PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Peninsula’s only in-patient drug and alcohol treatment facility will close its doors for good on Oct. 30.
The privately run Highland Courte, which has served 3,758 patients since it opened in July 2000, simply doesn’t have enough revenue to keep the facility running, said Executive Director Suzanne Evich-Gibson.
The director blamed the economy.
Over the last year, Evich-Gibson, said the number of patients receiving state subsidized care at the 30-bed facility went from a few to a majority.
The problem for the facility, which now employs 18 people after laying off four on Sept. 4, is that the state covers only about a third of the costs, she said.
“It’s flipped around totally,” Evich-Gibson said.
As of Thursday, Evich-Gibson said there were 15 patients left. Each one will complete their treatment before the facility closes, she said.
Evich-Gibson said the loss of the facility will be noticeable in the community.
Of all of its patients, 30 percent she said have been Port Angeles residents and nearly half have been from the Peninsula.
“The fact of the matter is, we provided a service for many of the [addicts] in Port Angeles,” Evich-Gibson said.
Demand remains high
While revenue has dropped for the facility over the last year, demand for its services has not, she said.
Local patients likely will have to travel to Kitsap County to receive treatment, Evich-Gibson said.
Out of the approximately nine other in-patient facilities in the state, the next closest is in Olalla, south of Bremerton, she said.
Since Highland Courte stopped taking patients on Tuesday, the Olalla Recovery Center has noticed a slight increase in calls from potential patients, said Admissions Specialist Paris Honsowetz on Thursday.
Honsowetz said she expects those calls to increase.
“They have got to go somewhere,” she said.
But Honsowetz said the 47-bed Olalla facility is nearing capacity with 32 patients, and therefore, can’t take all of the additional calls.
She said she expects that many local patients will have to seek treatment throughout the state.
“But it’s going to max everyone out,” she said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.