By Debbie Carson, Online Editor
VERO BEACH — The Board of Directors of Hanley Hall, the only non-profit addiction treatment center in the area, announced last Thursday it would be closing the facility. The center, which opened in 2005, will cease operations this week.
“We’re disappointed but we’re not discouraged,” Mike Hanley, a member of the board and the son of two of three founders of Hanley Hall, told VeroNews.com Thursday afternoon.
The center will begin transferring its clients this week to other treatment facilities. Over the years, the center has helped 550 to 600 people regain control over their addictions. The treatment center has historically relied heavily of donations from generous residents to keep the cost of treatment low. The board of directors cite the severe economic recession as the reason behind closing the center’s doors.
“We will always be grateful for the community support and dedicated staff that allowed Hanley Hall to provide necessary care for those seeking recovery from addiction,” said George F. Hamner, Sr., chairman of the board, in a prepared statement.
Though Hanley Hall is closing, the board expects to continue its efforts to seek solutions that may allow them to open a new center to help those suffering from addiction in Indian River County. The board is already in discussions with a nationally known addiction treatment facility.
Hanley said it is too soon to release what facilities they are talking with.
“Rest assured, our people are hard at work,” Hanley said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to come back into the community with another program.”
The staff at Hanley Hall will have to seek their own employment, according to Hanley. The center is an independent non-profit and as such does not have affiliations with other facilities staff could be transferred to.
“We understand that there is a need for these services in the Treasure Coast and we will do everything we can to ensure that those who need help can continue to receive it,” Hamner said.
Hanley said that if not for the support of the Vero Beach and Indian River County communities, the center could not have assisted as many people as it did for as long as it has.
“We thank them for all their help,” he said, adding that it is his hope that they will continue their support in the future once another program is established.
Hanley Hall is located at 3395 11th Court in Vero Beach. The facility “strives to meet the needs of the working class by making treatment accessible and affordable,” according to it’s Web site, www.HanleyHall.com. “Our guiding principles are based in the time honored steps and traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, which recognize that a daily practice of lifelong abstinence from all addictive substances is necessary to put this disease in remission.”