Madrona Recovery, a provider of comprehensive teen co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder treatment, will open this month in the 30,000-square-foot facility in Brush Prairie that previously housed Daybreak Youth Services.
Madrona Recovery hails from Tigard, Oregon, and provides support to teens 13-17 in their journey to recovery, making a lasting impact on the lives of those affected by co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, a news release by Madrona Recovery stated. The Brush Prairie facility will complement Madrona Recovery's established program in Tigard and will significantly enhance access to care for adolescents and their families throughout Washington state, the release adds.
“We serve teenagers, 13 to 17, for some of the more challenging, life-threatening circumstances; things like trauma, substance use, mental health, and it’s usually pretty life altering, life concerning issues that they’re coming to us with,” said John Thornton, co-founder and CEO of Madrona Recovery. “We opened up our doors about nine years ago, and about a year and a half ago, Daybreak was a facility that is currently here. The state took their license and shut down both of their programs and, in kind of a pinch, some key folks in the state of Washington who recognized that there were serious concerns about gaps in coverage for this really, really challenging group of a population of kids. They didn’t have anywhere to turn to.”
Thornton said the absence of youth services of this type stretched hospital systems and juvenile justice systems.
“There needed to be a quick understanding of what to do and address it,” he said. “And so we had some folks from major agencies, so Healthcare Authority and DOH (Department of Health), as well as key legislators who work in the realm of behavioral health, they came down, they asked us a bunch of questions about the work we do, what it would take to kind of lift this back up in meaningful ways.”
Thornton also stated via Madrona’s news release that the project to open in Brush Prairie is a powerful demonstration of bipartisan leadership in the Washington Legislature.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to Rep. Lisa Callan for securing the necessary funds, and to Rep. Monica Stonier, Sen. Paul Harris, Rep. Stephanie McClintock and Sen. Annette Cleveland, whose dedicated work for years has been pivotal in bringing critical teen residential behavioral health services back to Washington," Thornton said in the release.
Madrona Recovery views its role in recovery as a partnership with youth, their families and their communities, the release adds. Programming at the Brush Prairie facility is meticulously designed with a focus on comprehensive curricula, trauma-informed services and seamless intake and aftercare processes to ensure meaningful continuity of care, the release states.
“What our job is here now is to do a good job stabilizing kids in a short amount of time and get kids back home,” Thornton said. “Our length of stay is about 32 to 37 days, somewhere in that range is our average. So we want kids to get stable. … Our hope is to not institutionalize kids but get them a good plan to get them stable and go home. And I think that resonates very well and now our job is to carry out that mission and do it well.”
Youth and their caregivers will benefit from the support of Madrona Recovery's interdisciplinary treatment team model that consists of child psychiatrists, mental health therapists, substance use disorder counselors, case managers and front-line staff trained in trauma-informed approaches to working with youth, the release states.
“The new Brush Prairie facility represents a vital new resource for the region, addressing a critical gap in services for a vulnerable population,” the release stated. “Madrona Recovery is proud to expand its commitment to keeping young people safe and supporting them on their path to long-term success.”
Madrona’s Brush Prairie facility will be able to house up to 45 kids and will have approximately 150 staff. The facility is visible from state Route 503 just north of the intersection with Northeast Caples Road.
The new Brush Prairie facility will begin operations in mid-August. For more information on Madrona Recovery, visit madronarecovery.com.
