The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Service plans to adopt a continuum of care for juvenile offenders placed in youth rehabilitation and treatment centers by the courts.

The change follows an incident at the Geneva center in August in which a youth damaged the sprinkler system, leaving one of four residential cottages unsafe and uninhabitable. Four female youth were relocated to the rehab and treatment center in Kearney.

Vandalism, programming and staffing issues created a critical situation where 24 more youth were moved to Kearney and the Geneva center was left idle.

The newly announced Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers System will reopen part of the Geneva center, while also using Kearney and Lincoln sites to provide the appropriate level of care and security, DHHS said in a news release.

The system seeks to target interventions to high-acuity at-risk youth and to develop population-specific programs based on “gender, acuity, culture, linguistics and race,” plus their progress and their needs for transitioning back to the community.

“We are committed to ensuring an environment that is safe, supportive and gives the youth we serve an opportunity to thrive as they move into adulthood,” DHHS CEO Dannette R. Smith said in a news release. “The development of the YRTC System creates a continuum of care that serves their diverse needs.”

YRTC–Kearney will serve as the hub for the system, providing intake, assessment and programming for the core group of youth. 

YRTC–Lincoln has 20 rooms divided between two pods, a day room and a separate secure outdoor recreational space. It will be used for youth requiring targeted behavioral programming specific to their unique needs. The facility will be for both boys and girls.

Youth will transition back to the Kearney center when they are ready for core programming or to integrate back to the community.

YRTC-Geneva will operate out of the recently repaired LaFlesche Cottage. Its primary purpose is to serve three to six girls transitioning back to the community.

DHHS plans to resume youth at its Geneva center in January.

“Moving forward and establishing the YRTC System is the first step to reforming Nebraska’s youth services,” Smith said. “The three-pronged approach addresses immediate needs while ensuring the safety and well-being of the youth we serve. It also allows for long-range strategic planning done in collaboration with key stakeholders.”