KENT RECOVERY CENTER GROWS, ADDS DETOX FACILITY
KENT — A detox facility, a more than 200-seat auditorium and increased space are some the changes coming to High Watch Recovery Center with its more than $20 million expansion.
The center, at 62 Carter Road in Kent, will nearly double in size and offer many more services — one of which is a detox facility containing 12 detox beds that officials say is greatly needed to reduce barriers to treatment.
The new addition will also include a nursing area, office space, and space for group sessions and therapy. There will also be a 216-seat auditorium, offering education for families of those with addiction.
“We do a family education workshop. Involving the family in the recovery process is very important,” said Jason Perillo, High Watch chief marketing officer. “This space will allow us to expand those family education workshops.”
Education for clinicians will be provided, as well. Experts will be brought in from around the country to do very specialized training.
At 45,000 square feet, the center is adding six buildings totaling 43,000 square feet. The cost of the expansion is over $20 million. A grand opening is planned for March after almost two years of construction.
The need
One-third of High Watch guests need detox treatment, which involves getting those who are substance use dependent ready for recovery. It’s intended for those experiencing withdrawal symptoms and who can benefit from a higher level of medical observation, Perillo said.
“It generally lasts from five to 10 days,” he added.
The idea of providing a detox facility at High Watch was conceived in 2017.
“The immediate need being that we offer inpatient residential treatment but we don’t have detox treatment, and we find that is a barrier for a lot of guests,” Perillo said. “For a lot of folks, it is an easy way to say, ‘Well, then I don’t need treatment.’”
Those needing detox are referred to outside facilities that High Watch trusts and ones that have a good reputation, Perillo said.
“Sometimes that is in Connecticut and sometimes that is out of state,” Perillo said. “Then, the guest will come back to us for their long term inpatient treatment.”
Not being able to offer detox services became an inconvenience and a barrier for many guests, Perillo said.
“High Watch felt as though we needed to make it easier for our guests to get the full continuum of care that they need,” he said.
To be able to add the detox beds, High Watch had to apply to the state through a Certificate of Need process. Health care providers are required to obtain state approval prior to making major changes in their healthcare landscape, according to the state website.
High Watch’s application was approved in 2020.
Having the detox facility “really breaks down a barrier to care in that we will be able to treat individuals in the first days of their recovery,” Perillo said.
High Watch, which has 160 employees, can also benefit from the additional space that’s being added, Perillo said.
“We’ve been cramped for space for a long time,” he said. “Right now, we have clinicians and employees working in portable offices in trailer space.”
Also, at any given time, High Watch is at full capacity, with a waiting list.
To help run the new services, High Watch is bringing on some additional employees, including nurses and clinicians.
‘Rural character’
When planning the design of the new addition, Perillo said it was very
important that High Watch, which was founded on a farm in 1939, blend in with the surrounding neighborhood. The facility is being constructed on land that had been open space.
“Carter Road has a rural character. The buildings that we’ve added really fit the rural character of the neighborhood,” he said.
There’ll be farmhouses and barns, and a communal space that resembles a silo.
“We take great pride in our campus but also in the community,” Perillo added.
He said the demand for mental healthcare has increased significantly over the years. There has been additional need brought about from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
He added “the shrinking sigma” behind substance use disorder has encouraged more people than ever to seek treatment.
“There has been a slow but sustained societal understanding that substance use disorder is a treatable disease, not some avoidable vice,” Perillo said. “Thankfully, one important result is that those struggling with the disease as well as their families are more willing to come forward to seek the help they need.”
Aside from recovery services, High Watch has recently expanded to offer additional services to the public such as Wilson’s Bakery & Cafe, which opened last year and employs only those who are in recovery from substance abuse disorder. Also, the center offers a COVID-19 vaccination clinic that’s open most days of the week, year round.
“We are all thrilled that we are going to be able to do so much more for our guests and so much more education and training for clinicians in the area,” Perillo said.