ROCHESTER, Minn. – Public health authorities ordered the Oakridge Treatment Center to close down and arrange to transfer 70 residents elsewhere. The deadline to vacate is Monday. Olmsted County’s Public Health Services Advisory Board cited a disproportionate number of overdoses and calls for service and noted other issues pending investigations. The center, which opened in 2017, specialized in alcohol and drug addiction treatment for men 18 and older. The county’s mechanism to close the facility was to revoke licenses for public lodging and for food services. In broader terms, the place was declared a public nuisance. Said Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office Captain Tim Parkin: “The continued failure to mitigate these concerns jeopardizes the health and safety of the vulnerable adults served by the facility and Olmsted County’s community members.” The clinic was operated by Meridian Behavioral Health of the north Minneapolis suburb of New Brighton. The company has other addiction clincs in Minnesota and in Maryland, North Dakota and Vermont.
Oakride. The facility is outside Rochester at 4800 48th Street Northeast. Once a mansion-turned retreat center. Screened from passersby on a densely forested and idyllic 90 acres.
