Philadelphia is opening a new rehab center called Riverview Wellness Village to help people recovering from drug addiction.
It’s located in Northeast Philadelphia on State Road, near the city’s jail.
The center will start accepting patients this month and will have 340 beds to start, with plans to add more to reach over 600 beds later.
This is part of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s $100 million plan to fight drug issues across Philadelphia, especially in neighborhoods like Kensington.
Riverview is specifically for people who have already completed at least 30 days of treatment at another facility, and it will let them stay for up to a year to continue recovery.
The campus includes six cottages where patients will live, and these cottages have shared bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and areas for medical treatment.
There is also a large building called the Meeting House, which will be used for community activities.
Some other buildings are still under construction, but the city is also adding an additional residential building to the campus.
The center allows couples and people with pets, which removes common barriers that often stop people from getting help.
Outside organizations will handle care at Riverview, and these partnerships will provide specialized services.
Merakey, a health provider, will run addiction recovery programs.
The Black Doctors Consortium will handle medical care like basic health needs, disease treatment, and wound care.
Wound care is especially important because of a dangerous drug in the city called xylazine, or “tranq,” which causes severe injuries.
Riverview also offers activities to help people prepare for life after rehab, such as job training, cooking classes, art therapy, fitness activities, and a community garden.
Patients will also get help finding jobs to support themselves after leaving the center.
In addition to Riverview, the city will soon open a “wellness court” in Kensington.
This program will give people arrested for minor drug-related offenses the option to go to treatment instead of facing criminal charges.
Some people are concerned about this plan, saying it might force people into treatment or put extra pressure on the city’s jails, which are already understaffed.
There are still challenges to getting people into treatment.
For example, people with severe wounds from xylazine are often turned away by some rehab centers that aren’t equipped to handle complex medical needs.
Advocates say more medical services are needed to help these individuals.
Despite these concerns, Riverview Wellness Village has garnered support from major healthcare institutions, including Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jefferson University.
Leaders from these organizations have called the facility a smart and effective way to address the city’s addiction problem.
Michael A. Young, the president and CEO of Temple Health, said Riverview is an important part of a plan with many approaches to solve the opioid crisis.
While there’s still work to be done, Riverview gives more people a chance to get the help they need to recover and rebuild their lives.
