After nearly a year, the former LHP Engineering building in the Columbus AirPark has been renovated to provide inpatient services for adult men and women suffering from substance use disorder.
Indiana Treatment Centers will hold an open house for its 54-bed facility from noon until 2 p.m. on Thursday. The facility is at 1888 Poshard Drive, on the west side of Central Avenue across from Ivy Tech Community College.
“It will significantly increase the number of recovery beds,” said Sherri Jewett, executive director of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County. “We’re still not meeting all the needs, but we have made very good progress there.”
Addiction specialists will be on hand at the open house to provide insights into the center’s programs and answer questions. Local professionals are being urged to attend the event, which includes tours and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new inpatient facility is a collaborative effort between the centers, Ascension Recovery Services and Nelson Construction and Development, according to Ascension Senior Director Morgan Henson. Her company will be managing the center, she confirmed.
“The opening of the new facility is a significant step towards providing essential resources to the community, especially at a time when the need for effective addiction treatment is growing,” said Merry Beth Sheets, executive director of Indiana Treatment Centers.
The opioid crisis and rising rates of addiction to other substances continue to affect communities across the country, resulting in significant public health challenges, Henson stated.
According to recent data, the need for accessible and effective treatment options that includes medical detoxification, medication-assisted treatment and residential care, has become more critical than ever, she said.
The new Indiana Treatment Centers facility will offer a range of evidence-based services designed to support individuals to a lasting recovery, Henson said. The programs will be tailored to meet the unique needs of each patient, she added.
While Ascension has its corporate offices in Orlando, Florida, the company is no stranger to our area. Ascension operates six recovery homes in Bartholomew County and has worked with Columbus Regional Health on some initiatives, Morgan said.
After going to the Bartholomew County Council in late 2023, a division of Ascension was allocated a portion of the county’s opioid settlement funds to help fund several different programs, Jewett said. One was for youth prevention activity, while another allowed Thrive Alliance to purchase a building for Centerstone to operate a Level 3 recovery residence, the ASAP director said.
Ascension also requested startup funds for Indiana Recovery Services to open up some Level 2 recovery homes, according to Jewett. Two have already been opened, and the third is set to open early next year, she added.
A listing of county property sales put the price of the modern, two-story former headquarters building at $8.1 million, although Morgan said she’s not certain what was included in that price.
“I don’t want to say this was a lengthy renovation project, but it is a large building,” she said.
Situated on a two-and-a-half acres site, the land is leased by the Columbus Board of Aviation. Besides LHP Engineering Solutions and LHP Software Co., other past tenants have included TLS Net and People Mover.
Indiana Treatment Centers will be the sole occupants of the building, Henson said.
The lease was transferred to Indiana Recovery Real Estate LLC a year ago this month for the purpose of creating the new recovery center, an airport spokeswoman confirmed.
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Mark Webber is a reporter for The Republic. He can be reached at mwebber@therepublic.com or 812-379-5636.