LRADAC Opens New Richland County Facility
February 24, 2010
COLUMBIA, SC – February 24, 2010 – LRADAC held a grand opening ceremony on February 23 for its new 60,000 square-foot facility on Colonial Drive that combines the services and staff now located in three different offices throughout Richland County.
LRADAC is the designated alcohol and drug abuse authority for Lexington and Richland Counties. The private, non-profit agency offers a wide array of prevention, intervention and treatment programs in locations convenient to residents of both counties. The agency has a budget of approximately $8 million and serves more than 4,500 clients per year. LRADAC’s programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF); licensed by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC); and certified by the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS). Prevention and treatment staff members are professionals who are licensed, credentialed or privileged to provide services.
This is the dawn of a new day, said Debbie Francis, LRADAC’s President and CEO. We had a vision more than ten years ago for a new building that would help us to better serve our clients, and today is the culmination of that vision.
LRADAC worked closely with its community partners to identify a location suitable to meet the needs of its clients and staff. The new multi-level facility is located on Colonial Drive near downtown Columbia, providing easy access for clients, referring agencies and community partners. The building is convenient to Palmetto Health Richland Hospital, Columbia Area Mental Health and public transportation bus lines.
The multi-level facility has three main entrances. The main entry area allows access for all prevention and outpatient treatment services. A separate emergency entrance dedicated to the detoxification unit allows for the privacy and safety of clients in need of immediate attention and access for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and law enforcement. A third entrance is for administrative staff and public training events in the agency’s new 120-seat Education Center, which will be available for rent by community groups.
Today, we have a building that adds to the therapeutic environment and reflects the quality of services we provide, said Francis. This building will show our clients the respect they deserve for tackling their addiction. We are so proud to have an atmosphere that will promote recovery, engage families in supporting recovery and increase our community’s awareness of substance abuse and addiction.
Two features in particular were designed for easy access to the community. LRADAC’s Community Resource Center, equipped with a computer lab, will make information available to those seeking to understand and act to decrease the prevalence of alcohol and substance abuse. LRADAC’s Education Center will allow the agency to offer educational programs to the community and clinical training on alcohol and substance abuse to professionals both inside and outside of South Carolina’s statewide treatment system.
In addition to incorporating building features designed for better client and community services, LRADAC is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the new facility. This rating system provides a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction which not only helps ensure that the facility is environmentally safe, but also that the mechanical systems are energy efficient to lower operating expenses over the lifetime of the building. The finishes selected – from the brick exterior to the resilient flooring products – are not only low maintenance, they are visually appealing to help provide the warm, welcoming atmosphere which will be more appealing to prospective clients.
The construction of the new facility has been a major project for the Midlands by providing jobs for more than 150 individuals over the past two years. LRADAC intentionally selected local architects LTC and Associates; local construction company Mashburn Construction; and a majority of the subcontractors and vendors from Lexington or Richland Counties.
The new facility contains square footage comparable to LRADAC’s currently occupied facilities at 1325 Harden Street and 1800 St. Julian Place. However, because staff members were able to design the floor plan and traffic flow to meet their service needs, the new building offers a much more efficient use of the footage and gives the agency a great deal of flexibility in the use of space, particularly in the client service areas.
The cost of the building is approximately $12.2 million which includes $11 million for the facility itself and $1.2 million for the five-acre property adjacent to the Columbia Area Mental Health facility on Colonial Drive. LRADAC partnered with Richland County and the State to obtain substantial funding for this project. Richland County Council approved a $4 million bond issue and the State of South Carolina provided $5.15 million. Existing resources will be redirected and additional financing secured to obtain the balance needed.
LRADAC’s prevention, intervention and treatment programs spread the message that there is hope and that substance abuse and addiction are preventable and treatable, said Francis. Now we will be able to offer our clients an appropriately designed facility that will honor their dignity and respect their commitment to recovery from addiction.
LRADAC’s staff will begin moving into the building the first week in March.
To learn more about the agency’s programs, visit http://www.lradac.org/.
