‘I just felt trapped’ | Allegations of abuse at Arizona facility for troubled teens

PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ — Nestled in the mountains of Prescott Valley and hidden behind iron gates sits a behavioral health campus known as Mingus Mountain Academy.

“It’s time for people to know what’s going on behind these closed doors,” said Elinore Hilborn, who experienced life at the all-girls facility in 2020.

Elinore was sent to Mingus Mountain at the age of 17.

“I didn’t know if I was going to make it. I was really struggling,” she said.

Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center is a facility exclusively for girls, licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services to house more than 100 young women. It is in the business of helping emotionally troubled teens on their path to recovery.

“She was just a teenager having a really tough time trying to figure out life and how she can regulate herself without self-harm,” said Elinore’s stepmother Suzanne Hilborn.

Like any parent, Suzanne said she did everything she could to help her stepdaughter. They sent her to Mingus Mountain hoping to get help.

“She didn't have any of the things I was promised she would get,” said Suzanne.

The company’s website sells itself as “a true sanctuary for healing,” but Suzanne and her stepdaughter said there was no recovery.

“It makes it worse,” Suzanne said.

“I just did what I had to do to get out of there,” Elinore said.

Facility has history of violations

ABC15’s extensive investigation into Mingus Mountain Academy found the facility has a long history of fines and violations.

Over the past two years, state health regulators have cited the facility more than 70 times.

“People don’t know what’s happening in these facilities,” Elinore said.

With one of the facility's most significant responsibilities, when patients were restrained, state health regulators cited the facility for not following policies and procedures, resulting in injuries to one patient and an employee being placed on administrative leave.

“In some cases, these staff would take that way too far. Way too far. Like they would, they would get very physical. Like I’m talking elbows into the spine,” described Elinore.

During a health department survey two years ago, regulators also found administrators failed to follow policies when three students said they “had been inappropriately touched” by an employee. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation and court records show the employee pleaded guilty to assault charges.

“There was some staff that were very inappropriate,” said Elinore.

And here was one of the most critical findings: Just last May, regulators fined Mingus Mountain $4,700 for what they called multiple repeat deficiencies including having a clinical director, “not licensed in Arizona.”

“Not surprising,” Elinore said. “Just really doesn’t seem like they’re in the business of mental health. I think it’s just about the money, ultimately.”

And records show Arizona tax dollars are funding this facility.

Congressional report highlights problems at Mingus

Mingus Mountain Academy is one of more than a dozen residential treatment facilities owned by Vivant Behavioral Healthcare. The private company is also at the center of a sweeping two-year U.S. Senate Investigation.

Lawmakers labeled the report, “Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers Are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities.”

The 136-page report highlights abusive conditions in what members of Congress describe as a profit-hungry industry where “children suffer routine harm” including, “sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, unsafe and unsanitary conditions and inadequate provisions of behavioral health treatment.”

“It’s like kids being sentenced to child abuse by the state,” said Suzanne.

The Senate investigation mentions Mingus Mountain specifically by name and details an incident where it said staff failed to properly monitor a child who “was left unsupervised in the dorm for 14 minutes,” prior to a suicide attempt.

“They’re doing something wrong. They need to figure it out or shut it down,” said Elinore.

Elinore and her stepmother said they want the truth at Mingus Mountain exposed.

“These kinds of things can’t just stay in the dark,” said Elinore.

ABC15 is committed to finding the answers you need and holding those accountable.

Submit your news tip to Investigators@abc15.com

Mingus Mountain sent ABC15 a lengthy statement that doesn’t address our reporting. The statement said in part, “…Mingus Mountain YTC continues to remain in substantial compliance with the evolving treatment and regulator landscape in Arizona…”

ABC15 has learned more than a dozen alleged victims plan to file a lawsuit against the facility.

ABC15 will have a follow-up story soon.

Have a tip for the ABC15 Investigators? Email Investigator Jennifer Kovaleski at jennifer.kovaleski@abc15.com

Read Mingus Mountain YTC’s full response below:

Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center (Mingus Mountain YTC) prides itself on its commitment to and success with providing trauma-responsive residential treatment to young women and families impacted by behavioral health and substance use diagnoses.  As an organization, we are confident that our treatment program provides safe, evidence-based and quality services to an under-served community in Arizona, including girls who have experienced sex trafficking.

Through our collaborative work with our community partners – including the Arizona Department of Health Services – Mingus Mountain YTC continues to remain in substantial compliance with the evolving treatment and regulatory landscape in Arizona, which has resulted in the following positive outcomes for youth and families served at our program in 2024 – 

1. Successfully discharged youth from treatment with 23% better results than national averages
2. Provided life-saving treatment and resource linkage to over 70 survivors of child sex trafficking
3. Achieved patient safety outcomes that are seven (7) times better than national averages for youth in residential treatment
4. Achieved 44% better results in routine accreditation surveys than other behavioral health organizations across the United States and Canada, including in the areas of patient safety and restraint; environment of care; and care, treatment and services

Each opportunity we receive to serve children and families is treated with utmost importance and we routinely request feedback from past residents, parents and caregivers regarding their experience at our treatment program.  Mingus Mountain YTC is fully committed to our mission to provide quality, evidence-based treatment to youth and families whose treatment needs cannot be met in their homes and communities. 

Since beginning operations in 2021, our parent company Vivant Behavioral Healthcare (Vivant) has emphasized patient safety and clinical best practices as key principles of the organization.  Treatment programs across the Vivant network have experienced similar positive outcomes to those seen at Mingus Mountain YTC and Vivant is extremely proud of its programs’ commitment to implementing standards, policies and procedures which align with industry best practices and promote a culture of healing, safety and support.