At least six more people have died in the last year and a half at a West Baltimore apartment complex connected to the administrators of PHA Healthcare, the disastrous addiction program that state regulators ordered to stop treating patients. The newly disclosed deaths, which were caused by a combination of overdoses and natural causes, raise new questions about how private treatment programs, low-cost housing, and state monitoring intersect for people in recovery.
The Baltimore Banner received autopsy and police documents, which show six previously unknown deaths between November 2024 and February 2026 at Ms. Ruby’s Place, a 36-unit property run by Stephen Thomas, the founder of PHA Healthcare, and his mother, Ruby Thomas. Four fatalities were judged drug overdoses, two were natural causes, and medical examiner findings show that all but one victim used illicit drugs shortly before dying. According to police records, five of the victims were discovered inside the complex, while one man was discovered on the grass outside, with investigators finding glass pipes and small vials near some of the bodies. When contacted for response, Stephen Thomas informed a reporter that he had “no reason to believe that anything you write will be fair and balanced,” while Ruby Thomas declined to answer additional questions.
The additional deaths are part of a bigger probe of PHA Healthcare’s practices and where its patients were housed, which triggered state intervention. According to a fiscal and policy note for House Bill 722 by analysts from the Maryland General Assembly, the Maryland Department of Health issued a cease and desist order to PHA on December 23, 2024, and the program’s treatment services ended in January 2025. The episode has raised concerns about whether present policies and the state’s oversight capacity are sufficient to protect people in provider-linked housing…