For years, families in the Tri-Cities seeking help for addiction and mental illness have faced limited options, long waits and trips out of town. Local leaders say a new facility in Kennewick is intended to change that when it begins taking patients around the clock May 1.
The Columbia Valley Recovery Center traces its origins to 2014, when local Tri-Citian James Stenehjem, the son of Michelle Gerber, died from addiction.
“Up until now, addicted and mentally ill people and their families have faced despair and I can tell you that firsthand,” said Gerber, president and CEO of the Benton Franklin Recovery Coalition.
Gerber said her son struggled with drug addiction for 22 years and that the lack of local resources forced families to look elsewhere.
“My son struggled with drug addiction for 22 years and we found that there were not resources. We looked all over and you had to go to Seattle. You had long waiting lists, you had to meet certain criteria. Even if you were ready to pay and we were fortunate enough, you could pay but that didn’t help. You couldn’t get in,” Gerber said.
Gerber said she held onto that experience as she lobbied local and state leaders to fund the recovery center. The facility is expected to focus on people struggling with addiction and mental illness, a group that often ends up seeking help in regular emergency rooms.
John Schlenske, comprehensive division chief of substance use disorders, said the center is designed to provide multiple services in one place.
“There’s nothing else like it in the state where it’s really one-stop shop which is really trauma-informed for these folks that have kind of been kicked around from site to site,” Schlenske said.
The center is expected to include 24-hour emergency care centers, intensive care and multiweek recovery programs. Supporters say it will help alleviate pressure on hospitals that are not fully equipped to handle addiction or mental health crises.
Benton County leaders and the coalition said additional needs remain, including youth treatment and housing.
“A youth treatment center. We need one of those. transitional housing. We need that to happen. So I’m making it short. I’m up to the challenge. So I want to hear from the community here. Do I have your support and do I have your commitment,” said Michael Alvarez, chairman of the Benton County Board of Commissioners.
The Columbia Valley Recovery Center is set to begin accepting patients 24 hours a day on May 1 in Kennewick.
For more information on the Benton Franklin Recovery Coalition you can visit their website 509recovery.org