Girl, 17, Dies Suddenly at Treatment Center for Teens — Second Case in Utah This Year
Google Maps Diamond Ranch Academy
A 17-year-old girl was pronounced dead at a treatment center for teens on Tuesday afternoon — the second case at a Utah teen treatment facility this year.
Around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, authorities received a call about a teen who had collapsed at Diamond Ranch Academy in Hurricane, Utah, the Hurricane City Police Department said in a statement, according to Fox 13 Salt Lake City.
School staff were performing CPR when police and the fire department arrived but the lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, according to the police department.
"The Hurricane City Police Department extends our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the student, the staff and students at the school, as well as the first responders involved with this incident," the police said in a statement to the media.
The Hurricane City Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional comment.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services communications director Joe Dougherty tells PEOPLE in a statement: "The Utah DHHS Office of Licensing received notification that a youth at Diamond Ranch Academy died unexpectedly on December 20, 2022. Our deepest condolences are with their loved ones as they grieve this sudden loss. We're grateful for everyone who tried to save this youth's life."
The DHHS is investigating the unexpected death and working alongside law enforcement. "We are committed to a thorough investigation when it comes to this facility's license," the statement concludes.
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In a statement to PEOPLE, Diamond Ranch Academy — a privately owned and operated facility — says: "We are saddened by the sudden passing of one of our amazing students. Our hearts go out to her family and friends and the staff who worked with her and loved her."
The school also states that the "EMS was immediately contacted and she was transported to the hospital where she passed away."
This is the second death at a teen treatment center this year. In January, a girl died at Maple Lake Academy, a teen treatment program in Spanish Fork, Utah.
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State officials said a medical issue was the cause of her death, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. According to a Notice of Agency Action issued by Utah's Office of Licensing, for at least seven days the girl had been complaining of worsening symptoms, the outlet reported.
The related Notice of Agency Action said the girl, "reported continually worsening symptoms of illness for at least a week before, after repeated requests from parents, the program took the client to be evaluated by a doctor. After the doctor visit, the client complained of worsening symptoms but was not returned for medical care. The client died early the next morning."
After another student in April didn't receive proper medical attention, the school's license was revoked.
According to the Notice of Agency Action, on April 8, 2022, the Maple Lake, "failed to seek immediate medical attention for a client that was involved in an accident in which they hit their head on the pavement, lost consciousness and had multiple vomiting episodes."
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The following day, the school also "failed to follow emergency room medical orders and permitted a client with a concussion to participate in strenuous activity."
The school's license has since been reinstated on a conditional basis.
The two teen residential treatment centers, Diamond Ranch and Maple Lake, are not connected or affiliated in any way.
