The Town of Wallkill planning board recently granted final approval to Resource Recovery Center of Orange County (RRCOC), a substance abuse treatment center located at the Holiday Inn on Crystal Run Road in Wallkill’s medical corridor.

Gerald Jacobowitz, senior partner with Jacobowitz and Gubits, LLC, said the center will open in about four months now that the project has gained final approval.

The rehabilitation center will open with 75 beds and phase in more beds over approximately two years to reach 190, depending on demand. Additional beds will come in increments of 20 as staffing levels increase, with 120 beds being the first benchmark.

“We anticipate demands that were gonna be up to 120 [beds] at a reasonable time, but you have to walk until you run,” Jacobowitz said.

The rehabilitation center will provide only in-patient treatment but will ensure ongoing treatment by releasing patients to out-patient programs in the area. Jacobowitz said the project has several memorandums of understanding with organizations such as Catholic Charities.

The center will offer many different treatments and therapies, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), a therapy that combines medication, behavioral and counseling therapies to treat substance abuse.

Care will be individualized to each patient, according to RRCOC’s initial application with the Wallkill planning board.

“We consider each individual situation before a personal addiction treatment plan is introduced and implemented. By utilizing a set of diverse methods of addiction treatment, we are able to deal with addiction from all angles and concentrate on every aspect of the healing process,” the application states.

Initial admitting hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The greater the amount of hours a treatment center is open for admittance, the easier it is for clients to enter the facility, including weekends and nights.

The building will continue to operate as a hotel until RRCOC opens. Jacobowitz said all staff at the hotel will be offered jobs at the new center and will have similar tasks as to when the building operated as a hotel.

Jacobowitz estimates between 20 and 30 new jobs will be added, although exact numbers are uncertain. New staff will be mostly administrative staff and licensed professionals, including medical practitioners, physiatrists, nurses, etc.

RRCOC’s location is advantageous because it’s located near many other medical facilities, it’s across from the state police station and there are several hotels and restaurants nearby for patients and their families that travel to the center.

Wallkill Ward Three Councilman Neil Meyer has been a supporter of the project since the beginning, stating the center will be a valuable resource for many people in the community who are struggling with substance abuse.

“It gives people hope,” Meyer said. “In a situation where people feel hopeless, it’s just another thing that people could be hopeful about that there is treatment available and that there are options available.”

Meyer added RRCOC will be a valuable addition to the medical corridor, creating a one-stop location for all medical needs.

President of the Tri-County Community Partnership Annette Kahrs said she was pleased to see the center approved. The anti-drug and alcohol partnership educates the public about the dangers of drug abuse and advocates for policies that treat and curb the opioid epidemic.

“I just think it’s going to be a great addition that will hopefully be very impactful for our need in our community,” Kahrs said.

The center will also be a valuable resource for Hope Not Handcuffs, a police-community partnership that provides a single point of access to treatment through local police stations. Police officers and volunteer angels—members of the community who undergo angel training—place qualifying individuals into treatment when they contact or walk into a local police station.

So far, Wallkill, Town of Montgomery and Maybrook police departments have committed to opening a Hope Not Handcuffs chapter.