Why 3 Pierce County drug-treatment facilities will be on probation for at least a decade
A substance-abuse treatment provider in Pierce County will operate on probation for at least a decade under a settlement reached with the state’s health department over allegations that it put patient safety in immediate jeopardy, records show.
Rainier Recovery had licenses suspended in November at its three centers — in Lakewood, Gig Harbor and Puyallup — after a Washington State Department of Health investigation alleged that it altered patient records to maximize profits and employed unqualified staff, The News Tribune previously reported.
Company management was accused of “corrupt practices,” including colluding with an unnamed law firm to ensure court-ordered clients were compliant with sobriety in exchange for continued business from the firm, according to a 25-page notice of enforcement action from the DOH on Nov. 26.
Rainier Recovery allegedly underplayed the needs of the firm’s clients and sought to minimize court scrutiny of them by altering clinical records at the request of an attorney, according to the DOH, and also hired workers who didn’t meet required educational or training standards.
Rainier Recovery denied the allegations in the DOH’s action, which ordered the company to cease accepting new patients and safely release existing ones. Rainier Recovery was given a month to formally respond to the claims and had an opportunity to contest them at a hearing, where it risked the state’s health secretary potentially revoking its licenses.
Instead, Rainier Recovery waived its right to the hearing and reached a deal with the health department on Dec. 18, according to a copy of an agreed order, which was verified by a DOH spokesperson.
“Rainier has entered into an agreed order with DOH,” spokesperson Frank Ameduri said in an email to The News Tribune on Jan. 7. “They are able to continue operating under a 10-year probation, as long as they meet the requirements of the order.”
Attorney Seth Rosenberg, who is representing Rainier Recovery Center, LLC, told The News Tribune this month that the company’s focus at all times has been on the welfare of its clients and that it believed it was taking all reasonable steps to address any issues.
“Rainier Recovery welcomes the additional support and oversight that the Agreed Order entails,” Rosenberg said in a statement. “The Order reflects Rainier Recovery’s commitment to quality care. The fact that the Department has allowed it to reopen shows that it too has confidence in the Center.”
Beyond now operating on probation, Rainier Recovery must pay a $10,000 fine, retain an outside consultant to assist with an overhaul of operations, hire an administrator to oversee changes, submit a plan of correction and allow up to three unannounced compliance-monitoring visits over the probation period, according to the agreed order.
Rainier Recovery CEO Jeremiah Dunlap, who denied all allegations last year to news outlets, may no longer be involved in the organization, governance or management of the treatment provider’s sites, the order said. He could serve as a member of the provider’s governing body, which the order called a “very limited capacity.”
In a statement, Rosenberg said that Dunlap is dedicated to the well-being of clients.
“This agreement allows Mr. Dunlap to focus on the business aspects of the Center and allow(s) a Clinical Director to ensure the highest quality of care,” Rosenberg said. “Mr. Dunlap believes that this structure will optimize the services and structure of the Center.”
DOH interviewed current and ex-employees earlier last year and reviewed patient, employee and other records as part of its investigation.
In one instance, the state said it was determined that a worker hadn’t appropriately identified the necessary care for a patient, who died in February from acute intoxication with fentanyl. Purportedly lacking staff qualifications had led to “an extensive pattern” of substandard services, including false or inaccurate assessments, treatment plans and monitoring, the DOH wrote in its November notice.
The agreed order last month noted that the settlement didn’t constitute an admission by Rainier Recovery but that the treatment provider agreed that cited violations could be used against them in future administrative actions.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
