Utah Governor Spencer Cox champions a massive expansion of mental health services, particularly through the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI). Yet, a troubling question lingers: at what cost to the children involved, and where is the accountability for hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars?
Despite the “historic investment,” crucial details remain shrouded in secrecy. The governor offers no insight into the number of children participating in programs like TeenScope, nor any evidence demonstrating positive outcomes for those who do. This lack of transparency fuels concerns about a system operating without meaningful oversight.
TeenScope serves as a primary entry point, pulling adolescents aged 12-18 from school into full-day mental health “treatment” managed by HMHI. This includes group sessions, therapy, and pharmaceutical interventions, yet the program operates with virtually no public scrutiny – no audits, no legislative reports, and no independent oversight.
The scale of financial investment is staggering. The Huntsman family contributed $150 million, supplemented by $90 million from lawmakers for a state-of-the-art brain-research tower. Millions more flow into youth crisis services, all funneled towards HMHI’s expanding reach. Yet, information about the children within this system remains elusive.
Research suggests that youth in similar programs are routinely prescribed powerful psychotropic drugs, often multiple medications simultaneously. Utah offers no public accounting of how many TeenScope participants are heavily medicated, raising fears that distressed children are being quickly and quietly placed on mind-altering pharmaceuticals.
Medicaid funding appears to incentivize longer stays within HMHI facilities and TeenScope slots, with the state receiving additional funds for each day a child remains in care. This creates a financial incentive that raises questions about whether children are being kept in treatment longer than necessary to maximize revenue.
Disturbing accounts from former patients paint a picture of a highly controlled environment, where children are treated as subjects of experimentation. Reports detail rigid point systems, prolonged isolation, and pressure to comply with treatment plans, even when those plans feel coercive.
Behind TeenScope lies the brain-research tower, equipped with advanced scanning technology and labs. HMHI is also developing AI-powered mental health tools, like “Love, Your Mind,” that interact with children online, potentially influencing their thoughts and behaviors without parental knowledge or informed consent.
Governor Cox consistently promotes the expansion of these programs and increased Medicaid funding, yet consistently avoids addressing fundamental questions about the well-being of the children involved. The focus remains on buildings, budgets, and branding, not on measurable outcomes or the individual experiences of young patients.
Children are being funneled into TeenScope and HMHI, effectively becoming billing units and research material. More extreme interventions, potentially involving brain manipulation, are often concealed behind sealed court records and medical privacy regulations. The public sees the investment, but not the children whose futures are at stake.
The lack of oversight demands immediate attention. Governor Cox must explain why this Medicaid program has operated without transparency and outline a clear plan for establishing meaningful accountability. The children of Utah deserve nothing less.
