Why did two groups of teens attempt to flee a Goochland psychiatric facility?

Five male juveniles who left the Hallmark Youthcare psychiatric facility in Goochland late Monday night were eventually located – less than 36 hours after a group of eight female juveniles receiving care at the facility were located and returned after another breach.

A mother of one of the girls told WTVR-TV 6 in Richmond that her daughter told her the girls left because they did not feel safe there.

The TV station has been investigating Hallmark Youthcare, the largest short-term residential treatment program in Virginia, with 82 in-patient beds for young people with behavioral and mental health needs, since the fall of 2025.

The facility is owned by Acute Behavioral Health, a Nashville-based company that was formed with an initial investment from two private-equity firms, Petra Capital Partners and Harbert Credit Solutions, in partnership with Elm Creek Partners and Granite Growth Health Partners.

Acute Behavioral Health, in a June 22, 2022, news release announcing the purchase of Hallmark Youthcare, touted how the move gave “unique opportunity for Acute Behavioral Health to expand its footprint in Virginia.”

There is, indeed, big money to be made in behavioral healthcare, which is why you see private equity firms investing billions into the sector, often financed by debt – which critics say puts pressure on the companies to cut corners in terms of staffing and oversight to be able to make their money back.

A 2024 U.S. Senate Finance Committee report on the industry, titled, ominously, “Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers Are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities A Senate Committee on Finance Staff Report,” detailed how adolescents and teens who “should receive high-quality mental health services in the least-restrictive environment that meets their needs” often don’t get what they need.

Per the report, Residential Treatment Facility providers “optimize per diems by filling large facilities to capacity and maximize profit by concurrently reducing the number and quality of staff in facilities.”

“The Committee’s investigation found that children at RTFs suffer harms such as the risk of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at the hands of staff and peers, improperly executed and overused restraint and seclusion, inadequate treatment and supervision, and non-homelike environments.

“These harms amount to acute safety concerns and have long-term effects, including suffering, trauma and even death.

“Taken together, the Committee finds that these harms are endemic to the RTF operating model,” the report tells us.

WTVR-TV6 reported that the state cited Hallmark Youthcare 27 times between January 2024 and September 2025 “for violations including employees not adhering to protocol for active supervision, resulting in a resident being sexually assaulted by another resident; an employee assaulting a resident; and an employee leaving a gate open, resulting in two residents running away from the grounds.”

The TV station reported that a follow-up investigation by its reporters revealed more violations, including “staff verbally abusing residents and staff failing to follow supervision protocols, resulting in three residents accessing the roof during recreational time,” and two sexual assault incidents, reported in April and May, one leading to a charge against a teen in the assault of another underage facility resident.

Good work here on the part of WTVR-TV6 to keep on this story.

The behavioral health advocate who drew my attention to this isn’t convinced the state is giving the issues at Hallmark Youthcare the serious attention it should.

Which I can identify with, given my interactions with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services over the state-run Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents, which has myriad issues of its own.

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ICYMI

• Staunton: Commonwealth Center employee arrested on child sex charges
• CCCA employee pleads guilty in sex case: Is there more going on there?
• The Spanberger folks weren’t ignoring me: It was technical issues
• Staunton: Five juveniles face charges in escape from mental-health facility
• What’s going on at the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents?

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The TV station did get a comment on the two recent patient escapes from Hallmark Youthcare, which is saying, through a spokesperson, that it “has initiated a thorough internal review of the circumstances surrounding each event and is cooperating fully with law enforcement and appropriate state oversight agencies.”

“We recognize the concerns these incidents raise for our residents, their families, our employees, and our community. Working in collaboration with our regulatory partners, we are implementing enhanced safety measures to reinforce our therapeutic environment and strengthen protections for both residents and staff. These actions reflect our commitment to continuous improvement and our dedication to maintaining the highest standards of care and security,” the spokesperson said.