Senators press HHS on short‑term use of Life Skills Transition Center for youth with complex needs

Health and Human Services staff described to the Senate Human Services Committee how the Life Skills Transition Center, a residential behavior‑focused facility, is being used as a short‑term safety net for a small number of children and youth with complex behavioral and medical needs as members considered language in Senate Bill 2113 to expand who may be placed there.

Jessica Thomason, Health and Human Services, told the committee, "you can think about it as they have, a couple of buildings that they've set up as residential pods and they're set up really on a suite model. So everybody has private bedroom, shared living spaces, shared kitchen, so they cook together." She said staffing and physical organization are adjusted frequently to match the age, gender and needs of the person placed.

Committee members pressed HHS on whether placements at LSTC would put other residents at risk and on the facility's role as a temporary observational and stabilization setting rather than a long‑term placement. Vice Chair…