New recovery center in Prairie Grove will provide inpatient detox services

A new detox center in Prairie Grove, an offshoot of the Northern Illinois Recovery Center, would be the only detox and recovery-focused inpatient facility of its kind in McHenry County, a company leader said.

The company, which began in 2018, had tried to find a suitable location over the past two years before finding the location off Route 176, managing partner Chris Reed said. The Recovery Center’s first facility, at 620 Route 31, provided outpatient care.

The opening of the facility, about five miles away from the original location, will dramatically expand the center’s ability to coordinate treatment and address a current lack of resources and available treatment options in the county, Reed said.

“A lot of times somebody goes to detox and does not follow up with aftercare,” Reed said. “We wanted to create an environment attractive enough for them to stay and get help, get things back on track, so they don’t just go through detox every six months.”

The new recovery center will have 16 beds and a rotating staff of 6 to 8 on site 24 hours a day. There also will be therapists at the facility to facilitate groups, Reed said.

The furnishings and food at the facility would be “a step above” similar facilities, Reed said. The eight-acre property also has some space that could allow for construction of walking paths and trails in the future.

The Northern Illinois Recovery Center’s continuum of care allows for some patients to stabilize after detox and transition from inpatient to an outpatient program, which also provides housing, and allows patients recovering to follow up on a monthly basis.

The center can help treat any substance disorder, but Reed pointed to alcohol and opiates as particular concerns within McHenry County.

Stress and depression during the pandemic may have contributed to a 13% spike in drug use in America, including a 14% increase in alcohol consumption, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

That trend is reflected in the number of patients the Northern Illinois Recovery Center is seeing, which has been about 10 to 15 monthly, Reed said.

“There’s a misconception that our facilities are lockdown sites with barbed wire like we are housing convicts,” Reed said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. The average McHenry County resident is our patient.”

The program is entirely voluntary, with the only restrictions on admittance to the new facility being an age limit of 18 and older, Reed said.

“Look at the houses we operate and the work that we do and you can see the value that we add to the community,” Reed said.

The recovery center is currently waiting for a state license to open officially, which Reed said should come by mid-April. The center is expected to open shortly thereafter.

Information about the Northern Illinois Recovery Center can be found at northernillinoisrecovery.com.