COLUMBIA, Missouri (KMIZ)
The former site of a Columbia children’s center has been sold to Burrell Behavioral Health, with plans to turn it into a behavioral health facility.
Burrell Behavior Health announced in a news release Tuesday that it purchased the assets at 1611 Towne Drive, which was the former home of Rainbow House.
Rainbow House had been active in Colombia since 1986, but closed its doors in September due to what its president Tyler Willy called at the time “critical decisions made outside of board-approved guidelines” that put the organization in a “financially unsustainable situation. ” . “position. “
The land was sold to Little Dixie Construction before Burrell and his parent company closed on the property.
Burrell North Central Region President, Mat Gass says Burrell had an idea of building a facility like this for several years but was waiting to find the right location. He added that the group was cognizant of Rainbow House’s impact on the community, claiming Burrell waited to inquire about the property until it became clear a children’s center was no longer in the cards.
The 1. 49-acre assets will now be converted into an adult-only residential facility for individuals undergoing treatment for behavioral health issues. A spokeswoman for the organization said no such systems currently exist in Boone County or Mid-Missouri.
The CDC estimates that one in five adults in the United States suffers from an intellectual illness. However, according to the 2023 Boone County Health Assessment, the county had only one intellectual fitness provider for every 230 Boone County residents, making it mandatory to access more care in the community.
“We’ve been looking at housing gaps in the community for the last few years and this is an opportunity for us to help solve one of those housing needs,” Gass said. “We’re really structuring housing around individuals that have some pretty complex mental health challenges and this center is really designated to fill that gap as well as keep people out of the hospital.”
Gass says the program is entirely voluntary. People who reached this status quo would live there for six months to two years. During their time at the facility, Americans will work with a therapist while learning the skills needed to live independently.
“They would have 24-hour residential support and receive teaching and training around taking their medications or learning how to clean their apartment or cook their own meals,” Gass said.
The facility is across from a daycare and is surrounded by property, but Gass believes the facility will pose little threat.
“Statistically, other people have found that people with intellectual aptitude problems are more likely to be victims of crime than to commit anything that could be considered aggressive,” Gass said. “Clinical staff will conduct tests to make sure other people are located in the right rooms. »
According to a release from Burrell, the facility will have 16 bedrooms designed to house one person per room. Clients can stay anywhere from six weeks to two years while they seek treatment. However the facility is not designed to be a replacement for psychiatric hospitalizes designed for permanent residence.
Burrell says the first clients will begin moving in for treatment in late spring.
Mitchell Kaminski is from Wheaton, Illinois. He earned a degree in sports communication and journalism from Bradley University. He has done radio play-by-play and co-hosts a Chicago White Sox podcast.
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