April 18, 2024
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Northern Illinois Recovery to open Prairie Grove detox, residential services center

New facility a ‘step in the right direction’ for local access to substance abuse in recovery, Northern Illinois Recovery Managing Partner Chris Reed says

By Katie Smith
Northern Illinois Recovery Center managing partner Chris Reed, front, poses for a photo with (back, from left:) Director of Finance Lee Ann Rodriguez, Operations Director Jesse Cervantes, Clinical Supervisor Jenny Wagner, and Clinical Director Caitlyn McClure at their newly purchased facility located at 2602 Route 176 on Friday, May 7, 2021, in Prairie Grove. The building is currently occupied by Dorian Gray Professional Wealth Advisors but will become a 16-bed, 30-day residential detox facility for the NIRC.

Northern Illinois Recovery Center managing partner Chris Reed, front, poses for a photo with (back, from left:) Director of Finance Lee Ann Rodriguez, Operations Director Jesse Cervantes, Clinical Supervisor Jenny Wagner, and Clinical Director Caitlyn McClure at their newly purchased facility located at 2602 Route 176 on Friday, May 7, 2021, in Prairie Grove. The building is currently occupied by Dorian Gray Professional Wealth Advisors but will become a 16-bed, 30-day residential detox facility for the NIRC. (Matthew Apgar)

Prairie Grove is slated to house McHenry County’s first detox and residential services center for those on the road to recovering from addiction.

The village’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a special use permit April 13 that allows the Northern Illinois Recovery Center to operate a detox center and residential services facility at 2602 Route 176.

Until now, the NIRC had to refer its patients to out-of-county detox services, often placing further strain on the recovery process, said Chris Reed, managing partner at NIRC.

“I think that it’s just another step in the right direction,” Reed said. “McHenry County has made mental health and substance abuse [recovery] a priority for a long time, and I think that this is just another piece to the overall puzzle, and we’re happy to play a part in it. We’re just excited to be able to deliver these services in a quality environment.”

An official opening date had not been determined as of Thursday.

The 7,000-square-foot property sits on about 7 acres of land that previously housed Professional Wealth Advisors LLC. The 14- to 16-bed facility likely will employ a medical director, physician assistant, 24-hour nursing staff, therapists, a psychiatrist and behavioral technicians, among others, Reed said.

“For us, it’s great because it pretty much gets us to the whole continuum of care,” Reed said.

The “continuum of care” refers to services available to those in recovery from the moment they choose to get clean and through their reintegration with daily, sober life.

For some, that first step to recovery involves a medically assisted detoxification process, NIRC Clinical Director Caitlyn McClure said.

“There’s some substances that have really dangerous side effects,” McClure said. “Alcohol and benzodiazepines specifically have some pretty serious effects on the body as people go through withdrawal.”

Once patients complete the detox process, they’ll have the option to receive further residential services through NIR.

“There’s some folks who just because they’ve passed through detox doesn’t mean they’re not still experiencing some withdrawal symptoms,” McClure said.

Residential services provide around-the-clock support that can help motivate patients to stick with their recovery immediately post-detox, she said.

“They need someone to be there to support that decision, in the moment, that they’re willing to make it,” McClure said. “Adding detox and residential allows us to be supportive from that very first moment.”

The Prairie Grove center also has the potential to serve surrounding counties. Having access to services that are closer to a patient’s community and support system only increases their chances of a successful recovery, Reed said.

“There’s not really anything that close to us that offers detox,” Reed said, adding that some of the nearest existing facilities are in Rockford and Park Ridge.

“The success rate for somebody staying sober goes up pretty significantly if someone can participate in the full continuum of care,” Reed said.

The NIRC will continue to refer clients to out-of-county detox services until the local center is up and running, he said.

“Once it’s open, we anticipate it being relatively full. Otherwise we wouldn’t be doing it,” Reed said.

Anyone seeking recovery services in the interim can call the Northern Illinois Recovery Center at 855-786-1978.