Eight new beds for substance abuse recovery patients to replace half of those lost with the closure of Rainforest Recovery Center one month ago are now in place at Gastineau Human Services, which the nonprofit celebrated along with the remodeling of the building housing its behavioral health clinic during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

Four of the new residential treatment beds are already being used by people in recovery at Gastineau Human Services’ multi-program campus in Lemon Creek, Executive Director Jonathan Swinton said in an interview before the ceremony. He said the remaining four will likely be occupied during the coming weeks, but since the additional space means working with more staff and making other adjustments “we’re being responsible with how quickly we fill those.”

Rainforest Recovery Center was unexpectedly closed Sept. 24 by Bartlett Regional Hospital as a cost-cutting move. Hospital leaders in previous months had evaluated the close as part of a series of actions to patch a large budget deficit, but the Juneau Assembly had given preliminary approval in September to $500,000 in funding intended to keep the center open during the coming months — with the idea of allowing time for a smooth handoff to another operator such as Gastineau Human Services.

But resignations of multiple Rainforest employees due to a seeming lack of long-term job security were cited by then-CEO Ian Worden in his decision to close the center on short notice.

Jonathan Swinton, executive director of Gastineau Human Services, shows the living space of a newly opened four-bed apartment for residential substance abuse treatment patients Thursday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

The Assembly responded with a proposal to redirect the $500,000 to Gastineau Human Services for its expansion, with an ordinance for those funds sent Monday to the Assembly’s Finance Committee. Meanwhile, Swinton said the nonprofit greatly accelerated the planned expansion of its 19-bed residential treatment program that opened a year ago, with the eight beds opening now instead of January as originally anticipated.

“We have had to move a number of offices out of spaces that were being used as offices that we’ve now transitioned to be living spaces,” he said. “We’ve hired an additional clinical supervisor, an additional clinician, we’ve hired additional case managers, we’re still hiring for a couple of additional case managers.”

Bartlett donated lots of furniture, much of it being used in the two four-bed apartments in the building housing the expanded residential treatment space, which also includes a community room for activities ranging from yoga to group therapy sessions, Swinton said. The other 19 beds are in two buildings elsewhere on Gastineau Human Services’ 10-building campus.

The eight beds are essentially meant to provide capacity for the local residents treated at Rainforest Recovery Center since half of the patients there came from outside Juneau. However, a point of contention among some hospital staff and other officials is Rainforest offered “high-intensity” residential treatment (medically defined as Level 3.5) compared to the “low-intensity” treatment (Level 3.1) offered by the nonprofit.

Swinton has stated previously he estimates “5% to 10% of the typical referrals that comes into us need to have a higher level of care than we can figure out how to manage.” The American Society for Addiction Medicine, in setting its criteria for levels of care, states “that only clients experiencing severe acute withdrawal or those with high-complexity medical issues” require high-intensity residential care.

One potential upside for residents staying in the just-opened apartments at Gastineau Human Services rather than Rainforest Recovery is they are largely able to live independently, Swinton said.

“When people come and live in this program they cook their own food (and) do their own laundry because the idea of a 3.1 program is to have them prepared in all aspects of their life,” he said. (Level) 3.5 may not have some of those components because it’s really about stabilizing their substance use.”

The ribbon-cutting Thursday was for the nonprofit’s remodeled Mount Juneau Counseling and Recovery building, where other social services such as crisis intervention, medication monitoring and various types of counseling are available.

“Opening this newly remodeled clinic is an important step for Mount Juneau Counseling and Recovery,” Swinton said in remarks to about 40 people gathered at the event. “With it, we will continue to assist the expanding community substance use and mental health treatment needs.”

He also noted “it will be a hub of assistance as we move forward with our long-term recovery housing development project,” referring to a 51-unit apartment complex for people with low incomes that is now being developed.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.