INDIANAPOLIS — Three addiction recovery centers that were forced to shut down by the state of Indiana will now get a second chance.
13News has learned state regulators have reached a settlement agreement with Landmark Recovery that could allow those troubled recovery centers to get recertified.
Landmark closed its treatment centers in Mishawaka, Bluffton and Carmel last summer after the Indiana Department of Family and Social Services revoked the facilities’ certifications that are required to operate in the state.
The move came after three patients died in a single week at Landmark’s Praxis treatment center in Mishawaka. Following interviews and inspections, FSSA identified serious concerns related to resident safety and 37 items that required a corrective action plan.
Landmark has been trying to reopen the addiction treatment centers ever since and has now reached a settlement agreement with the state.
According to the settlement, Landmark will surrender its right to appeal the state’s revocations. In exchange, the company will be permitted to apply for new certificates to operate Landmark Recovery of Carmel, Praxis Treatment of Fort Wayne (Bluffton) and Praxis of South Bend (Mishawaka) and to open other treatment centers in Indiana.
Landmark agreed to not submit an application for a new location more frequently than every six months; that any new facilities will be limited to 32 beds; and that over the next 12 months, any new treatment centers will submit biweekly reports to FSSA’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction to show proof of compliance with state law and the company’s internal safety practices.
As part of the settlement, Landmark also agreed to show it has sufficient staffing levels before expanding patient capacity at its treatment centers. And if state regulators find any of Landmark’s Indiana facilities are noncompliant with 10 or more state requirements requiring a corrective action plan, the company will not be permitted to apply for new certifications until it has demonstrated compliance for at least six months.
Landmark can begin applying for new certifications right away for its centers in Bluffton and Carmel, but the agreement requires the company to wait at least one year to apply for recertification in Mishawaka.
While Landmark can now apply to reopen its treatment centers, it still faces significant legal issues.
More than 100 former patients have filed lawsuits against the company, claiming they suffered harm due to short staffing and chaotic, unsafe conditions inside Landmark facilities.
In court filings, Landmark has denied those claims.