Cramer Creek
Missoula, MT

It is with sadness that the Board of Directors and management of Social Learning Environments have determined that consolidation of our therapeutic services at Cramer Creek into The High Frontier would be in the best interest of the program and of our students served. The development of Cramer Creek in 2008 was a direct response to the market conditions, whereby the sister facilities were receiving more referrals than there were openings. Within the organization, the staff development had progressed to the point that expansion would not impede the integrity of service delivery. Unfortunately, as with many other programs in the industry, SLE programs have been operating under capacity for the past year. While it was the hope that initial consolidation would ensure the viability of two strong programs, that has not proven to be the case as economic conditions have been slow to improve.

The management decision to consolidate was rather certain as we were faced with the eventuality of having to minimize staff (and resulting services) at each of the programs. Social Learning Environments is committed to the delivery of the Positive Peer Culture model within a non-profit structure. This requires a numerical peer community to maintain our high standards as well as our costs to families. It became clear that to sustain this mission, SLE would need to close the newer program and combine resources to prevent any watering down of services.

In order to maximize, and even increase, the therapeutic and clinical service delivery, efforts will target the transition of and consolidation of Cramer Creek students and some clinical personnel into the already substantial clinical presence at The High Frontier. As of this writing, most all of the families with students in need of continued care have decided to transition to The High Frontier. This consolidation will enhance services through the integration of the veteran staff and resources from Cramer Creek. The High Frontier has been in existence since 1976, remains solvent, and will most likely expect a minor expansion due to the decrease in the number of available Positive Peer Culture programs.

John McKay will remain actively involved in his role as Vice President at Social Learning Environments. We will work diligently to be consumer friendly with all of the families, students and educational consultants involved. Efforts to promote the treatment continuity of each specific student are already in progress.

For more information, contact John McKay at 406-360-8689 or Barry Blevins, at 432-364-2241.