Lower and ground level renderings of Grays Woods Recovery Center. Submitted image.
Leaders behind the new 45,000-square-foot behavioral healthcare facility at 3451 Easton Blvd. in Des Moines said they hope the new treatment center reduces the stigma of seeking help.
The new Grays Woods Recovery Center facility, being built adjacent to Community and Family Resources’ existing campus on nearly 8 acres of space, will add 74 new beds for addiction treatment, adolescent services and medically monitored intensive inpatient, also known as detoxification services.
Community and Family Resources Executive Director Michelle De La Riva said a facility specialized in a full range of behavioral health services is part of the work to reduce stigma around mental health and substance use issues.
“I wish that people understood that substance use and mental health are chronic recurring conditions like diabetes and heart disease, because no one is ashamed to go and see their doctor if they’re diabetic, or if they’re having heart palpitations,” De La Riva said. “But for whatever reason, people are ashamed to say, ‘I’m having issues with drinking too much,’ or ‘I’m having issues with having thoughts of suicide.’ … Part of the reason to build these recovery centers that have that full continuum of care is to help normalize it, that you’re going to a specialty treatment center just like you are going to University of Iowa for heart surgery.”
The $18.5 million project is expected to increase regional treatment capacity, reduce delays in accessing care and strengthen long-term recovery outcomes for individuals and families throughout the region, leaders said. It is expected to open in July 2027.
Michelle De La Riva. Submitted photo.
Community and Family Resources offers a variety of programs and services for detoxification, outpatient and residential substance use treatment, mental health counseling, problem gambling, recovery housing, as well as prevention and education resources. The agency has been a freestanding nonprofit substance use treatment provider since 1968.
It provides services to individuals from across Iowa and has locations in Ames, Boone, Clarion, Conroy, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Humboldt, Iowa City, Pocahontas, Rockwell City, Tipton, Washington and Webster City.
The new facility comes as Iowa ranks in the top 10 states with the fewest mental health care providers per capita, according to a 2023 publication of Becker’s Behavioral Health, a news source for healthcare decision-makers. According to the publication, Iowa is ranked No. 7 in the fewest mental health care providers, with 570 to 1.
In 2023, 661 people were turned away from Community and Family Resources facilities due to lack of space, according to the organization.
“We want to be … in a situation where when somebody comes in for services, whether it be for an outpatient evaluation or they’re walking in the door for detoxification services, that we’re able to treat them right then and there – that we assess, determine the right level of care,” De La Riva said. “Having a continuum of care all on one site is also a very unique feature, so you could walk in for an evaluation and need residential treatment services, and literally you could walk down the hall and start.”
The facility will offer substance use walk-in evaluations, a health and wellness center, a psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner on site, outpatient clinic, residential beds for men, women and adolescents, and 12 medically monitored detox beds.
Coming to the facility is like a “full-time job,” De La Riva said.
“They have 50 hours of treatment services each week,” she said. “Between group educational services and therapeutic services, and they’ll also have some individual counseling and individual therapy.”
Everyone also has a roommate, she said.
“Everyone has a roommate on purpose, because what we know with people with substance use and mental health concerns is they isolate,” De La Riva said. “We want everyone to have a roommate, and when you talk to people that go through treatment, that person becomes their person.”
Alcohol addiction historically has brought people in for treatment the most, said De La Riva, who also said that marijuana-related issues are on the rise. She also said kratom, a psychedelic drug that is legal in Iowa, is a growing issue.
Community and Family Resources’ prevention team can partner with business owners to provide training that can help them identify substance use or mental health concerns and connect to resources, De La Riva said.
“[We help] to make those referrals, because what we want is for people … who can continue to work to be able to do so that we keep our economy growing and people’s lives in order,” she said. “We really are working on reducing stigma, because that to me would be so great, if employers were like, ‘Yeah, of course, take the time you need. Get healthy,’ just like they would if they had a medical concern.”
The new recovery center in Des Moines is modeled after another Community and Family Resources facility in Fort Dodge, De La Riva said.
“We use the same architect and we use the same plans, so this isn’t something that they’re not familiar with, because they have built it before,” she said. “We also learned a lot from our first build, and this time we’re able to make little modifications.”
Upper level rendering of Grays Woods Recovery Center. Submitted image.