Welcome to Youth Care Parent Days!

Alpine House

Wednesday August 24th

6:00 pm-8:00 pm           Parent Support Group and Welcome in the Alpine Classroom, Building #4

8:00 pm-8:30 pm           Ice Cream Social with your son/daughter in the Alpine Back patio.

Thursday August 25th

730 am -8:30 am          Pick up your student at Alpine and drive to Ropes Course—Maps will be provided

8:30 am-11:30 am         Recreational Activity—Ropes Course

11:30 am-2:00 pm         Off Campus Lunch for Level 2 and Up- You may take your student from Activity to lunch if student is eligible. 

2:00 pm-5:00 pm           Family Therapy if scheduled

5:00 pm- 6:00pm           Rotations with your student’s Academic Team and Dr. Deesing and Dr. Merrick in Brighton, Building #1-

5:00 pm- 7:00 pm          On Campus Pass time for Level Orientation (OR) - Level 1(L1)

5:00 pm-7:00 pm           Off Campus Pass time for Level 2- (L2)

5:00 pm-8:00 pm           Off Campus Pass time for Level 3+ (L3+)

Friday August 26th

9:00am-11:00am           Multifamily Group in the Alpine Classroom.

11:00am- 2:00pm          Family Therapy Sessions and Lunch off Campus – Parents only

2:00 pm-4:00 pm           Parent Seminar- Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

4:00 pm -6:30pm           Off Campus Pass Time –L2 – On Campus Pass time for OR- L2 students.

4:00 pm -8:00 pm          Off Campus Pass Time – L3+

Saturday August 27th

9:00 am – 11:00 am      Rotations with your student’s Academic Team and Dr. Mickelsen and Dr. Hejazi in Brighton Lobby, Building #1, Family Therapy if Scheduled.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm     Chemical Dependency Group with Raigan- Horizon Purple Room, Building #5

11:00 am- 1:00 pm        Family Sessions if scheduled and Parents off Campus for Lunch.

1:00 pm -3:00 pm          Parent Support Group in the Alpine Classroom

3:00 pm – 6:30 pm        Off Campus Pass Time L2, On Campus Pass Time

3:00 pm – 8:00 pm        Off Campus Pass Time for L3 and up/ Overnights have to be approved by Therapist and Tracey

Sunday August 28th

10:00 am – 1:00 pm      Off Campus for L2 / On Campus Pass Time

Level 3 and Up pass time determined by Therapist

​

Brighton House

Wednesday August 24th

6:00 pm-8:00 pm           Parent Support Group and Welcome in the Alpine Classroom, Building #4

 8:00 pm-8:30 pm           Ice Cream Social with your son/daughter in the Brighton Back patio.

Thursday August 25th

 8:30 am -9:00 am          Welcome and Schedule overview- Brighton Classroom, Building #1

 9:00 am- 11:00  am       Multifamily Group in the Brighton Classroom, Building #1

 11:00 am – 1:00 pm      Family Therapy if Scheduled- Parents off campus for Lunch

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm        Rotations with your student’s Academic Team and Dr. Mickelsen in the Brighton Home, Building #1, Family Therapy if Scheduled.

4:00 pm -6:30pm           Off Campus Pass Time –L2 – On Campus Pass time for OR- L2 students.

4:00 pm -8:00 pm          Off Campus Pass Time – L3

7:00 pm- 8:00pm           Rotations with your students’ Academic Team and Dr. Deesing and Dr. Merrick in Brighton, Building #1-

Friday August 26th

 7:30 am -8:30 am          Pick up your student and drive to Ropes Course—Maps will be provided

 8:30 am-11:30 am         Recreational Activity—Ropes Course

 11:30 am-2:00 pm         Off Campus Lunch for Level 2 and Up- You may take your student from Activity to lunch if student is eligible.

 2:00 pm-4:00 pm           Parent Seminar- Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

 4:00 pm -6:30pm           Off Campus Pass Time –L2 – On Campus Pass time for OR- L2 students.

4:00 pm -8:00 pm          Off Campus Pass Time – L3

Saturday August 27th

9:00am- 1:00 pm           Family Therapy Sessions

9:00 am – 1:00 pm        Rotations with your student’s Academic Team and Dr.Hejazi in the Brighton Home, Building #1, Family Therapy if Scheduled.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm     Chemical Dependency Group- Horizon Purple Room, Building #5

 1:00 pm – 3:00pm         Parent Support Group – Alpine Classroom, Building #4

 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm        Off Campus Pass Time L2, On Campus Pass Time

 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm        Off Campus Pass Time for L3 and up/ Overnights have to be approved by Therapist and Tracey

Sunday August 28th

 10:00 am – 1:00 pm      Off Campus for L2 / On Campus Pass Time

 Level 3 and Up pass time determined by Therapist

Horizon House

Wednesday August 24th

 6:00 pm-8:00 pm           Parent Support Group and Welcome in the Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

 8:00 pm-8:30 pm           Ice Cream Social with your student on the Horizon Back patio- Building #5

 Thursday August 25th

 8:30am – 9:00 am         Welcome and Schedule overview in Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

 9:00 am- 11:00 am        Parent Seminar in Brighton Conference Room- Brighton #1

 11:00 am-12:30 pm       Parents pick up students from Horizon and Travel to Recreational Activity- Lunch off Campus for families that transport their own student to activity.         

 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm      Recreational Group- Ropes Course

 3:30 pm-4:30 pm           Travel Back to Youth Care

 6:00 pm- 7:00pm           Rotations with your student’s Academic Team and Dr. Deesing and Dr. Merrick in Brighton, Building #1

4:30 pm- 7:00 pm          On Campus Pass time for Level Orientation (OR) - Level 1(L1)

 4:30 pm-7:00 pm           Off Campus Pass time for Level 2 (L2)

 4:30 pm-8:00 pm           Off Campus Pass time for Level 3+ (L3)

 Friday August 26th

 9:00 am – 11:00 am      Rotations with your student’s Academic Team and Dr. Mickelsen and Dr. Hejazi in Brighton Lobby, Building #1, Family Therapy if Scheduled.

11:00 am- 2:00 pm        Family Session if Scheduled- Lunch off Campus for parents.

 2:00 pm-4:00 pm           Multifamily Group in the Horizon Classroom.

 4:00 pm -6:30pm           Off Campus Pass Time –L2 – On Campus Pass time for OR- L2 students.

 4:00 pm -8:00 pm          Off Campus Pass Time – L3 +

 Saturday August 27th

 9:00am- 11:00 am         Parent Support Group in the Horizon Classroom- Building #5

 11:00 am – 3:00pm       Family Therapy Sessions

 1:00 pm -2:30 pm          Chemical Dependency Group with Raigan – Horizon Purple Room, Building #5

 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm        Off Campus Pass Time L2, On Campus Pass Time

 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm        Off Campus Pass Time for L3+, Overnights have to be approved by Therapist and Tracey

Sunday August 28th

 10:00 am – 1:00 pm      Off Campus for L2 / On Campus Pass Time

 Level 3 and Up pass time determined by Therapist

Summit House

Wednesday August 24th

 6:00 pm-8:00 pm           Parent Support Group and Welcome in the Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

 8:00 pm-8:30 pm           Ice Cream Social with your student on the Summit Back patio, Building #3

Thursday August 25th

 8:30 am – 9:00 am        Welcome and Schedule Review- Summit Classroom, Building #3

 9:00 am- 11:00  am       Multifamily Group in the Summit Classroom, Building #3

 11:00 am – 3:00 pm      Family Therapy if Scheduled- Parents off campus for Lunch

 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm        Rotations with your student’s Academic Team and Dr. Mickelsen, Dr. Dessing, and Dr. Merrick and in Brighton Lobby, Building #1, Family Therapy if Scheduled.

4:00 pm – 6:30pm         On Campus Pass time for Level Orientation (OR) – Level 1 (L1)

4:00 pm -6:30pm           Off Campus Pass Time –Level 2 (L2)

4:00 pm -8:00 pm          Off Campus Pass Time – Level 3+ (L3+)               

Friday August 26th

9:00 am- 11:00 am        Parent Seminar in Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

11:00 am-12:30 pm       Parents Pick up your Student and Travel to Recreational Activity- Lunch off Campus for families that are transporting their student

12:30 pm – 3:30 pm      Recreational Group- Ropes Course

3:30 pm-4:30 pm          Travel Back to Youth Care

4:30 pm- 7:00 pm          On Campus Pass time for Level OR- Level 1

4:30 pm-7:00 pm           Off Campus Pass time for Level 2

4:30 pm-8:00 pm           Off Campus Pass time for L3+

Saturday August 27th

 9:00am- 11:00 am         Parent Support Group in the Summit Classroom, building #3

 11:00 am – 3:00pm       Family Therapy Sessions

 11:00 am – 3:00 pm      Rotations with your student’s Academic Team and Dr. Mickelsen and Dr. Hejazi and in Brighton Lobby, Building #1

1:00 pm -2:30 pm          Chemical Dependency Group, Horizon Purple Room, Building #5

 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm        Off Campus Pass Time L2, On Campus Pass Time

 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm        Off Campus Pass Time for L3 and up/ Overnights have to be approved by Therapist and Tracey

 Sunday August 28th

 10:00 am – 1:00 pm      Off Campus for L2 / On Campus Pass Time

 Level 3 and Up pass time determined by Therapist

_________________________________________________________________

July 28, 2022

Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to having you join us for our upcoming Parent Days, August 24th-27th  with on campus programming and pastime, and August 28th for off campus pastime if student is eligible and if your travel plans allow. Please look for your specific house schedules on the parent portal under “House Parent Days Schedules” in the coming week.

As Covid continues to be a health concern, we have continued a few restrictions that we will ask that you help us follow to keep everyone safe and healthy. 

Onsite visiting areas - We will have designated onsite visiting areas on campus for you and your student to spend time together.  We are hoping for good weather and will have outdoor areas to hang out and to play.  There are slots each evening and throughout the weekend for onsite visiting for families of students on Orientation to Level 2.  You will have an opportunity to visit your student’s home and tour during your visit.  To limit the numbers of families on campus at the same time, we ask that unless you are participating in scheduled events on campus, that you are not on campus. Thursday and Friday, students will still be in school between activities. 

Off Campus pass time - As we are opening campus and getting back to our regular programing post COVID19, we are encouraging our students to invest in the program and level system. There are time slots for off campus pass time for students on Level 3 and up throughout the evenings and weekend.  Outside of one time slot for Level 2’s to go to off campus with family for a lunch, all off campus pass time will be for students on Level 3 and up.  Please help encourage your student to invest in the program and work towards Level 3.  Off campus pass time will be offered on Sunday the 28th if your student is eligible and if your travel plans allow.

During Parent Days, you will participate in two family sessions, a recreational activity, rotations with Academics and your student’s Psychiatrist, and a Parent Support Group.   You will receive an email with the scheduled sessions. We would like to request that you participate in all scheduled events whenever possible, as this is an integral part of the experience for your child. 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  We look forward to seeing you soon and hope you will enjoy your time with us.  

Sincerely,

Mindy Exon

Program Director

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to Youth Care Parent Days

Alpine House

Wednesday, May 11th, 2022

6:00pm – 8:00pm          Parent Support Group in Alpine Classroom

8:00pm – 8:30pm          Ice Cream Social on the Alpine back patio - 30 minutes to greet and eat with your student before they wrap up their night.

​

Thursday, May 12th, 2022

8:30am – 9:00am          Welcome meeting Alpine Classroom- bagels and coffee will be available.

9:00am – 11:00am        Multifamily Group in the Alpine Classroom

11:00am – 1:00pm        Family Therapy Sessions, if scheduled.  Families Off-Campus break, if not scheduled for Family Sessions

1:00pm - 2:00pm           Lunch Off-Campus for Level 2 and Up – if eligible.  All other students will eat on campus with staff.

1:40pm – 2:00pm          On-Campus students will Prep and Travel to Boon Docks

2:00pm - 5:00pm           Boon Docks Family Fun- Recreational Activity – map in packet

5:00pm - 6:30pm           Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

5:00pm - 8:00pm           Off-Campus Pass Time – Level 3 and Up, if eligible

7:00pm – 8:00pm          Rotations with your students: Academic Team and Dr. Deesing in Brighton, Building #1. Family Therapy Sessions, if scheduled

Friday, May 13th, 2022

9:00am - 11:00am         Multifamily Group in Alpine Classroom

11:00am – 1:00pm        Family Therapy Sessions, if scheduled. Break Off-Campus for families not scheduled for session.

1:00pm - 2:00pm           Lunch Off-Campus for Level 2 and Up – if eligible.  All other students will eat on campus with staff.

2:00pm - 4:00pm           Learning Seminar in Brighton Conference Room, Building #1 - Parents Only

4:00pm - 6:30pm           Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

4:00pm - 8:00 pm          Off-Campus Pass Time – Level 3 and Up, if eligible

​

Saturday, May 14th, 2022

8:00am – 12:00pm        Rotations with your students: Academic Team and Dr. Mickelsen or Dr. Hejazi in Brighton, Building #1.  Family Therapy, if scheduled.

11:00am – 12:00pm      Chemical Dependency Group with Raigan in the Horizon Purple Room, Building #5. 

12:00pm - 1:00pm         Lunch off Campus- Parents Only

1:00pm – 3:00pm          Parent Support Group in Alpine Classroom

3:00pm – 6:30pm          Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

3:00pm – 8:00pm          Off-Campus Pass Time for Level 3 and up, if eligible / Overnights have to be approved by Therapist and Tracey Boyle

Sunday, May 15th, 2022

10:00am – 1:00pm        Off-Campus Pass Time for Level 2, if eligible / On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2

Level 3 and Up Pass Time determined by Therapist

​

Brighton House

Wednesday, May 11th, 2022                                 

6:00pm – 8:00pm          Parent Support Group in Alpine Classroom, Building #4

8:00pm – 8:30pm          Ice Cream Social on Brighton Patio- 30 minutes to greet and eat with your student before they wrap up their night.

​

Thursday, May 12th, 2022

8:00am - 8:30am           Welcome meeting - bagels and coffee will be available.

8:30am – 10:30am        Multifamily Group in the Brighton Classroom

10:30am - 11:00am       Prep to leave campus - Travel to Boon Docks, map in packet

11:00am  - 1:00pm        Boon Docks Family Fun- Recreational Activity

1:00pm - 2:00pm           Lunch Off-Campus for Level 2 and Up – if eligible.  All other students will eat on campus with staff.

2:00pm - 4:00pm           Learning Seminar - Parents Only in Brighton Conference Room

4:00pm - 6:30pm           Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

4:00pm - 8:00pm           Off-Campus Pass Time – Level 3 and Up, if eligible

7:00pm - 8:00pm           Rotations with your students: Academic Team and Dr. Deesing in Brighton, Building #. Family Therapy, if scheduled.

​

Friday, May 13th, 2022

8:00am – 12:00pm        Rotations with your students: Academic Team and Dr. Mickelsen or Dr. Hejazi in Brighton, Building #1.  Family Therapy, if scheduled.

​

11:00am – 12:00pm      Chemical Dependency Group with Raigan in the Horizon Purple Room, Building #5.

12:00pm - 2:00pm         Lunch Break - Parents Only

2:00pm - 4:00pm           Multifamily Group, Brighton Classroom

4:00pm - 6:30pm           Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

4:00pm - 8:00 pm          Off-Campus Pass Time – Level 3 and Up, if eligible

​

Saturday, May 14th, 2022

​

9:00am - 11:00am         Parent Support Group in the Brighton Classroom

11:00am – 3:00pm        Family Therapy Sessions (as scheduled by therapist) / family visiting time / pass time

3:00pm – 6:30pm          Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

3:00pm – 8:00pm          Off-Campus Pass Time for Level 3 and up, if eligible / Overnights have to be approved by Therapist and Tracey Boyle

​

Sunday, May 15th, 2022

10:00am – 1:00pm        Off-Campus Pass Time for Level 2, if eligible / On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2

Level 3 and Up Pass Time determined by Therapist

​

Horizon House

Wednesday, May 11th, 2022

6:00pm – 8:00pm          Parent Support Group in Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

8:00pm – 8:30pm          Ice Cream Social on Horizon Patio - 30 minutes to greet and eat with your student before they wrap up their night.

​

Thursday, May 12th, 2022

8:30am – 9:00am          Welcome Meeting, bagels and coffee will be available.

9:00am – 11:00am        Multifamily Group in the Horizon Classroom

11:00am - 1:00pm         Family Therapy, if scheduled. Families Off-Campus break, if not scheduled for Family Sessions

1:00pm – 2:00pm          Chemical Dependency Group with Raigan in the Horizon Purple Room

1:00pm – 5:00pm          Rotations with your students: Academic Team and Dr. Mickelsen in Brighton, Building #1.  Family Therapy, if sch

5:00pm - 6:00pm           Rotations with your students: Academic Team and Dr. Deesing in Brighton, Building #1

​

5:00pm - 6:30pm           Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

5:00pm - 8:00pm           Off-Campus Pass Time – Level 3 and Up, if eligible

Friday, May 13th, 2022

8:30am – 10:30am        Multi Family Process Group in Horizon Classroom

10:30am- 11:00am        Prep and Travel to Boon Docks – map in the packet

11:00am – 1:00pm        Boon Docks Family Fun- Recreational Activity with Recreational Team

1:00pm - 2:00pm           Lunch Off-Campus for Level 2 and Up – if eligible.  All other students will eat on campus with staff. 

1:00pm - 2:00pm           Rotations with your students Academic Team and  Dr. Hejazi in Brighton, Building #1

2:00pm - 4:00pm           Learning Seminar - Parents Only in Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

4:00pm - 6:30pm           Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

4:00pm - 8:00 pm          Off-Campus Pass Time – Level 3 and Up, if eligible

​

Saturday, May 14th, 2022

9:00am - 11:00am         Parent Support Group in the Horizon Classroom

11:00am – 3:00pm        Family Therapy Sessions (as scheduled by therapist)

3:00pm – 6:30pm          Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible - OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students

3:00pm – 8:00pm          Off-Campus Pass Time for Level 3 and up, if eligible / Overnights have to be approved by Therapist and Tracey Boyle

Sunday, May 15th, 2022

10:00am – 1:00pm        Off-Campus Pass Time for Level 2, if eligible / On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2

Level 3 and Up Pass Time determined by Therapist

​

Summit House

Wednesday, May 11th, 2022

6:00pm – 8:00pm          Parent Support Group in Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

8:00pm – 8:30pm          Ice Cream Social on Summit Patio - 30 minutes to greet and eat with your student before they wrap up their night.

Thursday, May 12th, 2022

8:30am – 9:00am          Welcome meeting - bagels and coffee will be available.

9:00am – 11:00am        Multifamily Group in the Summit Classroom

11:00am – 1:00pm        Family Therapy Sessions, if scheduled.  Families Off-Campus break if not scheduled for Family Sessions

1:00pm - 2:00pm           Lunch Off-Campus for Level 2 and Up – if eligible.  All other students will eat on campus with staff.

2:00pm - 4:00pm           Learning Seminar- Parents Only in Brighton Conference Room, Building #1

4:00pm - 6:30pm           Off-Campus Pass Time –if eligible Level 2  -OR– On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation-Level 2 students.

4:00pm -8:00pm            Off-Campus Pass Time – Level 3 and Up, if eligible

6:00pm -7:00pm            Rotations with your students: Academic Team and Dr. Deesing in Brighton, Building #1, Family Therapy, if scheduled.

Friday, May 13th, 2022

9:00am - 11:00am         Multifamily Group in Summit Classroom

11:00am – 1:00pm        Family Sessions, if scheduled. Break Off-Campus for families not scheduled for sessions.

1:00pm - 2:00pm           Lunch Off-Campus for eligible Level 2 and up.  All other students will eat On-Campus with Staff.

1:40pm – 2:00pm          Travel to Boon Docks Fun Center – Map in packet

2:00pm  - 5:00pm          Boon Docks Family Fun Center - Recreational Activity

5:00pm - 6:30pm           Off-Campus Pass Time –Level 2, if eligible  - OR – On-Campus Pass Time for Orientation – Level 2 students.

5:00pm -8:00pm            Off-Campus Pass Time – Level 3 and Up, if eligible

​

Saturday, May 14th, 2022

9:00am – 11:00am        Parent Support Group in the Summit Classroom

​

________________________________________________________________

April 14, 2022

Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to having you join us for our upcoming Parent Days, May 11th- 15th, 2022. Please look for your specific house schedules on the parent portal under “House Parent Days Schedules”. This schedule will be posted by the middle of next week.

​

As this is our first Parent Days back in person on campus and it is a step in opening up campus, there will still be some restrictions that we will ask that you help us follow to keep everyone safe and healthy. 

​

Onsite visiting areas - We will have designated onsite visiting areas on campus for you and your student to spend time together.  We are hoping for good weather and will have outdoor areas to hang out and to play.  There are times allocated each evening and throughout the weekend for onsite visiting for families of students on Orientation to Level 2.  You will have an opportunity to visit your student’s home and tour after the student rotation with the academic team and psychiatrist.  To limit the numbers of families on campus at the same time, we ask that unless you are participating in scheduled events on campus, that you are not on campus. Thursday and Friday, students will still be in school between activities. 

​

Off Campus pass time - As we are opening campus and getting back to our regular programing post COVID19, we are encouraging our students to invest in the program and level system. There are time slots for off campus pass time for students on Level 3 and up throughout the evenings and weekend.  Outside of one time slot for Level 2’s to go to off campus with family for a lunch, all off campus pass time will be for students on Level 3 and up.  Please help encourage your student to invest in the program and work towards Level 3. 

​

During Parent Days, you will participate in two family sessions, two parent support groups, multi-family process groups with student, a recreational activity, a parent learning seminar, and rotations with Academics and your student’s Psychiatrist. You will receive an email with the scheduled sessions in the week prior to. We would like to request that you participate in all scheduled events whenever possible, as this is an integral part of the experience for your child. 

We encourage all families to ensure that they are on campus by 6:00 pm, Wednesday 11th for our Welcome and Parent Support group. 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  We look forward to seeing you soon and hope you will enjoy your time with us.  

Sincerely,

Mindy Exon

Program Director

Mindy.Exon@youthcare.com

_______________________________________________________________________

February 22, 2022
Hi all,

After making the decision to put a hold on on-campus visits earlier this year, the COVID-19 team has been monitoring the incidents of COVID-19 spread on campus. Members of our Youth Care team are still contracting COVID-19, but at a rate that has been consistently decreasing. We have not had a student test positive since early January. This is wonderful news and is reflective of the hard work everyone has been doing to keep campus safe and healthy. Using this information, we have made the decision to re-open Youth Care to on-campus visits, scheduled through the clinical team. We understand the importance of in-person visits, and believe that this will be beneficial to our students, their families, and the entire Youth Care community.

We have previously planned assigned parent visit weekends throughout March, each house has an assigned weekend for parents to visit their child. March 4-6 will be Brighton house, March 11-13 Horizon house, March 18-20 Summit house, and finally March 25-27 is assigned to Alpine house. Many families have been planning on this for several weeks and have secured plane tickets, hotels, etc. For this reason, we will keep these parent days as scheduled. If any parents are unable to visit their child during their respective weekend, this new allowance of on-campus visits will give them the ability to visit at a time convenient to them. 

Please note that this change could be reverted. If our incidents of COVID-19 infections increase, or spread among our students, on-campus visits may be temporarily placed on a hold on a house-to-house basis. We will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on Utah and Youth Care, and act in the best interest of our team and our students. 

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Thanks for everything you do,

Denver

​

Denver McClelland, RN  |  Director of Nursing  

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

February 2, 2022

Dear Parents,

As mentioned in the January 13th letter of cancelation of the in person February parent days. In lieu of in-person Parent Days, we will be offering the following alternatives for families:

• Virtual Education Parent Teacher Conferences—Week of February 7th

• Parent Consultation with Child’s Psychiatrist—Week of February 7th

• Two virtual family therapy sessions—Week of February 7th

• Family visits --March 2022

Over the course of the week, you will hear from the Academic team and your Child’s Psychiatrist to set up Virtual Conferences for the week of February 7th.  Your students Therapist will also be arranging for two virtual family therapy sessions as well for February 7th. 

As Mentioned in the January 19th letter, campus pass time will be open in March. Please review the rules for visitation.

March 4-6: Brighton House

March 11-13: Horizon House

March 18-20: Summit House

March 25-27: Alpine House

We will continue to have requirements in place to maintain the health and safety of campus. All visitors will be required to wear a mask at all times on campus. We will continue to require that all visitors provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative test result. Negative test results must be within 48 hours of the anticipated visit time. Please email these documents to our Nursing Director denver.mcclelland@youthcare.com before your visit. Visitors that do not have proof of vaccination or of a negative test result will not be allowed on campus.

Thanks for your patience in the process of coordinating time with our team to discuss your student.

Mindy Exon

Program Director

Mindy.exon@youthcare.com

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

January 19, 2022

Hi parents!

As you have seen in previous communications, due to the local and national COVID-19 transmission rates, our normal on-campus Parent Days will not be happening this February. In lieu of Parent Days, we will be doing alternative programming in February that still allows for Parent-Teacher Conferences, meeting with your child's psychiatrist, and family therapy sessions. 

We know how important it is to see your child and spend quality time with them. For this reason, we will be offering on-campus visitation weekends in March. The house in which your child resides will have a designated weekend in March for visits. This will decrease our total numbers of visitors on campus at any given time, and will provide a safer experience for students, visitors, and staff. The schedule is as follows:

March 4-6: Brighton House

March 11-13: Horizon House

March 18-20: Summit House

March 25-27: Alpine House

We will continue to have requirements in place to maintain the health and safety of campus. All visitors will be required to wear a mask at all times on campus. We will continue to require that all visitors provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative test result. Negative test results must be within 48 hours of the anticipated visit time. Please email these documents to denver.mcclelland@youthcare.com before your visit. Visitors that do not have proof of vaccination or of a negative test result will not be allowed on campus. We look forward to seeing all of you in March! 

Sincerely,

Denver McClelland

Nursing Director

January 13, 2022

Dear Parents,

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We hope this communication finds each of you well.  For over thirty years, Youth Care has worked to serve students struggling with mental health and substance use challenges.  Of course, a large portion of this work involved you, their parents.  Parent Days was designed to help accomplish this task.  For decades, Youth Care has found it to be a useful tool to educate parents on therapeutic principles, assist in improving relationship with their children through direct participation, and provide for support from other parents who face similar challenges as well as connect with those professionals in whom the stewardship has been placed to direct your children’s care.  This event is eagerly anticipated and much planning and preparation (for Youth Care staff and parent) goes into its execution. 

In 2020, due to the COVID Pandemic Parent Days was cancelled.  This was a great disappointment to our staff and families.  Unfortunately, as an organization we are faced with a very similar challenge in 2022 regarding our Parent Days.  Therefore, Youth Care has decided to cancel our in-person February 2022 Parent Days.  This decision was made with extensive consultation of the leaders of our company, state agencies and CDC guidance.  We are committed to overall health and well being of our staff, students and families.  We have determined that facilitating an in-person Parent Days would be too risky for our all parties involved.   

As we educate our students in skills that assist them in negotiating the challenges they face in life, we too take note that such skills are useful for us, their therapists, doctors, residential coaches and families.  Specifically, despite the frustration and disappointment of not joining in-person for Parent Days, we can apply the DBT skill of “Radical Acceptance” and focus on the opportunity at hand. 

In lieu of in-person Parent Days, we will be offering the following alternatives for families:

• Virtual Education Parent Teacher Conferences—Week of February 7th

• Parent Consultation with Child’s Psychiatrist—Week of February 7th

• Two virtual family therapy sessions—Week of February 7th

• Family visits --March 2022

Additional details will be forthcoming in the upcoming weeks regarding the alternatives that have been set up instead of the in-person conference. 

We are happy to answer any questions you may have surrounding this decision at Youth Care. Please feel free to reach out to Program Director, mindy.exon@youthcare.com  or your child’s therapist for additional clarification.

Thank you for your support.

Warm Regards,

Richard Mickelsen, MD

Medical Director – Youth Care

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____________________________________________________________________________________

December 9, 2021

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Dear Parents,

With Christmas fast approaching and the spirit of gift giving in the air, we would like to remind you of some simple boundaries with your students. The three areas we are talking about are sending food and meals; appropriate gifts; and labeling and shipping packages.

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The student will have huge meals prepared for both Christmas and New Year’s; along with plenty of desserts and pies. Please do not send dinners to your student for the holidays. Perishable food will be donated or thrown out. Sorry. The only exception to this is if you would like to send a treat to the house. With Covid still out there it cannot be a homemade treat, but you could have a treat delivered to the house for all of the kids to share. This must be worked out with the therapist, Brenda Wilhelm (Mindy’s assistant) or Mindy Exon the Program Director and would have to be delivered M-F, 8-5. It could not be delivered on Christmas. As for snacks and treats, your student is allowed one gallon sized ZipLoc baggie that must zip closed. No large bags of chips or Takis, ramen, mac’ n cheese, cereal etc. Please do not send drinks, no powdered or caffeinated drinks allowed. Just send them their favorite candy and let them enjoy! Please see the Youth Care Handbook, Package Policy, or No-No Naughty List for more in-depth examples. All are posted on the Parent Portal or can be sent to you by your therapist, Brenda or Mindy. Please note that any food that is not allowed will be donated, if possible, or thrown out.  

On to gifts! The first place you should consult, is again, the Youth Care Handbook, Package Policy, or No-No Naughty List. There is even a picture No-No-Naughty List on the Parent Portal for those who need visual examples, it can be confusing! Just remember, no batteries of any kind, no small metal pieces, no magnets of any kind, elastic or string and no electronics. It may not be your child that is suicidal or a self-harmer but every house has several students that fall into that category. All of the above items are a suicide risk. Please stop and think before you send gifts this year. Do not send art kits in tin cases that have pencil sharpeners or Exacto knives in them! When wrapping the gifts, please just wrap them. Do not add bows, ribbons, fabric ties, elastic, etc. We have to remove all of it before the students even see it. All of those items are a strangulation hazard. A package can still be pretty with just wrapping paper! Please make sure you label the package with the student’s name. We understand you miss your child during the Holidays, but please remember they do not have the room to store a lot of gifts and do not send expensive gifts. Wait until they get home to give them the expensive gifts!

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Last area of concern, shipping packages. Please make sure your student’s name and the name of the sender is on the package. If the sender is not on the student’s approved contact list we have to hold the package until we can get approval or not. If we can’t get approval we will ship the package back at cost to the sender. If ordering from Amazon or other sellers, please make sure you have the package delivered Monday-Friday 8-5. Also, plan ahead to get packages here before Christmas! Shipping is usually delayed or takes longer due to the influx and Brighton front office is closed on Christmas, so packages arriving after Friday will wait until Monday. We cannot guarantee the security of the package outside of the specified times. Our office at Brighton is closed on the weekends and all mail goes through the front desk to be logged in so we can track it. If it’s delivered outside of the specified times we have no way of tracking the package. Youth Care is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items. During the Christmas season we hold all packages that come in for Christmas. So after the 15th of December, all packages will be collected and stored until Christmas Eve/morning when staff will pass them out to the students’ houses and place them under the tree, unless otherwise specified by sender. For example if you are sending hygiene items just let us know and we can get that to your student. By the end of the year we should be done with packages until our next care package day – Valentine’s Day!

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Thank you for your cooperation during this Holiday Season!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Dear Parents,

We are working our improving our system of customer service. On-line shopping and Amazon have made sending Care packages very easy and there has been an influx of packages this past year. This influx has compromised safety in our facility. We encourage you to send notes, letters, and cards, these are great ways for you to show your student you are thinking of them and sending them love and hope. We have changed our policy on Care packages. Care packages may only be sent for the following: Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Easter/Passover, and Christmas/Hanukah. The following are our guidelines for Care packages:  Birthdays – Parents may send a treat or dessert that can be shared and eaten in one sitting by student and peers.  Holidays – We provide treats, so when sending Care packages be mindful of the limited space.

Do not send: drinks (canned or bottled) or drink mixes/packets, cereal boxes, mac and cheese, ramen, meal items, items with caffeine, protein bars, sunflower seeds, meal supplements, gum, or any perishable items. All unapproved items will immediately be discarded (eligible items will be donated to the local food bank). If the items do not fit into a gallon size zip-lock bag, your student will choose which items they would like, and the excess will be immediately discarded or donated. Some suggested gift items are: Journals (no spiral binding or elastic component) Needed clothing items Small bags of sweets/snacks Deck of cards Fidget toys Stress balls (Foam only; no liquid or gel centers) Coloring/Puzzle/Activity books Art pencils (no metal) Fun socks or T-shirts

Please Do Not Send: Art supplies in metal tins Pencils/paint brushes with metal parts “Clicky” pens/mechanical pencils or marker Notebooks or art drawing pads with spiral binding Sharpeners for art supplies or makeup pencils Perfume/cologne (even in a plastic bottle Immodest clothing/clothing with drawstrings or scarves (refer to the clothing expectations in the handbook) Blankets, beanies or anything knitted or crocheted Yarn/rope or string bracelets Expensive jewelry/body piercing jewelry Any electronics Anything with removable batteries Caffeinated drinks/any food item in a can or glass container **Outside of Birthday’s and outlined Holidays – Requests for needed clothing items will be made by the therapist to parents or guardian. The therapist will notify Program Director of this request to ensure the allowance of package for student. All other packages outside of Birthday and the outlined Holidays will be sent back at sender’s expense.

**To donate books to the Library, please contact the Academic Director Josh Vineyard. If using a third party to send packaged (such as Amazon) please identify who the package is from (usually by selecting the gift option). To ensure the student’s safety. Only packages sent by individuals on the approved contact list will be distributed. Any packages from unapproved contacts will be returned to sender and those from unknown contacts will be discarded or sent to the parent/guardian at cost to the parent/guardian. Please identify if the package is a holiday gift so we can set it aside until then.

Please, also note that we don’t receive deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays, or Holidays. We are registered with the US postal service, FedEx, and UPS as only able to receive mail and packages Monday- Friday 8:00-5:00. Please DO NOT PAY EXTRA for weekend or holiday delivery because your package will not be delivered until the following Monday. If you would like to ensure your package arrives before the holiday, please plan ahead and make sure your package is scheduled to be delivered on Friday before 5:00pm. Be aware that if you use a private delivery service (like some Amazon deliveries), and they leave a package on Saturday, Sunday or a Holiday, your package may not reach its recipient, as there is no secure location for the package to be stored.

Lastly, please send all mail – letters and packages – for your student to our street address – 12595 South Minuteman Drive, Draper, UT 84020. Do NOT sent to the PO Box. If you have any questions, please consult the handbook or reach out to your child’s therapist or Mindy Exon, Program Director.

Thank you for your continued support.

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No-No Naughty List

Wire bound sketchbooks, journals, notebooks or game books. Nothing wire bound!

Batteries, including musical cards and guitar tuners. Anything with removable batteries.

No light up toys – that means there’s a battery

No magnets, even magnetic putty is a no-no! No magnetic ring spinners.

Strings, ribbons, yarn, paracord or rope friendship bracelets or wrapped around packages, no bows either please!

No art supplies, putty or cards in metal tins.

No metal water bottles, plastic only please

Tek Decks, finger skateboards or items with small metal pieces.

Pencils/paint brushes with metal parts (this includes makeup brushes).

Art pens like Pigma that have metal tips.

No Sharpies or permanent markers

“Clicky” Retractable pens/mechanical pencils or markers – No springs or metal parts like clips.

Sharpeners for art supplies or makeup pencils

Makeup in glass bottles/compacts with mirrors, no glass items

Perfumes/colognes/body spray (even in plastic bottles) No scented lotions

Loofah body scrubbers of any kind

Onesie’s (one piece PJ with feet, hood and zipper)

Immodest clothing, no crop tops.

Clothes with drawstrings/elastic will have it removed (this includes elastic removal from coats). Please remember to remove all strings from clothing and elastic from girls’ shirt shoulders.

Leggings must be worn under holey jeans. Clothes should be modest. (Please refer to the clothing expectations in the Handbook.)

Blanket/beanies/scarves or anything knitted or crocheted.

Expensive jewelry/body piercing jewelry

Any electronics or Fidget spinners

No liquid or gel filled stress balls/toys, foam only

No rocks or crystals unless it’s jewelry - Can’t be on cording or string.

Goodies must fit into a closed one gallon size Ziploc baggie. Kids can have one bag each. Caffeine isn’t allowed nor is tea or drink mixes of any kind. No caffeinated drinks/any food item in a can or glass container.

Do not send: drinks (canned or bottled) or drink mixes/packets, cereal boxes large or small, mac and cheese, ramen, meal items, items with caffeine, protein bars, sunflower seeds, meal supplements, gum, Blowpops, bags of chips or any perishable items. All unapproved items will immediately be discarded (eligible items will be donated to the local food bank). If the items do not fit in a gallon size baggie your student will choose which items they would like, and the excess will be discarded immediately.

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The holiday dates for candy are: Valentines, Easter/Passover, Christmas /Hanukkah and the student’s birthday. Any treats sent other than those days will be donated. No exceptions!

These are also care package days for families to send their student fun things. The only items that should be sent year round are absolute necessities. Such as socks or hygiene items (if your student does not like what we supply). However, please do not send multiple bottles of hygiene products at the same time. For example 4 bottles of body wash, 4 shampoo and 4 conditioner. We do not have the storage space. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

These in between packages need to get approval through the therapist and the therapist will consult with the Program Director, so she is aware of what is coming in the mail.

Some suggested gift items on care package days are:

Journals (no spiral binding or elastic components)

Needed clothing items

Small bags of sweets/snacks

Decks of cards

Fidget toys – (No spinners, including ring spinners, magnets or metal fidgets)

Stress balls (foam only; no liquid or gel centers)

Coloring/Puzzle/Activity books (no wire binding)

Art pencils (no metal)

Fun socks or T-shirts

______________________________________________________________________________________________

October 8, 2021

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Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to having you join us for our upcoming Parent Days, November 10th  through 14th. There will be on campus programing Wednesday evening November 10th through Saturday afternoon the 13th; and Weekend pass time may go through Sunday the 14th.  Please look for your specific house schedules on the parent portal under “House Parent Days Schedules” in the coming weeks. 

We are continuing to experience a large number of COVID cases in Utah.  Should this trend continue, we will need to alter our Parent Days schedule, switch to a virtual format, and limit or eliminate on-campus visitations.  We will make a determination in the next two weeks and notify you as soon as possible should this occur as we understand many of you are making airline reservations and therefore don’t have much flexibility in your travel.  We are watching the number of COVID cases very closely and will make the best decision for the safety of your child, your family, and our staff members.

Therefore, we will have continued restrictions, which we will ask that you help us follow to keep everyone safe and healthy: 

Screening- To participate in Parent Days you will either need to show a negative COVID test within 3 days of visiting or proof of vaccination.  
 

Masks - On campus inside the homes, we require wearing masks at all times.  

Onsite visiting areas - We will have designated onsite visiting areas on campus for you and your student to spend time together.  We are hoping for good weather and will have outdoor areas to hang out and to play. There are slots each evening and throughout the weekend for onsite visiting for families of students on Orientation to Level 2.  You will have an opportunity to visit your student’s home and tour during student rotations. To limit the numbers of families on campus at the same time, we ask that unless you are participating in scheduled events on campus, that you are not on campus. Thursday and Friday, students will still be in school between activities.  
 

Off Campus pass time - As we are opening campus and getting back to our regular programing post pandemic, we are encouraging our students to invest in the program and level system. There are time slots for off campus pass time for students on Level 3 and up throughout the evenings and weekend.  In addition, there will be limited time slots for Level 2’s to go to off campus with family as well.  Please help encourage your student to invest in the program and work towards Level 3.  

During Parent Days, you will participate in two family sessions, a recreational activity, rotations with Academics and your student’s Psychiatrist, as well as a Parent Support Group.   You will receive an email with the scheduled sessions. We would like to request that you participate in all scheduled events whenever possible, as this is an integral part of the experience for your child.  

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Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  We look forward to seeing you soon and hope you will enjoy your time with us.   

Sincerely,

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Mindy Exon
Program Director

Mindy.Exon@youthcare.com 
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parent Days May 4/6/21

Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to having you join us for our upcoming Parent Days, May 13th -16th, 2021. Please look for your specific house schedules on the parent portal under “Parent Days.”

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As this is our first Parent Days back in person on campus and it is a step in opening up campus, there will still be some restrictions that we will ask that you help us follow to keep everyone safe and healthy.

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Masks - On campus, we require wearing masks at all times.

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Onsite visiting areas - We will have designated onsite visiting areas on campus for you and your student to spend time together. We are hoping for good weather and will have outdoor areas to hang out and to play. There are slots each evening and throughout the weekend for onsite visiting for families of students on Orientation to Level 2. You will have an opportunity to visit your student’s home and tour during Rotations. To limit the numbers of families on campus at the same time, we ask that unless you are participating in scheduled events on campus, that you are not on campus. Thursday and Friday, students will still be in school between activities.

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Off Campus pass time - As we are opening campus and getting back to our regular programing post COVID19, we are encouraging our students to invest in the program and level system. There are time slots for off campus pass time for students on Level 3 and up throughout the evenings and weekend. Outside of one time slot for Level 2’s to go to off campus with family for a lunch, all off campus pass time will be for students on Level 3 and up. Please help encourage your student to invest in the program and work towards Level 3.

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During Parent Days, you will participate in two family sessions, a recreational activity, rotations with Academics and your student’s Psychiatrist, and a Parent Support Group. You will receive an email with the scheduled sessions. We would like to request that you participate in all scheduled events whenever possible, as this is an integral part of the experience for your child. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you soon and hope you will enjoy your time with us.

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Sincerely,

Mindy Exon

Program Director Mindy.Exon@youthcare.com

Mail Policy

Hello Parents!

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My name is Brenda and I am the Program Director’s Assistant. I am also the one that goes through all the incoming mail for the students staying here at Youth Care. Our management team created a package policy last year and put it into place May of 2020. Our struggle has been trying to get staff, parents and students all on the same page following that policy. We are starting once again, too see a large influx in our mail volume and student telling parents they can send whatever they want.

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We are reaching out to our parents, giving them a copy of the package policy and the No-No Naughty List (a list of items that cannot be at Youth Care) and asking for your cooperation with adhering to the policy. There are four days a year the students are allowed to receive care packages. These days are Valentine’s Day, Easter/Passover, Christmas/Hanukkah and the student’s birthday. These are the days you can send your student fun things and a gallon size Zip-Loc baggie (that closes) full of treats. Please do not send bags of chips or Takis, they will be donated to food banks. (Even if you child states it’s ok to send it, they will not receive it.) The student has the opportunity to buy treats and chips from the snack cart every weekend if they earn it.

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Even with the No-No List that was put out at Christmas to help staff with gifts that came in for the students, a lot of items still got into the houses that did not belong. Magnets and batteries being at the top of the list. So this year we’re starting a little early and asking the parents for their help. Some of our kids are swallowers and batteries along with magnets can be deadly. Parents please look at an item and ask yourself, “Can a suicidal child hurt themselves with this?” If you hesitate, or think yes, then please do not send it. The list we’ve made is extensive, but can’t cover everything. Just look in the Youth Care Handbook, if it is not in the ”To Bring” section of the Handbook, then do not send it. The packages are becoming overwhelming again, to the point that it is a safety issue for the campus.

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The rest of the year we will be accepting packages that are necessities only and are preapproved by the therapist and Program Director. All other packages will be sent back at the sender’s expense. Necessities include socks, underwear and possibly and change of weather clothing. We do provide hygiene items, but if your student does not like what we have you can send what they need, please do not send multiple bottles of the same item at one time. We do not have the storage space for it. Their hygiene box is the size of a shoe box so, please keep that in mind when sending hygiene items.

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Please be aware that when you send a package and ask for a weekend delivery we have no way of tracking that package. Our office at Brighton is open Monday – Friday 8:00-5:00. Make sure you specify this in your delivery instructions. The office is also closed on holidays so plan ahead to have the package delivered beforehand. With the increased volume of mail, comes the increased probability of lost and stolen items. Your child does not need all of their belongings here or a bunch of new items. The more they have, the higher the chance of lost, stolen and missing items that Youth Care is not responsible for.

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Please let others in your family know about the package policy because this includes grandparent, aunts and uncles, etc. NO little candy bars stuck inside cards, your student will not receive it.

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Thanks you so much for your cooperation in advance!

Brenda

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COVID-19 11.20.20

November 20, 2020

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Dear Parents,

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Another week has passed in this battle with COVID-19. As many of you experience the regular changes and challenges related to the coronavirus and its impact upon our collective daily routines, we know you understand and appreciate its current and potential impact on Youth Care’s daily functioning. We experienced what we consider an outbreak in COVID cases on our campus just over two weeks ago. We had multiple staff members and students contract the virus. We are happy to report that most of them have completely recovered and have returned to work and to their communities without any lasting issues. The rest are healing well and will follow in the next week. Our numbers of positive cases are decreasing rapidly and we feel confident that this recent spike is behind us.

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We have been fortunate to receive rapid COVID-19 testing kits, which we are utilizing for our students. If a Youth Care student shows symptoms consistent with COVID-19, our medical team is able to test them and have results right away. If a child tests positive, they are quarantined immediately. We believe that having the ability to test onsite, receive results rapidly, and quarantine quickly has contributed to our decreasing numbers. This has been a very challenging experience for our staff, students, and families. We are grateful for effective protocols, dedicated staff members, support from the local health department, and patience and understanding from our families. We have learned a lot and our confidence carries into our outlook of the future. If we experience this type of outbreak again, we will face it with more knowledge and experience.

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As part of our effort in combating COVID, we continue to expect that students will wear their masks during all waking hours. However, some students struggle with following this expectation. As such, we would like to request that each of you would be another reminder and encourage your children to wear their masks daily.

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As we forge ahead, we note that, like many places around the country, Utah’s daily COVID case numbers continue to remain high. While we had been hopeful to open up visiting for the holidays, given the current numbers, the COVID team and Youth Care Management Team has made the decision to not have any visits for the remainder of 2020. Additionally, it was determined, with the complexity of managing this virus and its impact on resources and time, that the November Parent Days will not be rescheduled, but cancelled.

We are optimistic about the near future and hopefully a reduction in impact of this virus in 2021. Therefore, in anticipation of the coming year we wanted to share the schedule for Parent Days in 2021. They are currently scheduled are as follows:

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o February 10-14

o May 12-16

o August 25-28

o November 10-13

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We hope you have found our daily phone calls from the Admissions Team helpful up to this point. We have heard feedback from you that our daily phone calls have allayed your fears, answered your questions, and kept you up to date on what we are doing on campus to keep your child safe. In the coming weeks, due to the holidays and many of our team members being absent, our Admissions Team will be making weekly (one call per week), instead of daily calls. (If your student is on quarantine, however, you will continue to receive daily calls.) Please continue to check the Parent Portal for announcements and the Patient Portal for medical records and clinical updates. If you are having trouble accessing either portal, please mention it to your Admission Counselor this week on your phone call. We want to make sure you are receiving the most up-to-date information.

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Many of you have requested a copy of your student’s Thanksgiving Day schedule. A copy of their schedule has been included at the end of this letter. Our hope is to make this a day of relaxation and fun day for them.

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While we experience many emotions and feelings related to this pandemic such as frustration, sadness, anger and loss of control often combined with longer work days and exhaustion, we at Youth Care nonetheless are grateful that our students have been able to weather this virus without significant problems, remain safe, and are able to continue their work on many important issues. We are also extremely grateful for your support, patience and understanding as we try to act and react to this daily challenge. So, in this season of thanksgiving, when our current situation presents us with such global and far reaching challenges and when its impact seems so overwhelming and may be difficult to find things to be thankful for, perhaps we should take heart in a statement made years ago by Mother Teresa:

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“Be thankful for the small things; it is in them that your strength lies.”

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So, for our team at Youth Care we will give thanks for the “small things” this season.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Dr. Richard Mickelsen

Medical Director

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Thanksgiving Schedule:

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08:00 am - Wakeup, Breakfast, Hygiene, an Chores

09:30 am - Goals Group

10:00 am - Alpine House - Outside Activity of East side of the yard

                 - Alpine House - Outside Activity of West side of the yard

                 - Horizon and Summit house - Holiday Phone Calls (no buying extra time), and Interactive games. 

11:30 am - Thanksgiving Lunch Prep - Arts/Crafts-Coloring/Origami

12:30 am - Thanksgiving Lunch, Lunch Chores and House Chores

14:30 pm - Horizon House - Outside Activity on East Side of Yard

                 - Summit House - Outside Activity on West Side of Yard

                 - Alpine and Brighton - Holiday Phone Calls (no buying extra time), and Interactive Games

15:30 pm - Gratitude Life Skill/Activity, Rotating Houses doing Hot Chocolate and S'mores by Fire Pits, & Dinner Prep

18:00 pm - Dinner, Dinner chores, and House cleanup

19:00 pm - Holiday Movie and popcorn

20:30 pm - Snacks - Pies, Goals Group, and Hygiene

21:30 pm - In Beds

22:00 pm - Lights Out

COVID-19 9.25.20

Dear parents,

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We hope you are enjoying the onset of fall. We welcome the cooler temperatures here in the foothills of Draper, Utah.

We are happy about the number of parents who have been able to travel for local visits with their kids this month. We truly appreciate your patience and cooperation with our guidelines as we strive to balance reuniting families with minimizing risk and keeping our campus safe and healthy. As Summit and Brighton families prepare to visit in the month of October, we would like to share some information that may help guide your activities while you are here:

There are certain places where Covid-19 spreads more easily. In order to stay as heathy as possible we ask that you avoid the 3 C’s:

• CROWDED PLACES with many people nearby

• CLOSE CONTACT SETTINGS especially where people have close range conversations.

• CONFINED AND ENCLOSED SPACES with poor ventilation

**The risk is higher in places where these overlap**

If you have not set up a visit yet please contact your child’s primary therapist.

In addition to our constant prevention of Covid-19, we are also looking ahead to the approaching flu season and working on methods to avoid this virus as well. Due to the living conditions at Youth Care, we always encourage parents to have their child vaccinated against influenza. This year it is especially important to take all precautions to prevent illness. Flu shot consent forms have been sent to all families via email. We appreciate the prompt response of those who have returned those to us.  If you have not received a consent form for vaccination, please contact the medical team at medical@youthcare.com and one will be emailed to you right away.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Richard Mickelsen

Medical Director

COVID-19 9.11.20

Dear Parents,

We again express thanks for your participation in our recent Parent Days. While this event, typically accompanied by in person visitation with your children, was limited to virtual interactions we trust it was nonetheless helpful to your child's treatment and their wellbeing. However, as fall approaches we are excited about the upcoming opportunity for parents to resume off campus, in person, visits their children. In anticipation of your visits during the pandemic we would like to share some suggestions (which many of you are familiar with) from the CDC which may be helpful in your preparation and execution of your travel plans. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends following these steps to protect yourself and others when you travel:

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• Maintain a distance of 6 feet (2 meters) between you and others as much as possible.

• Avoid contact with anyone who is sick.

• Limit contact with frequently touched surfaces, such as handrails, elevator buttons and kiosks. If you must touch these surfaces, use hand sanitizer or wash your hands afterward.

• Wear a cloth face mask.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

• Cover coughs and sneezes.

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Tips to avoid getting and spreading COVID-19 in common travel situations:

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In public:

• Wear a mask in public settings.

• Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from anyone who is not from your household.

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Bathrooms and rest stops:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom and after you have been in a public place.

• If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.

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Getting gas:

• Use disinfecting wipes on handles and buttons at the gas pumps before you touch them (if available).

• After fueling, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. When you get to your destination, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

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Food stops:

• ·The safest option is to bring your own food. If you don’t bring your own food, use drive-through, delivery, take-out, and curb-side pick-up options.

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Anticipate Your Travel Needs

• Bring a mask to wear in public places.

• Pack hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Keep this within reach.

• Bring enough of your medicine to last you for the entire trip.

• Pack food and water in case restaurants and stores are closed, or if drive-through, take-out, and outdoor-dining options aren’t available.

• If you are considering cleaning your travel lodgings, see CDC’s guidance on how to clean and disinfect.

In addition to maintaining Covid precautions, we are also anticipating the upcoming flu season. All parents should have received a consent form regarding the flu vaccination. If you haven’t already done so, please sign the consent form and return it as soon as possible. We will be administering the vaccine at the end of September. Any questions regarding the consent form or the flu vaccine can be answered by our nursing staff (nursing@youthcare.com).

Warm Regards,

Dr. Richard Mickelsen

Medical Director

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COVID-19 9.4.20

Dear Parents,

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We wanted to reach out to all of you to let you know about the results of our positive student COVID case.  We apologize for the delay in communication regarding these results, but we just received our results this afternoon from the Health Department.  As of today, 100% of the staff and students who were tested for COVID had negative results.  We are extremely relieved and happy for all of those that work or reside in our program.  It is a beautiful day at Youth Care.

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We have some additional exciting news to share.  We will be resuming parent visits for September and October, effective immediately.  A letter was sent out to all of you a few weeks ago with the details.  We have attached it for your review, just in case you can’t locate it.  This process will be similar to our last parent visits.  We have made some adjustments to the visiting protocols. This was done to assist our teams with the planning, preparation and implementation of each of these visits.  Please reach out to your child’s therapist as soon as you can to begin setting up a visit.
 

We know these past few weeks have been very challenging for many of you.  We appreciate your patience and support as we navigate this complex world of COVID.  Please know that we are focused on your child’s overall health and well-being. 

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As a reminder the following protocols are still in place for our campus.  We will continue to consult with our local health department agencies as well as the CDC regarding ongoing changes to operations. 

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• Daily temperature checks on staff and students

• Daily screening questions for all staff and students

• Additional cleaning of all high traffic areas

• No visitors are allowed on campus

• All staff are wearing face coverings

• Additional handwashing protocols for students

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We are happy to answer any questions you may have surrounding this situation or other COVID related issues at Youth Care. Please feel free to reach out to the medical team via the following e-mail:  medical@youthcare.com

Thank you for your support.

Warm Regards,

Richard Mickelsen, M.D.

Medical Director – Youth Care

COVID-19 8.25.20

Dear Parents,

We are working on improving our system of customer service. On-line shopping and Amazon have made sending Care packages very easy and there has been an influx of packages this past year. This influx has compromised safety in our facility. 

We encourage you to send notes, letters, and cards, these are great ways for you to show your student you are thinking of them and sending them love and hope.  We have changed our policy on Care packages. Care packages may only be sent for the following: Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Easter/Passover, and Hanukkah/ Christmas. 

The following are our guidelines for Care packages:

• Birthdays – Parents may send a treat or dessert that can be shared and eaten in one sitting by student and peers.

• Holidays -- we provide treats, so when sending Care packages be mindful of the limited space. Do not send: drinks (canned or bottled) or drink mixes/packets, cereal boxes, mac and cheese, ramen, meal items, items with caffeine, protein bars, sunflower seeds, meal supplements, gum, or any perishable items. All unapproved items will immediately be discarded (eligible items will be donated to the local food bank). If the items do not fit into a gallon size zip-lock bag, your student will choose which items they would like, and the excess will be immediately discarded or donated.

Some suggested gift items are:

Journals (no spiral binding or elastic components)

Needed clothing items

Small bags of sweets/snacks

Deck of cards

Fidget toys

Stress balls (foam only; no liquid or gel centers)

Coloring/Puzzle/Activity books

Art pencils

Fun Socks or T-shirts

Please do not send:

Art supplies in metal tins

Pencils/paint brushes with metal parts

“Clicky” pens/mechanical pencils or markers

Notebooks or art drawing pads with spiral binding

Sharpeners for art supplies or makeup pencils

Makeup in glass bottles/compacts with mirrors

Perfumes/cologne (even in a plastic bottle)

Immodest clothing/clothing with drawstrings or scarves (refer to the clothing expectations in the handbook)

Blankets, beanies or anything knitted or crocheted

Yarn/rope or string bracelets

Expensive jewelry/body piercing jewelry

Any electronics

Anything with removable batteries

Caffeinated drinks/any food item in a can or glass container

*Outside of Birthday’s and outlined Holidays- Request for needed clothing items will be made by therapist to parents or guardian.  The Therapist will notify Program Director of this request to ensure the allowance of package for student. All other packages outside of Birthdays and the outlined Holidays will be sent back at sender’s expense. 

* To donate books to the Library, please contact the Academic Director Josh Vineyard. 

If using a third party to send packages (such as Amazon) please identify who the package is from (usually by selecting the gift option). To ensure our students’ safety, only packages sent by individuals on the approved contact lists will be distributed. Any packages from unapproved contacts will be returned to sender and those from unknown contacts will be discarded or sent to the parent/guardian at cost to the parent/guardian. Please identify if the package is a holiday gift so we can set it aside until then.

Please, also note that we don't receive mail deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays, or Holidays.  We are registered with the US Postal Service, Fedex, and UPS as only able to receive mail and packages Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm.  Please DO NOT PAY EXTRA for weekend or holiday delivery because your package will not be delivered until the following Monday.  If you would like to ensure your package arrives before the holiday, please plan ahead and make sure your package is scheduled to be delivered on Friday before 5:00pm. Be aware that if you use a private delivery service (like some Amazon deliveries), and they leave a package on Saturday, Sunday or a Holiday, your package may not reach its recipient, as there is no secure location for the package to be stored.

Lastly, please send all mail, letters and packages, for your student to our street address – 12595 South Minuteman Drive, Draper, UT 84020.  Do NOT send to the PO Box.

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If you have any questions, please consult the handbook or reach out to your child’s therapist or Mindy Exon, Program Director.

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Thank you for your continued support.

Dear Parents,

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We wanted to reach out to all of you to let you know about a situation that has surfaced on our campus.  In one of our Youth Care homes we have had a positive case of COVID emerge with one of our students.  This student was referred outside of our facility to receive medical attention unrelated to COVID. However, while at the medical facility, and as part of their protocol this student was given a rapid COVID test which was positive. This student does not have active COVID symptoms but remains at a local medical facility where they are receiving psychiatric care.

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If you have not received a call from our medical team then your child has not been directly impacted by this positive COVID case.  We believe that the exposure to this positive COVID case has likely been limited to those students and staff within the house where the affected student resides. However, as noted below, we will continue to do our daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms in students and staff and proceed with follow up or further intervention as is warranted and in collaboration with local health agencies.

We are working with the local health department to have the students in the affected home tested.  In addition, we will be testing all staff that are directly working with the students in that home.  Our local health department is guiding our response to the situation and will be managing onsite testing.  Given the incubation period, the health department has recommended testing occur this Friday, August 28th.  

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We know that this news can be very unsettling for each of you.  Our number one priority is to keep your children safe and provide a validating and supportive environment for them to heal.  We wanted to remind each of you that we have the following protocols in place to ensure we are doing all that we can to keep our campus safe.

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• Daily temperature checks on staff and students

• Daily screening questions for all staff and students

• Additional cleaning of all high traffic areas

• No visitors are allowed on campus

• All staff are wearing face coverings

• Additional handwashing protocols for students

We are happy to answer any questions you may have surrounding this situation or other COVID related issues at Youth Care. Please feel free to reach out to the medical team via the following e-mail:  medical@youthcare.com

Thank you for your support.

Warm Regards,

Richard Mickelsen, M.D.

Medical Director – Youth Care

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