It has been more than a year-and-a-half since a local mental health services provider announced a north-side Columbus building might be a location for a medical-based addictions treatment program.
Administrators at Centerstone Behavioral Health are still evaluating what might be the best use for the facility at 1680 Whitney Court, said Shirley Arney, Centerstone’s chief administrative officer. The building is located in the Columbus AirPark, a development area around the Columbus Municipal Airport.
Centerstone has not yet established any definite timetable for initiating programming at the building, Arney said.
“We will continue to evaluate and assess the community needs, as well as our organization’s responses,” she said.
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The 4,519-square-foot facility in the Columbus AirPark was originally built in 1994 to house George Junior Republic, an agency that worked on behalf of at-risk youth.
There are a number of reasons why Centerstone is hesitant to move ahead with its original plans, Arney said.
Several residential treatment providers have been established within the region since Centerstone made its original announcement, Arney said.
“Residential treatment is more of a regional service, instead of local,” Arney said.
When the concept was presented in late 2017, Centerstone was proposing a short-term, medical-addictions program that would include 24-hour staff supervision.
“Staffing is the greatest challenge that all treatment providers have to deal with today,” Arney said Monday.
Centerstone is already providing a valuable service to addictions recovery by offering intensive outpatient care, as well as certain medications, to assist addicts in their recovery, said Anna Hilycord, Centerstone manager of adult and family services.
The news that two ministries — Chain Breaker of Columbus and Wheeler Mission of Indianapolis — have partnered with the hope of creating an abstinence-based, Christ-centered intake center for males in recovery is welcomed by Centerstone, Hilycord said.
“Addiction is different for each individual, so there must be a wide variety of treatments,” Hilycord said. “People have to find a path that works for them, because there is no straight shot that works for everyone.”
Bartholomew County needs to expand housing options for those in need of long-term addiction treatment, Arney said.
While treatment obtained through Centerstone is different from the Wheeler Mission, Hilycord cautioned against comparing one type of addiction treatment and another.
“When you compare, you risk creating a stigma by indicating that one treatment is safer or better than another,” Hilycord said. “That kind of comparison is not productive for the community.”
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Centerstone Behavioral Health, a nonprofit organization, has provided a wide range of mental health, substance abuse, education and integrated health services to Indiana residents for 60 years.
Through more than 60 facilities in 17 Indiana counties, including Bartholomew, Centerstone serves about 25,000 children, adolescents, adults and seniors each year.
For more information about Centerstone, call 800-344-8802 or visit centerstone.org
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