Limits placed on Discovery Ranch license after teenager’s death

Editor’s note • This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 for 24/7 suicide and crisis support.

Utah regulators have placed restrictions on the license of a Utah County treatment center for teenagers three weeks after the death of a 17-year-old boy who stayed there.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services licensing office issued a notice Tuesday granting Discovery Ranch Academy in Mapleton a conditional license. The notice, posted Wednesday on the department’s website, said the facility failed to comply with state administrative regulations by failing to protect and supervise “a client who expressed suicidal thoughts and intentions.”

The agency inspected Discovery Ranch on Nov. 6, a day after the death of teenager Biruk Silvers, who was staying at a teen detention center on the property. Authorities reported Silvers committed suicide.

A DHHS spokesman said a conditional license allows a care program to continue as long as it meets conditions issued by the licensing department. According to the notice filed Tuesday, Discovery Ranch must:

• Comply with increased monitoring by the licensing department. Each inspection will cost Discovery Ranch $393.37, the notice said.

• Notify current clients – or their legal guardians and state agencies that have placed these clients at the facility – that Discovery Ranch has been placed on a conditional license. Discovery Ranch has five days to notify everyone.

• Do not accept new customers during the term of the conditional license.

• Increasing staff training, including suicide risk prevention sessions. Discovery Ranch must provide proof of training within 15 days of notification.

• Provide a detailed plan that demonstrates that all staff members can “provide immediate and effective communication” when a client expresses suicidal thoughts or intentions to self-harm.

• Ensure staff compliance with all Utah regulations and administrative statutes.

If Discovery Ranch fails to meet these conditions, according to the notice, licensing officials could impose penalties or refuse to renew the facility’s license.

The notice was addressed to Discovery Ranch Executive Director Clinton Dorny and marked the end of the DHHS investigation into Biruk Silvers’ death, a spokesman said.

Dorny did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Kathryn and Joshua Silvers, Biruk’s parents, said through their attorney that they were “cleared” on the license application submitted by DHHS.

“This conditional license is a step toward accountability,” attorney Alan Mortensen said in an email Wednesday. “However, it also highlights the urgent need for comprehensive reform of the supervision of residential facilities.”

Family, in two legal notices filed on November 19alleged that medical malpractice and negligence of staff at the Discovery Ranch led to their son’s preventable death. According to the lawsuit – a step required in Utah before bringing legal action against a state entity – the belt “provided by or authorized by” staff contributed to the boy’s death.

The lawsuit led to legal action against Discovery Ranch and its employees, including psychiatrist Jonathan Birnkrant, who is employed at the University of Utah. The university is also listed as a respondent.

“No family should have to endure the pain of losing a child due to preventable failures by those who claim to provide care and protection,” Mortensen continued in the statement. “Silvers are committed to seeking justice for Biruk and advocating for systemic change so that other families do not experience similar tragedies.”

The DHHS notice cited three specific sections of the state’s supplier code of conduct for which the agency found Discovery Ranch had failed to comply. The notice said Discovery Ranch “failed to protect a client from harm,” “failed to provide services and supervision” to an at-risk client and failed to follow the facility’s suicide prevention policy.