By DAVE SCHULTZ
- To read the nine-page report, go to blufftonindiana.net and click on the “Praxis of Fort Wayne – Plan for Bluffton City Council” under the “Latest News” heading.
The owners of the Praxis facility at 1529 Lancaster St. have vowed to change their practices concerning patient discharges and correct what they have called the “missteps” in the operation.
The facility, formally known as Landmark Recovery, doing business as Praxis of Fort Wayne, has been the subject of complaints from neighbors as individuals have left in-patient care and not been given personal belongings. They would come into the neighborhood and ask to use a phone to call for help.
The issue was brought before the Bluffton Common Council, which listened to the residents. Representatives of Landmark Recovery were present virtually at that Feb. 21 meeting and came in person to the March 7 meeting to explain what had gone wrong and what they would do to fix the situation and repair its status in the neighborhood.
Matt Boyle, the founder of Landmark Recovery, was present at the Bluffton council’s March 7 meeting and said things would change. He promised a plan would be presented to the city and it was put on the city’s website this week.
“Landmark Recovery has taken a humble approach to investigating the issues, missteps, findings, and remedies to be the best-in-class substance use disorder treatment facility that we are known for at other locations,” the company said in the conclusion of its report to the council. “We recognize that the population we serve can be challenging and being able to provide these much needed services in a welcoming community like Bluffton is a great gift for these individuals and for our organization. We recognize that we made some mistakes and failed to account for some differences between this location and our more urban locations.”
In fact, the Praxis location in Bluffton varies significantly from most other Landmark facilities because it is in a small town. “Current discharge planning policies and procedures are designed for facilities that are located in more urban areas where access to public transportation or alternate safe transportation is more readily available,” the report says.
The company lists the following actions it will take:
• Make sure transportation is available and all who are discharged will be able to remain in the facility until that is done.
• Provide a safe place for individuals who are subjects of unplanned discharges to wait.
• Amend discharge policy to include development of a safe discharge plan for individuals who are choosing to leave against staff advice “or who are subject to administrative discharge.”
• Electronic devices such as phones or tablets will be fully charged at the time of discharge.
• Landmark says it will do a better job discussing rules within the facility and for interaction with the community outside of the facility.
Landmark also said it would improve its leadership and staff training, plus enhancing its staffing-to-patient ratio on certain shifts.
The report says that Drew Mack, the new executive director at Praxis, will be available to concerned citizens, community partners, local EMS, and so forth, for discovery meetings and building relationships. Her phone number is 317-294-6599 and her email is drew.mack@landmarkrecovery.com
Mack will also meet weekly with Scott Mentzer, the president of the Bluffton Common Council, plus Fire Chief Don Craig and Police Chief Kyle Randall to provide updated data.
Landmark Recovery has 15 operational facilities and 17 in the planning stages, according to its website at landmarkrecovery.com
daves@news-banner.com
