Addiction treatment center to close

Watershed Treatment Programs to lay off more than 200 workers

The Watershed Treatment Programs, an addiction treatment center in South Florida, has informed Florida officials that it is closing and will lay off about 230 workers in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.

Watershed is closing after failing to obtain additional capital from investors to continue operations, it told state and local officials in a letter dated Sept. 4.

The company, which began in 1998, said it expects to wind down some operations this week and remaining operations within four to six months.

Watershed employs 231people, including 154 in Boynton Beach and 77 in Delray Beach. The closing also affects 44 employees in Texas.

Layoffs began in August and are expected to be completed by Dec. 31, the company said.

Watershed ran centers at 4905 Park Ridge Blvd. in Boynton Beach and 200 Congress Park Drive in Delray Beach.

The company couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.

A voice message at the company’s Delray Beach office says that “due to addiction-care industry trends, the Watershed has had to close our doors to new admissions.” The message said the company was making appropriate discharge or transfer arrangements for current patients.

Watershed said in its letter to Florida officials that it was unable to provide the state’s required 60-day notice warning employees of a major layoff because doing so would have “curtailed the opportunity to obtain the new capital.”