EDGEWATER — An Edgewater substance abuse treatment facility will shut its doors on Dec. 31, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Recovery Point, at 5691 N. Ridge Ave., is shutting its doors as a result of the “growing and changing demands of this new health care marketplace,” said Eileen Durkin, President and CEO of Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4).
The closure of the center, which serves about 375 clients, is part of an overhaul of C4’s adult behavioral health systems, Durkin said.
"The services that we provide at Recovery Point could be delivered in an integrated care model,” Durkin said.
She explained that many of the clients who use programs at Recovery Point also subscribe to services at C4’s nearby 5710 N. Broadway location, and the current plan involves reassessing the needs of the community, taking another look at business and operational development and providing the “best service offering to people in the best locations.”
Still, some who work in the recovery community say they’re worried about the potential loss of services.
A volunteer at the Alano Club of North Side Chicago, a meeting spot for substance abuse support groups at 5555 N. Lincoln Ave., said Recovery Point’s closing is “not a positive thing in no way, whatsoever.”
“I understand it’s a business and it does take money,” he said. “It’s going to be a loss because the number of people who need help has not diminished. If anything, it’s increased.”
But Durkin said healthcare is only one of several layers.
“When we make changes such as we’re making at Recovery Point, we do it, we believe, in the best interests of not only the people at Recovery Point but for all the consumers we serve,” she said. “Moving them out of a single silo of substance use treatment and isolation would ultimately be better.”
Recovery Point, which employs 15 clinical staff members and three support staff, will attempt to help transition “as many people as possible” at other C4 locations that offer career openings, Durkin said. The others, she hopes, will find other jobs in the substance use and treatment industry.
In the meantime, Durkin said she realizes there will be some challenges.
“We’ll be taking a look at those consumers that will not, for whatever reason, transition into our other programs,” Durkin said. “They may not want to, or we may not have the exact services they need, but we’ll work with individual providers to make sure those needs are bet. Because we don’t want anyone to go without the services they need.”
Durkin said she knows 12-step and similar recovery programs are “important for the community” and those who utilize outpatient treatment at Recovery Point will he assisted in finding other options.
The Alano Club volunteer, who says he is in recovery, noted that the programs and skills taught to those struggling with substance abuse at Recovery Point are carried over and applied at the Alano Club. He said he believes “any and all avenues should be used” when it comes to servicing residents with drug and alcohol issues because it can make a significant impact on someone.
“On a personal note I am grateful for this [Recovery Point] program,” the volunteer said. “It has, and is helping me on a daily basis, save my life.”
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
