Addiction treatment facility opens near Campton Hills
The doors opened this week on the most controversial business development in unincorporated Kane County's recent history.
The Recovery Centers of America addiction treatment facility, on the former Glenwood School site on Silver Glen Road near Campton Hills, began accepting patients Tuesday. That kicked off an introduction to the community where neighbors who fought against the plan will see if their worst fears come true or if the business proves to be the bonus to the area it promised to become.
The getting-to-know-you period will be strained by the COVID-19 pandemic. Center officials planned to have town hall-style meetings and public tours of the facility upon opening. Gov. J.B. Pritzker's pandemic safety protocols will postpone those gatherings.
Likewise, the new facility has space set aside for community meetings and events, but those will not be accessible to the public during the current restrictions - for the safety of the community and the patients.
"We very much want to be available to our neighbors and other community members who have questions," CEO Karen Wolownik Albert said in an email interview. "RCA is excited to be part of this community and the area recovery community. We hope to soon be able to host guests."
RCA officials are encouraging the community to ask questions and schedule future tours and event bookings by sending emails to RCAstcharlescommunity@recoverycoa.com.
Neighbors have had plenty of questions about what the facility has to offer. Those were on public display during nearly two years of public hearings, zoning votes and lawsuits. Campton Hills officials and the Kane County Board fought against the plan.
The controversy is similar to what's happening now in Itasca, where residents are opposing Haymarket Center's proposal to open a 240-bed drug and alcohol treatment center in a former hotel on Irving Park Road.
In Kane County, county officials settled a federal discrimination lawsuit filed against it for more than $5 million in the summer of 2018.
That battle was waged against a different ownership group, Maxxam. RCA bought the property shortly after the settlement and met with public officials in private in hopes of a fresh start.
County board member Barbara Wojnicki opposed the project and received a private tour last week. She noted the lead medical director, Dr. Stephen Holtsford, has strong community roots and decades of emergency room experience at Delnor Hospital.
"Everything was very, very impressive and very secure," Wojnicki said. "They will have 24-hour nursing care in each of the residential villas. I really like what they have done so far. I don't think it will be any threat to the neighboring homeowners."
There were reasons neighbors may be concerned even with the ownership change. Three years ago, state officials in Massachusetts forced RCA to surrender its license and shot down admissions at a treatment facility it operated in Danvers.
An investigation co-reported by The Boston Globe "uncovered evidence of shoddy care and turmoil," including employee complaints that patients were having sex with each other and not being kept safe. Two patients died at the 72-bed facility.
Company officials said they learned a lot from that, took corrective action and have since seen the Danvers facility ranked as one of the top five best addiction treatment centers in the country by Newsweek.
The new RCA facility near Campton Hills has 120 beds and has received an endorsement from Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon. The statement shows how much local officials have changed their perspective.
McMahon led the legal defense against the Maxxam proposal on behalf of the county. The settlement the county paid fueled accusations by county board Chairman Chris Lauzen that McMahon's efforts were "flaccid."
"A facility of this kind is greatly needed," McMahon wrote in a statement provided by RCA. "Over the months of interaction with RCA, our office has been impressed with the quality of your program in other communities and the competency of the representatives with whom we have worked. I am confident this facility will provide services for the benefit of our community."
Wolownik Albert said those services are needed now more than ever. COVID-19 quarantine and distancing measures have exasperated the self-isolation that is part of addiction, she said. It's also hampered support networks like addiction recovery groups.
"Opioid overdoses are on the rise in Illinois and across the country," she said. "Problematic alcohol use is also increasing. We have refined our protocols to continue to serve patients during the pandemic. Patients are tested at admission, and we have protocols in place to significantly reduce the risk of transmission while continuing to provide treatment and care to our patients."