AJ, 17, left, and MJ, 17, right, walk back into Harmony Academy Recovery High School after gym class on a Friday in March. Vickie Connor/The Oregonian
Editor's Note
Content warning: This story contains descriptions of substance use disorder and self-harm. Help is available. Call or text 988 for 24-hour, confidential support or visit 988lifeline.org.
Tucked into a peaceful retirement and assisted living campus in Lake Oswego, a small high school fills life-and-death needs of its 40 students.
Inside, the red building smells of old wood and stacks of paper. Once an orphanage, the place now teems with baggy jeans, experimental make-up and purposefully unkempt hair. Old couches and chairs line the single, short hallway. The walls are covered with student artwork, and a large handmade poster reminds students, “We are in this together.”
About the Reporting
Oregon’s failure to provide adequate mental health treatment for its residents has grown more visible in recent years but its causes stretch back decades. The Oregonian/OregonLive aims to shine a light on barriers to quality care, identify failures of policy and illuminate a path forward.
The teen recovery series examines how Oregon’s youth behavioral health system compares to other states' and what parents are forced to do to keep their children safe.
The Oregonian/OregonLive interviewed 15 teens, five parents and numerous educators and service providers, spending about 2 1/2 months getting to know students at Harmony Academy Recovery High School in Lake Oswego, sitting in on their classes and following them to school activities. The newsroom chose not to use students’ full names because they are minors.
Continuing coverage at oregonlive.com/mentalhealth.
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