ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – After years of planning, a first-of-its-kind in the region detox center is opening in Ithaca.

The Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County’s brand new 40-bed medically supervised withdrawal stabilization program facility will open in the coming weeks at 2353 North Triphammer Road. It could be transformative for addicts in the area who want to begin the path towards recovery but have had to deal with a lack of resources.

Single and double units are available

“So many times, our local agencies are calling all over upstate New York, they’re calling downstate New York, and there just aren’t any beds,” said Tompkins County Legislative Chair Shawna Black. “With that very small window, typically, if people don’t get in within a few hours, they go back to using that evening.”

The state-of-the-art facility received capital funding from the New York State Department of Health Statewide Healthcare Facility Transformation program and the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Rapid Expansion program.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand work really hard for us in Washington DC to secure funds for this building,” said Black. “There’s also been the cooperation of many local nonprofits that have really made this building happen.”

The brightly lit facility is adorned with local wildlife photography, a gym, a cafeteria, a private outdoor area, and dedicated spaces for various programs and human services. There’s a group therapy room, a workshop room, common areas with TVs, and spaces for human service organizations to use to set patients up with post-facility continuity of care and success. Patients will also have access to medical care, including a pharmacy. It will be open and fully staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

“I think what’s been missing is that whenever someone wants to go to into detox or rehab, that spot needs to be open for them at that moment, and we haven’t really had that option here in Tompkins County,” said Black. “This is something that we [the Legislature] believe will actually save lives.”

Tompkins County Whole Health Commissioner Frank Kruppa agrees.

“We’re extremely excited that the Alcohol & Drug Council has taken this project on,” said Kruppa. “It’s been a gap in our community having a location where people can enter the system and get that initial health check-up for themselves, both from a substance-use perspective but also trying to identify all of their needs so that we can best serve them even beyond this facility.”

The staff, including Executive Director of the Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County Ann Sullivan, can’t wait to get to work with patients. She said the idea for an open-access detox and stabilization program was first put on the Alcohol & Drug Council’s strategic plan in 2016.

“I’m really excited to be at this point,” said Sullivan. “It has been a long, hard labor of love to make sure we have this service locally because one of the main barriers for people seeking treatment is how far they have to go to get it.”

Officials with the Alcohol & Drug Council are hopeful the facility should be open in the coming weeks.

 

“This is the first best step for someone on their path to their determined recovery,” said Sullivan.