2 officials are out at Indiana addiction center after 3 deaths

Two leaders are out at an Indiana addiction treatment center after three recent deaths and calls by police to yank its license.

The executive director and director of nursing are no longer working at Praxis Landmark Recovery, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation site for men near South Bend, the company told WNDU-TV.

Other senior managers “will supervise the facility around the clock,” Landmark Recovery said in a statement released Friday. “This ensures our patients stay safe during this time.”

Three men have died since July 4 and another man was revived with multiple doses of Narcan, authorities said.

Landmark Recovery said it will not accept new patients until “we confirm that all staff meet our high standards.”

The St. Joseph County Police Department has asked state regulators to investigate the 160-bed facility and revoke its license.

There have been more than 200 calls to police and fire departments in 2023, said Troy Warner, a spokesperson for county police.

Those incidents include nine overdoses, two rapes, a sexual assault and a stabbing, he said.

“The facility is a large drain on our county first-responder resources and is harmful to its patients and our community,” Warner wrote to Jay Chaudhary, director of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.

Landmark Recovery, a Tennessee-based company that has locations in 10 states, said a national accrediting agency, the Joint Commission, visited the facility. The Indiana center opened in 2022.

“The full report is not yet available, but the preliminary findings indicate that our care model is sound. We look forward to sharing more in the future,” Landmark Recovery said.