North Carolina officials say they plan to revoke the license of Trails Carolina, a wilderness camp for troubled youth where a 12-year-old boy recently died after spending less than 24 hours in the program.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday told Trails Carolina's executive director that the Toxaway Lake camp violates several state regulations, including one that requires mental health facilities to protect clients from abuse. I sent a letter informing you. The department did not provide additional details about the violations documented in the investigation completed this month.
The department said it will revoke Trails Carolina's license after determining that the violations “endanger the health, safety, and welfare of your customers.” The campaign was given 10 days to submit a letter explaining why it believes it is complying with the rules, as well as supporting documentation and a plan to correct it. The department also fined Trails Carolina $18,000 for the violation and extended the admission suspension indefinitely.
“Given the progress we have made and continue to make, we are surprised and disappointed to learn that the state intends to revoke the program's license,” Trails Carolina said in a statement Friday. said.
“We would like to address their concerns so that we can continue to provide compassionate, high-quality care to children and families for whom all other treatments have failed,” Camp said in an email to NBC News. “We will continue to work with the state.”
Trails Carolina is a private, for-profit conservation program for children who suffer from behavioral problems or depression and are typically sent to camp by their parents. Children at Trails Carolina have diagnoses such as autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The boy, identified only by the initials CJH by the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office, was found dead in Trails Carolina on February 3 with his pants and underwear removed, sparking an ongoing criminal investigation. started. The cause of death has not yet been determined, but the sheriff's office said in a statement shortly after his death that “it does not appear to be natural,” according to a forensic pathologist. Trails Carolina said preliminary information indicates the boy's death was an accident.
The state Department of Health and Human Services declined to say whether the violation that led to the license revocation was related to the boy's death. A license inspection report detailing the conduct that led to the violation was not immediately released.
The 18 children who were in the camp when the 12-year-old boy died were removed in late February.
More than a dozen people held at Trails Carolina from 2013 to 2022 told NBC News that the camp's rules and procedures caused serious concerns and, in some cases, ongoing trauma. The camp defended its approach but declined to comment on specific children's experiences.
