From our humble beginnings nearly 50 years ago on a ranch near Grants Pass, Oregon, Addictions Recovery Center has a long history of expanding to meet the need for comprehensive substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services in Southern Oregon.
In the late 1960s, with little money and tremendous optimism, Mariam Kelley and her husband David envisioned a treatment program that would provide relief, support and tools for veterans suffering from alcohol addiction. Thus was born the “Alcohol Rehabilitation Center”.
In the 1970s the center moved to Gold Hill and became a non-profit organization. It was around this time the agency increased its capacity for men, and expanded to incorporate inpatient treatment for women.
As the area’s population increased, agency leadership recognized a growing need for not only alcohol treatment, but also services for those struggling with other addiction problems. In 1986, the organization officially became Addictions Recovery Center (ARC) and soon began shifting focus to fully embrace our function as a behavioral health service provider.
In 1989 ARC moved again – this time to Medford – and in just a few years added outpatient treatment services to its growing continuum of care. About this time ARC also expanded services to include no-cost gambling treatment for individuals and families, DUII classes, and sobering services for the entirety of Jackson County. By 2006 we had added limited transition housing to our services and launched a stand-alone Walk-In Assessment Clinic to better facilitate client’s access to care.
In Fall of 2015, and in response to community need, ARC launched the only medically-monitored detox services offered south of Eugene (since opening we’ve grown capacity from 8 beds to 10). In December of that year, we bought a 4-building campus on East Main Street in Medford, giving us 24,000 square feet in which to continue expanding programs and grow capacity. In April 2016, we launched a mental health treatment program for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. The following year, we purchased an adjacent building, adding 15,000 square feet to our East Main Campus. This space was adapted to house our Walk-In Clinic, outpatient services, and, ultimately, an Addiction Medicine Clinic to start providing medication-assisted treatment.
In June of 2019, ARC launched Reddy House Residential Treatment Center for Women and New Mothers. This added 14 new residential treatment beds to our area, while allowing us to expand and convert our existing 25-bed center to a men’s treatment facility. Looking forward, we are planning to launch a drop-in Engagement and Mobile Response Center. This will allow us to build better connections with those contemplating treatment, as well as meet with potential clients in the community to let them know a life in recovery is within reach.