Three people have sued Great Plains Hospital in Nevada, Mo., alleging they were sexually abused as children during inpatient stays at the facility, according to court records obtained by Becker’s.
The three plaintiffs — identified by the pseudonyms John Doe #1, Jane Doe #1 and John Doe #2 — filed the lawsuit against the hospital, doing business as Heartland Behavioral Health Services, along with its corporate parent, Universal Health Services, and UHS’s management subsidiary, UHS of Delaware.
The petition, filed June 10 in Vernon County (Mo.) Circuit Court, alleges four separate instances of abuse.
John Doe #1 was an inpatient at the facility from July 24-31, 2017, when he was 12, and again from Feb. 27 to March 5, 2021, when he was 16; the petition alleges he was sexually abused by a male staff member and, separately, by a female staff member, without specifying during which admission each assault occurred.
John Doe #2, was an inpatient in 2025 at age 10 and alleges he was abused by at least one staff member who administered an unauthorized sedative by injection before assaulting him while he was unconscious.
Jane Doe #1 was an inpatient on various occasions between 2014 and 2018, when she was 13-17 years old, and alleges she was sexually assaulted by a nursing home resident with an alleged history of “sexually aggressive acts” during a mandatory off-site volunteer activity, while facility staff were present.
The petition names UHS, which operates 346 inpatient behavioral health facilities and 168 outpatient and other facilities in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. It alleges UHS acquired Heartland Behavioral Health Services as part of a $3.1 billion acquisition of Psychiatric Solutions in November 2010, and names UHS of Delaware as the entity that manages the facility’s day-to-day operations, budget and staffing on UHS’ behalf.
The plaintiffs, represented by St. Louis-based OnderLaw, brought 18 counts — including vicarious liability, negligent hiring, negligent retention, negligent supervision and premises liability — and are seeking a jury trial and damages in excess of $25,000 per count.
This lawsuit comes weeks after the Utah Department of Health and Human Services revoked UHS-owned Provo Canyon Springville Campus’ license, effective July 6. The facility must terminate all services by Aug. 6, and new enrollments are prohibited. The behavioral health campus serves girls ages 13 to 18 and provides short-term stabilization, long-term residential treatment options and year-around academic support.
UHS told Becker’s in a statement, “Due to pending litigation as well as patient privacy laws, including HIPAA, we cannot comment on these matters and will instead address them through the legal process. Heartland Behavioral Health Services remains committed to providing high-quality care to patients with special, and often complex, mental health needs.”
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