Suburban Chicago mental health treatment facility to close its doors next month
LEMONT, Ill. (CBS) — Timberline Knolls, a mental health treatment center in Lemont, will close next month, according to its parent company Acadia Healthcare. The development follows a number of allegations surrounding former staffers.
The facility, acquired by Acadia in 2012, is known for providing treatment to women and girls struggling with eating disorders, substance abuse, trauma, mood disorders, and sexual abuse.
In a statement, Acadia Healthcare said:
"Acadia has made the decision to close its Timberline Knolls facility located in Lemont, Illinois, effective February 13, 2025. This decision followed a careful and comprehensive review of the current landscape for the programs and services offered by Timberline Knolls.
Prior to closure, Timberline Knolls will continue to work closely with patients, families and receiving facilities, providing direct care to make this transition as smooth and supportive as possible. Our clinical teams will collaborate with state and local agencies, as well as national and community partners, to verify the best alternative facilities that can provide comparable behavioral care services to fit the specific needs of each patient whose treatment extends beyond Timberline Knolls' last operating day."
The facility has also been the subject of controversy over sexual abuse allegations from staff dating back to 2018.
Past allegations
In 2018, a licensed counselor was accused of sexually assaulting several of his patients. At the time, that counselor allegedly admitted to going "too far" with a 29-year-old during three separate therapy sessions.
Last year, another patient filed a lawsuit against the facility, saying she was raped repeatedly by an employee while undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and suicidal thoughts, according to the lawsuit filed by firms Meyers & Flowers and Clark Frost Zucchi.
The lawsuit outlines that, days after checking into the facility in May 2024, an employee who was in charge of transporting her and other patients around the facility sexually assaulted her on three different occasions.
The patient's roommate was told about the attacks, who then told a staff member, but no actions were taken, according to the firm Meyers and Flowers. The patient checked out less than two weeks later.
On at least eight occasions since 2020, the Lemont Police Department received reports from patients saying they had been sexually assaulted or abused, many of which involved juveniles.
