advanced training to help them better support youth who are dealing with grief, trauma, and complex behavioral needs.
This level of training reflects our deep commitment to learning and growing to ensure that our youth receive the therapeutic support and care they need.
At the same time, we are investing in major building upgrades. The needs of youth today are not just emotional, they are physical and behavioral too. As our Clinical Director, Carolynn Metz, shared in the recent WXYZ story, "We have behaviors of self-harm, we have behaviors of physical aggression. Youth are coming in with a lot more trauma. They're going to use their fists sometimes before using their words."
These challenges can cause real damage to our living spaces. Since October 2024, Vista Maria has invested $494,000 in structural repairs across campus. That includes restoring walls, replacing windows, reinforcing infrastructure, and repairing bathrooms in our residential buildings. These repairs and improvements are not cosmetic-- they are necessary to maintain safety and create a calm environment for healing.
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