Hingham healthcare campus proposed ‘to help save lives’ of individuals struggling with substance use disorder

August 6, 2021 by Carol Britton Meyer (photos courtesy of Landmark Recovery)

Landmark Recovery, founded by Hingham resident Cliff Boyle, provides a "bridge to a brighter future" through accessible treatment for individuals struggling with substance use disorder.

With a number of locations already established in Concord, Mass. and many other parts of the country -- and more underway -- Landmark Recovery would like to open what Boyle's son, CJ -- a lifetime Hingham resident -- said would be "a first-of-its-kind healthcare campus for people struggling with substance use disorder" at 57 and 59 George Washington Blvd. and 124 Rockland St. in Hingham near the courthouse.

The preliminary proposal was submitted to the Planning Board in June and will also be reviewed by the Sewer Commission next month.

Residential drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation, intensive out-patient services, and sober living would be provided at the campus, serving both individuals with private and MassHealth insurance.

The 460-bed healthcare campus would include intensive in- and out-patient treatment, separate chemical dependency treatment and juvenile treatment facilities off George Washington Boulevard, and other services together on one site.

Another larger building would be constructed on Rockland Street, along with ten smaller ones, to provide longer-term individualized care.

During the review process, there will be ample time for questions and comments from neighbors and other interested parties.

Looking back, in 2004 Cliff Boyle was unsuccessful in his attempt to gain approval for a flexible residential development due in large part to sewer service issues at that time.

The time seems right for this kind of healthcare campus, CJ -- who is the project manager -- told the Hingham Anchor. "Hingham doesn't have a treatment facility, and the number of addiction deaths nationwide has gone up by 25 percent during COVID due to isolation," he said.

Hingham is among other South Shore communities with residents who have died from drug overdoses. "This would help meet the local need for treatment," CJ said. "Landmark is a different kind of treatment center. We know that good, evidence-based treatment works to rebuild lives that have been broken by addiction. Our mission is to partner with local communities to build the best treatment program we can in order to help restore hope, tranquility, and purpose to the lives of our clients and their families."

Landmark also recognizes the need for a continuum of care in addiction treatment, "where success is measured in a lifetime, not a drying-out period," CJ explained.

He knows firsthand how tough it is for those struggling with substance use disorder. Landmark Recovery was founded in 2016 by Cliff Boyle in response to the fact that members of their family and extended family were affected by drug and alcohol addiction. "We felt that the best way to help was by opening these treatment facilities," he said.

CJ, who is 26, has lost many close friends who succumbed to the disease of substance use disorder and "who never had a chance to find their way to a treatment center or recovery program."  This is another reason he believes this proposal is long overdue.

"Right now, many people struggling with addiction are forced to seek [longer-term]  treatment in Cape Cod or New Hampshire" because there are not many options that are closer, according to CJ.

"Landmark's campus would be among the first in the nation to offer not only a month of recovery, but a full year of care," CJ said. "There is plenty of room on this site, and we've worked with architects and engineers we've known for many years to develop this proposal."

Landmark would pay property taxes to the Town of Hingham, estimated at about $300,000 a year, and would provide about 200 healthcare job opportunities for area residents.

There are currently two houses on the property that his father bought in 1999,  including the one CJ grew up in and continues to occupy.  "It's always been my father's dream to develop that land and to help the people of Hingham," he said.

Neighbors sometimes say, "not in my backyard," but this development, if approved, "will literally be right in my backyard," he said. "I firmly believe this project will be solving, rather than creating, problems. The overall goal is to help people struggling with substance use disorder and alcoholism -- and at the end of the day, we're here to help save lives."

For more information about Landmark Recovery, visit landmarkrecovery.com. The Hingham corporate office is located on Derby Street.