DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. – Former Vista Maria residents are speaking out as the all-girls residential treatment facility in Dearborn Heights faces more violations.
The Investigators at Local 4 went through documents from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) that showed dozens of violations published in 2025. Some of those violations were posted as recently as last month.
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State suspends placements at Vista Maria
- MDHHS suspended placements at Vista Maria from April 24 until July 24.
- Agency was made to develop a re-admission plan.
The state suspended placements at Vista Maria from April 24 until July 24 while the agency, “worked towards remediations necessary to improve outcomes for the youth they serve,” “assess progress,” and “develop a re-admission plan.”
MDHHS released this statement to Local 4: “MDHHS suspended placements at all contracted Vista Maria facilities from April 24, 2025 to July 24, 2025 while they worked towards remediations necessary to improve outcomes for the youth they serve. During the placement suspension, Vista Maria and MDHHS worked collaboratively to assess progress and develop a readmission plan. Due to state and federal laws, MDHHS is unable to comment on case specific information regarding discharges.”
‘It’s really evil what they’re doing there’
- The Investigators at Local 4 spoke with Vista Maria interim CEO Meredith Reese in May.
- Former residents reached out to express concern and said the facility failed to protect them.
After the Investigators at Local 4 spoke with Vista Maria interim CEO Meredith Reese in May, girls reached out to express their concern and anger.
“I think it needs to be closed down. I just feel bad for the girls who are still suffering, because it’s not right,” a former resident said.
The girls said the facility failed to protect them and they’re worried about the residents and employees who are still there.
“It’s not a good place. They put on a show . . . and they make it seem like, oh, it’s such a Godly place. They’re doing God’s work and it’s really evil what they’re doing there,” a former resident said.
“They just don’t care. They don’t. I’ve tried to kill myself so many times in there just because the staff treated us so horrible,” Former Vista Maria resident Sarina Jensen said.
More former residents of Vista Maria in Dearborn Heights have come forward -- like dozens of staff members and residents.
“I really hope Vista Maria gets shut down in the coming years. I’ve been praying on that,” a former resident said.
‘I would compare it to jail food’
In the last seven months alone, at least 39 violations were established at Vista Maria.
In the special investigation reports are allegations of sexual assault, rules not being followed, staff not meeting training requirements, and food violations.
In a rule or statute violation published in January 2025, the state investigator wrote that “a violation was found based on interviews with youth and staff. Although youth reported they received three meals per day, it was consistently reported that dinner was either cold or youth were not able to eat it due to special diets not being followed. Youth were consistently reported that alternative dinner options were not available to them. This was verified by food services.”
“I would compare it to jail food,” a former resident said.
“It would be halfway cooked, halfway done,” a former resident said.
The investigation reports also detail threats and verbal abuse from staff. On December 4, 2024, a staff member reported to the state investigator that another staff member told a youth, “’If you spit on me, I am going to [expletive] you up and I’ll beat your [expletive].” The staff member accused of making that statement denied it, but a violation was still found.
A special investigation posted in May 2025 details a relationship between a staff member and a resident. According to the state investigator, the facility did have known concerns about the relationship between the two of them.
According to the state’s analysis: “Suspicions were reported to be circulating in the facility that Staff 1 was in an inappropriate relationship with Youth A during Staff 1’s employment. Interviews with staff and documentation from Human Resources show that the facility explored possible concerns regarding contact between Youth A and Staff 1. Documentation shows Staff 1 was terminated upon receipt of footage from the security gate of him pulling into the facility entrance to retrieve Youth A. Although Youth A and Staff 1 denied their relationship beginning prior to Staff 1’s termination of employment, both parties reported being in a romantic relationship at the time of their interviews. Staff 1 reported picking up Youth A while not working and not for work functions while he was still employed at the facility.”
‘We were stuck in our rooms’
Other violations include investigations into improper restraints, and 22 violations involving allegations of staff hitting, striking, throwing, kicking, pulling, or pushing a youth on any part of their body.
A violation published on July 23, 2025, found the agency was in non-compliance “as per video reviewed multiple staff violated the rule by kicking, pushing, or pulling Youth A and Youth B during the incident.”
“I’ve seen staff choking residents up. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen staff beat on residents,” a former resident said.
Review of state documents also uncovered violations related to seclusion, a practice that has been banned in Michigan since 2022.
In a June 11, 2025, special investigation, the agency was in noncompliance because their sleeping room hours policy stated that the doors were to be secured. All seclusion is prohibited.
Former residents also alleged seclusion at Vista Maria. “We were stuck in our rooms for, had to be 12, 13 hours, they wouldn’t let us out to go to the bathroom,” a former resident said.
“The staff . . . would all go to one wing and play cards or spades,” Sarina Jensen said. “So I would’ve urinated on myself or pooped on myself by the time they got to me.”
Vista Maria’s new CEO vows transparency
- Vista Maria names Kathy Regan as CEO on July 14, 2025.
- As of September, there were 7 girls at Vista Maria instead of the usual 42.
- Vista Maria has retrained staff, made improvements to facility, according to Regan.
Vista Maria’s CEO Kathy Regan is vowing to give transparency. She said the state put a suspension on Vista Maria on April 25, 2025. As a result, girls were not able to be placed at the facility and girls were removed from their care.
“You came to us at a time when we were really struggling, and I think that in a very unique way, you really lit a fire under some folks in terms of making change. So I’ll give you that,” Regan said.
Vista Maria reported that 33 girls were discharged during the state-issued suspension before it was lifted July 24. Regan said there are currently seven girls at Vista Maria when there were usually 42.
Regarding the violations, Regan said, “It’s tough. It’s sad. Reading those allegations kills us, and that’s why you’ve seen a lot of terminations coming out of Vista Maria, because safety is sacred to us.”
Regan said the facility has taken time over the last six months to retrain staff to “fill in the gaps in terms of training.”
When it comes to reports of issues within the facility, Regan said they’ve spent more than half a million dollars to make repairs and improvements.
“I can tell you that we’ve spent upwards of a half million dollars since they had the first quarter, putting new walls up, more durable materials, ordering new furniture. There’s really been a significant investment there,” Regan said.
Regan said Vista Maria is more prepared.
“I feel like we are so prepared now we know what we need to do. We are not taking more kids until we have the right staff at the right time in the right buildings, period,” Regan said. “Staff are too important. We can’t put them in harm’s way either. And that’s kind of what we got into.”
Vista Maria responds to May 2025 special investigation
Special Investigation #2025SIC0000708, published on July 2, 2025, found multiple violations:
🚩 Citation: Rule CCI Rule 400.4126, Insufficient staff
- Allegation: “There were multiple AWOLs over the weekend (May 17 - 18, 2025) and a riot. It is reported that the unit was destroyed by youth.”
- State justification for citation: “The facility is found in non-compliance of sufficiency of staff as it was reported within several interviews staff felt there were not enough staff there to support the behaviors of the youth. The facility did follow the guidelines to call in extra support but due to the behaviors of the youth, there wasn’t a sufficient amount of staff to support the needs of the youth.”
- Vista Maria response: “There were more than the requisite number of staff on the scene.”
🚩 Citation: Rule CCI Rule 400.4150, failure to report AWOL
- Allegation: “(Division of Child Welfare Licensing) DCWL was not notified of the AWOLs.”
- State justification for citation: “The facility is found in non-compliance with not reporting AWOL youth to state licensing. It was found within interviews and documentation that there were different occasions that staff lost sight of the youth while they were AWOL and law enforcement had to be notified. The assigned state licensing consultant never received notification of these reported AWOLs.”
- Vista Maria Response: “Law enforcement was contacted, the State’s welfare system (MiSACWIS) received the incident report, Staff did not call the licensing consultant. Internal work instructions were updated accordingly.”
🚩 Citation: Rule CCI Rule 400.4150, failure to report
- Allegation: “(Division of Child Welfare Licensing) DCWL was not notified of law enforcement involvement.”
- State justification for citation: “The facility is found in non-compliance of not reporting law enforcement contact to state licensing. It was found there was multiple contacts with law enforcement on May 17, 2025, and May 18, 2025, which the primary licensing consultant was not notified of.”
- Vista Maria Response: "This was a misunderstanding of the rule. VM received guidance from the prior licensing consultant that state licensing only needed to be notified if the youth was charged with a crime not because the law enforcement was contacted due to the youth’s behavior."
🚩 Citation: Rule CCI Rule 400.4109, Internal policy violation
- Allegation: “When a youth returned from AWOL on 5/20/2025, it was found she had a list of staff personal phone numbers.”
- State justification for citation: “Rule violation was established as it was found within the interviews of Youth C and Staff 10 that staff was sharing their personal cell phone numbers with Youth C. This goes against the facilities internal policy of staff and client interactions.”
- Vista Maria Response: “Staff received disciplinary action.”
Discrepancy in number of calls to police
The Investigators at Local 4 began looking into Vista Maria when Dearborn Heights police reported they had 368 runs to the facility in just one year.
Police said within the past few months, they have been called to the facility 95 times. Vista Maria reports 38 calls.
Recently, a Dearborn Heights police officer was accused of punching a resident. The investigation is complete, the officer was suspended, but is back on the job.
2025 MDHHS special investigation reports
Here are 744 pages of documents that show MDHHS special investigation reports published in 2025:
Individual reports can be found by visiting michildwelfarepubliclicensingsearch.michigan.gov and searching for “Vista Maria”.