A woman in Stuart, Florida, who operated a wellness center has been arrested and charged with several counts of practicing in the health care profession without a proper license, Florida Department of Health (DOH) West Palm Beach-Unlicensed Activity (ULA) Unit announced Friday.
Lynnette Blake of the Back to Eden Wellness Center in Stuart, faces twelve counts: five for the unlicensed practice of a health care profession, five for the unlicensed practice of naturopathy, and two counts for the unlicensed practice of dentistry. Each of these is a third degree felony and punishable by up to five years in prison. DOH has also issued cease and desist orders to Blake for the unlicensed practice of medicine, naturopathy and dentistry.
On August 6th, a search warrant was executed by Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) for Back to Eden Wellness Center, where Blake told members of DOH and MCSO that she was a naturopathy doctor practicing naturopathic medicine. Blake claimed that as a member of the Pastoral Medical Association, she was exempt from Florida laws requiring licensing for health care professions. Several arriving patients were also interviewed. Two of the patients stated Blake had performed dental services on them, including placing teeth bleaching substances into their mouths.
The joint operation began after several victims filed complaints with DOH alleging Blake practiced health care professions without a license. One such complaint claimed that while under Blake’s supervision, a clinic employee took numerous vials of blood, causing the patient to nearly faint. The patient requested ambulatory transfer to an emergency room, at which time Blake and the employee failed to contact medical services and instead gave the patient water and kiwi fruit from their own lunch bags. During the course of the investigation, multiple undercover operations were conducted by DOH and MCSO involving an undercover ULA investigator seeking treatment at the facility.
