Cambia Hills

of East Bethel

Dear Community Partner:

We write to you today with incredibly disappointing news. After many years of finding the right community to build in, construction starts and delays, opening the doors during a pandemic (which brought about staffing challenges and affected the census and thus, our ability to pay for this facility), licensing issues, and bad press, we are forced to close our doors. This closure is effective Friday, June 11, 2021 at 3 pm at which point our funding is exhausted.

The clients that are currently here are of our greatest concern and we are quickly working hard to get them to the next best place. Often, that will mean they go back home. We need to have all clients discharged and all direct care staff off the premises by this Friday, at 3pm. There is simply no more money for payroll and we can’t ask people to work when we know we can’t pay them.

You may ask for additional reasons behind this news. A significant piece of this perfect storm is that the state of MN DHS has not given us the rate adjustment our bondholders have been waiting for. The bondholders who paid to build this building have been funding us, payroll and all, since December of 2020. They have reached their limit of $1.5 million in additional funds to keep Cambia Hills of East Bethel open, and DHS has passed the deadline of May 1st to give us the rate adjustment, with no new date in sight. We have notified the State (MDH and DHS) we will be closing and making appropriate and expeditious placement of residents.

Despite the storm that hovered over Cambia Hills of East Bethel, I can assure you that, today, we have the most dedicated and amazing staff who did whatever it took to keep our clients safe and going down a path to their successful treatment here. We couldn’t be more devastated for everyone involved and the lasting impact this closure will have on so many. We are truly sorry it ended this way and we thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Leslie Chaplin, PhD, LICSW
President/CEO
The Hills Youth and Family Services
Woodland Hills, Cambia Hills of Duluth & NYS
Cambia Hills of East Bethel
4321 Allendale Avenue |Duluth, MN 55803|218-728-7500 x124