|
Lotus will hire for 60 positions with an average salary of $55,000, and the required construction will bring additional jobs to the area
|
|
CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice announced today that Lotus Recovery Centers, a subsidiary of Lotus Healthcare Group, has purchased the old Bath High School in downtown Berkeley Springs and will perform a $3 million renovation to the building, converting it into an all-new residential substance use treatment center to serve the citizens of Morgan County.
“This wonderful group – Lotus – what they're doing and how they're stepping up with this announcement today is really special,” Gov. Justice said. “I am so proud of the work they're doing.
|
|
“You know, this terrible drug epidemic has almost cannibalized us in West Virginia,” Gov. Justice continued. “We've got so many people that are really hurting. If we can someway, somehow bring them back to the lives that they had before they went down this path, what an incredible accomplishment that would be. We need them back, that’s just all there is to it.”
The three-story, 30,000-square-foot building will house nearly 100 patients for 30-to-60-day stays and provide them with all levels of care; including detox and stabilization services, as well as other evidence-based treatment modalities, such as medication-assisted treatment, psychiatric treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions, and strategies that have been proven to lead to long-term recovery.
The development project will spur job creation. Lotus will hire for 60 positions with an average salary of $55,000, and the required construction will bring additional jobs to the area.
“It's great stuff. It's going to have a real impact on our state, our economy, and so many different things,” Gov. Justice said. “But, more than anything, it will have an impact on the lives of people. I just don't know how you could feel better than when you get to touch a life – when you get to really, genuinely change a life – it's just unbelievable.”
|
|
------
About Lotus Recovery Centers
Lotus Recovery Centers is a
behavioral healthcare organization that provides patients with
high-quality services and evidence-based treatment methods designed to
improve the lives of those with the disease of addiction. We currently
operate in West Virginia and Delaware. For more information, please
visit us at LotusRecoveryCenters.com.
------
Each patient at the new facility will be assigned a case manager, who will focus on their social determinants of health and provide resources for challenging situations that may arise, which will lead to treatment engagement long after the patient has been discharged.
With 24/7 admissions and the acceptance of all insurance providers – including Medicaid – Lotus officials say they hope to help alleviate the impact of the substance use crisis gripping the state.
“Our mission at Lotus is to improve the lives of patients, their families and communities through quality evidence-based treatment delivered by medical professionals who are deeply invested in each patient’s recovery and well-being,” said Ryan Collison, CEO of Lotus Recovery Centers. “By administering treatment that encompasses substance use, mental health and primary care for the individual, patients and communities-at-large will see an extraordinary benefit in many aspects.
“As we’ve seen over the past year, addiction is affecting an astonishing amount of people,” Collison continued. “A different, more robust approach to substance use disorder is needed, and Lotus Recovery Centers is at the forefront of bettering the way this disease is treated.”
Other officials with Lotus Recovery Centers joined Gov. Justice for Wednesday’s virtual announcement.
“Thank you, Governor, to your administration and literally everyone across the state that we've encountered that have been extremely supportive of our projects; people that share our mission, people that frankly share a lot of the concerns...about the loss of lives, the loss of community, and just the devastation that this opioid crisis has caused, not only in West Virginia, but across the entire country,” said David Stup, Chief Marketing Officer of Lotus Recovery Centers. “What we do is we not only create hope for those that are suffering from addiction, but we create stable jobs. When we come into communities, we reduce crime and we help our communities flourish.”
|
|
|
“I want to thank you, Governor, for allowing us to be on such an honored platform...We appreciate all you have done and we also appreciate the fact that you have not forgotten that the opioid crisis is something that needs to be addressed, and we are forever grateful that this is still on the forefront of your agenda,” said Jonathan Frazier, Executive Director of Lotus Recovery Center of Comfort. “We want to ensure that everyone that needs treatment has access to it, but we also want to contribute to a successful economy in West Virginia to where our children's children can grow up and be proud and not have to leave to experience the American Dream. That's why we are here in West Virginia.”
|
|
As a county-owned facility, the old Bath High School had served as a successful community center in Berkeley Springs For more than 40 years.
“It's always been a facility where community services have occurred, so we're excited that the building will be renovated and given a new purpose in life,” said Morgan County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Lyn Goodwin. “Economic development projects don't happen overnight. The Morgan County EDA and the former director, Daryl Cowles, have been working for more than three years to redevelop the old Bath High School building and property, so we're excited that it's coming to fruition. We see the purchase of this property by Lotus Recovery Centers for a new inpatient treatment center as a win for Morgan County and the entire community.”
|
|
|
“I just want to thank Governor Justice for lending your support to this event and this news that we have today,” said Morgan County Commission President Joel Tuttle. “We've lost far too many of our citizens to overdose deaths. We've lost sons and daughters and mothers and fathers. We all know that just one is too many, but we've certainly had our fair share of loss and heartache here in Morgan County and that’s part of the reason why we're so excited about this announcement today to bring inpatient rehab right here to Morgan County.”
|
|
In 2020, Lotus also purchased the former Comfort Motel in the Comfort community in Boone County.
Lotus is in the process of converting the 13,000-square-foot hotel into a full-service residential treatment center that will operate in an identical manner to the facility at the old Bath High School. Minor renovations are currently nearing completion and the hiring process has begun for the approximately 40 staff members that will support the center’s operations.
The Boone County facility is expected to open and begin treating its first patients by July 2021.
|
|
“I am thankful that the Lotus Recovery Center is coming here to help,” said Boone County Commissioner Jacob Messer. “After talking with them on multiple occasions, I truly believe the Lotus Recovery Center and its leaders will be wonderful partners and strong supporters of our schools and communities. I believe they will have a very positive presence here that will result in the betterment of our county and I look forward to working with them to empower our citizens and improve our communities, and I truly believe, if we all work together, we can help people and change lives. So thank you, Lotus, and thank you, Governor Justice.”
|
|
|
|
Click above to watch video previewing Boone County facility
|
|
|
|