State regulators have ended their investigation of the Santa Monica sober living home where the son of Cindy Crawford died of a suspected overdose, concluding there were no violations of health care laws.
The probe by the California Department of Health Care Services following the death of Presley Gerber concluded the Resolutions Living facility was not providing or advertising treatment that required a state license.
“No violations were found, and the matter is now closed,” said DHCS spokesman Anthony Cava.
As a self-described “recovery residence,” the luxury Resolutions Living home on Berkeley Street does not need a license from the DHCS to operate — as long as no addiction treatment is occurring at the facility or by staff. Sober living homes are supposed to provide only a place where people recovering from substance abuse disorder can live.
Resolutions Living has a sister operation, an outpatient treatment center on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica called Resolutions Therapeutic Services. Both were founded by psychologist Reza Nabavi. Resolutions Therapeutic also is not licensed by DHCS and it is unclear whether the operation needs one under state regulations that reformists say are confusing and filled with loopholes.
Nabavi did not respond to a request for comment Friday, Oct. 23.
The Sept. 23 complaint that triggered the probe into Resolutions Living was filed by reform advocate Jennifer Turner, whose daughter was injured at an unrelated mental health treatment center in 2016. Turner’s complaint peppered state officials with questions about Resolutions Living and the Sept. 20 death of Gerber, 27, that she said needed investigating.
“My concern is that the activities taking place at this location may have crossed the legal boundary between sober housing and licensed residential treatment,” Turner wrote.
She questioned whether staff was monitoring Gerber’s medical condition, monitoring withdrawal, supervising or managing medications, conducting detox-related observations, administering or overseeing medications, or performing any other medical services requiring DHCS approval.
“Was an individual reportedly under the influence admitted to a sober living residence that was not authorized to provide the level of care he required, and was Resolutions Living actually providing regulated addiction treatment, detoxification, clinical monitoring, or recovery services beyond the lawful scope of sober housing?” the complaint asked.
She also urged the state to investigate Resolutions Living’s marketing campaign and whether it pitched itself as providing residential addiction recovery or treatment services beyond what is permitted at an unlicensed sober living residence.
“The company’s own website uses terms including ‘mental health recovery residence,’ ‘recovery program,’ ‘individual recovery plans,’ ‘three-phase recovery program,’ ‘addiction and mental health support,’ ” the complaint said, adding that it also describes “24/7 onsite staff.”
The investigation, which began just days after Gerber’s death, said the allegations were unsubstantiated.