Three former residents of a behavioral health facility in western Missouri allege in a recent lawsuit that they were sexually abused as children under the clinic’s care.
Kayla Onder, their St. Louis-based attorney, said she also represents several other survivors who have come forward.
The plaintiffs were inpatient residents at Heartland Behavioral Health Services in Nevada, Missouri, between Kansas City and Joplin, at times from 2014 to last year, according to the lawsuit filed last month under pseudonyms in Vernon County.
One patient was admitted in 2017, when he was 12, and again in 2021, when he was 16. The lawsuit alleges he was raped by two staff members.
The second, who was admitted at age 10 in 2025, was sexually abused by “at least one” employee after he was administered a sedative, according to the civil petition.
The third was a resident at times between 2014 and 2018, when she was ages 13 to 17. During an off-site visit for a volunteer event, a nursing home resident with a history of “sexually aggressive acts” assaulted the teenager, the suit alleges.
Onder, their attorney, said employees were supposed to protect the children entering the mental and behavioral health facility at the most vulnerable moments in their life.
“It seems as though there was very little to no true oversight,” she said.
In a statement, Universal Health Services, the facility’s owner, said it could not comment on the pending litigation.
“Heartland Behavioral Health Services remains committed to providing high-quality care to patients with special, and often complex, mental health needs,” UHS said in the prepared statement.
One of America’s largest behavioral health providers, Universal Health Services has faced litigation over similar allegations at its Illinois facilities.
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METHODOLOGY
Reporter Luke Nozicka reviewed the 73-page lawsuit filed against Heartland Behavioral Health Services and interviewed attorney Kayla Onder. He also sought comment from the facility and its parent company, which provided a written statement.
REFERENCES
Man alleges sexual abuse as a child at Hartgrove Hospital in Chicago in new lawsuit (Chicago Tribune | December 2024)
More than 100 former patients file major lawsuit against Universal Health Services for alleged abuse (FOX 32 Chicago | December 2024)
Residential treatment centers put profits ahead of children's safety, Senate report finds (NBC News | June 2024)
TYPE OF ARTICLE
News — Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
