Montana facility that drugged Oregon foster child to control her behavior will close

BUTTE, Mont. — A Montana children’s psychiatric treatment center will close in the aftermath of reports that it used drugs to control the behavior of a 9-year-old Oregon girl in foster care.

Butte-Silver Bow County Chief Executive Dave Palmer told The Montana Standard that Acadia Montana informed county officials Monday that it will close in a month or so.

Oregon foster child abandoned, drugged at Montana facility, advocates say

A 9-year-old Oregon girl in foster care has been largely abandoned by state regulators charged with her care and sometimes drugged in an out-of-state facility, advocates say. No one from Oregon's child welfare program has visited the girl in six months, her lawyer and a state senator say.

Acadia officials say the company made the call to close the facility but did not provide a reason or details.

The 108-bed residential facility has operated in Butte under different owners for 31 years. It accepted patients ages 5-18 from several Western states and Native American tribes.

In April, Oregon authorities removed the 9-year-old girl from Acadia’s care after officials injected her with Benadryl to restrain her and placed her in seclusion.

That happened only after advocates complained. Records indicated no one from Oregon had checked on her in six months, OPB reported.

State officials recently completed reviews of the facility. The results haven’t been released.

-- The Associated Press