Last week, a private foundation announced its commitment to making a $30 million investment in four new drug addiction treatment centers in Decatur, Illinois.
The money will allow for the implementation of a number of different services that will mainly assist local low-income community members struggling with substance use disorders in Macon County, where Decatur is located.
The investment comes from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and was announced by its Chairman and CEO Howard Buffet, the oldest son of the billionaire investor Warren Buffet, on August 8.
During the occasion, he stated that the $30 million will be addressing the wellness of the community “at multiple levels.”
The healthcare provider that will be in charge of operating the four new addiction treatment centers is Crossing Healthcare, an organization that already has been offering primary outpatient addiction treatment services to the Decatur community in five different locations.
The four new treatment centers will be offering programs to people struggling with substance use disorders of different types.
One center will offer drug detoxification services to up to eight patients as well as inpatient rehabilitation programs to approximately 50 people. Another facility will accommodate 64 individuals who are transitioning to their regular lives after reaching sobriety. Outpatient addiction treatment services are going to be offered in one of the buildings while another building will serve as the site for the operations of an early childhood development group.
Patients will have access to several amenities including a park, cinema, gym, and educational sessions.
The facilities will be centered in one main campus located north to the downtown area of Decatur that will be built with the money provided by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
The foundation’s CEO — who has volunteered for the Sheriff’s Office of Macon County for years and was sworn in as the Sheriff of the county about a year ago — also highlighted that the capital should be able to assist the local county jail and law enforcement officials tackle the challenges caused by substance abuse and addiction.
The recent investment is one of several other charitable donations provided to the state by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation since its creation. The organization was established in 1999 with the mission to catalyze change in different geographies by providing investments to three main areas: conflict mitigation, public safety, and food security. Since then, it has allocated millions of dollars to different projects and measures implemented throughout Illinois.
The economic impact of the new drug addiction treatment centers is expected to be of approximately $14 million per year. The construction of the entire campus is estimated to employ roughly 200 people and take between 18 months to two years.
During last week’s announcement, Decatur officials highlighted that they are going to attempt to make every necessary arrangement with the city planning commission as well as the city council to get the construction started as soon as possible.
Author: Livia Areas-Holmblad
Livia Holmblad is an editor at Addiction Now and covers breaking news, features and everything in between. She moved to SoCal after living in NYC for about 10 years, where she worked for VICE and SinoVision as a writer, editor, host, producer, and director. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Contact Livia at liviah@addictionnow.com
