Nebraska DHHS announces leadership change, heightened oversight at youth treatment centers

Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday announced a leadership change within its Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center system following months of accusations, arrests and controversy.

A plan to rearrange the populations of the treatment centers to new facilities was met with pushback from staff and watchdog agencies in February after they raised a number of questions about how the plan would impact staffing and safety.

In March, DHHS fired the top administrator at the Kearney YRTC.

At least four former workers at the Kearney center have been arrested related to sex abuse allegations dating back to spring 2025 where an alleged teen victim was kept in isolation with no therapy addressing the abuse for months.

A Wednesday press release stated that DHHS has designated a new senior administrator to oversee the YRTCs in Kearney, Hastings and Lincoln.

Camella Jacobe, the current Administrator of the YRTC-Hastings facility, will serve as interim youth facilities senior administrator. A nationwide search for a permanent senior administrator will begin soon.

In addition to the leadership change, DHHS has implemented a series of operational enhancements aiming to strengthen safety, improve oversight and enhance accountability across Nebraska's YRTCs.

“These changes reflect DHHS's commitment to continuous improvement and its responsibility to provide safe and secure facilities for Nebraska youth,” DHHS CEO Steve Corsi said in the release. “These actions represent a comprehensive effort to strengthen operational excellence and ensure the highest standards of care for youth entrusted to the state's custody.”

The press release highlighted some of the operational changes that have been made across the YRTC system, including:

• Enhanced incident reporting, including timely legal notification letters to the courts, expanded monthly progress reports to the courts and critical incident reporting.
• Expanded facility monitoring and oversight by increasing unannounced compliance inspections, implementing a clear bag policy for all staff and metal detector wand for parents and visitors, doubling compliance team video monitoring reviews and conducting more frequent unannounced locker inspections.
• Increased youth access to support through a new probation line that is not recorded, free of charge and private. Youths continue to have 24/7 access to the Abuse and Neglect Hotline and the Ombudsman and can meet privately with their probation officer and their Children and Family Services Specialist.
• Additional staff training focused on professional boundaries, Prison Rape Elimination Act requirements, supervisory responsibilities and mandatory reporting obligations.
• Strengthened staff accountability by requiring employee acknowledgments confirming their understanding of incident reporting requirements, professional conduct expectations and Prison Rape Elimination Act policies. Weekly treatment team meetings include appropriate boundary discussions.

The press release stated the changes aim to provide stronger protection for youths and greater staff accountability and that collectively, they represent a systemwide effort to strengthen safety, culture, and operational accountability at Nebraska’s YRTCs.