Radix Recovery launches outpatient services at former Higley Mansion

CEDAR RAPIDS — A new substance abuse provider is bolstering recovery options for area residents while also bringing renewed life to a historic Cedar Rapids building.

Radix Recovery opened this spring for outpatient substance abuse treatment at 860 17th St. SE in the former Higley Mansion, and construction continues to transform the historic structure’s upper levels into a residential rehab facility.

“Our goal is to offer the entire spectrum of care,” said Radix Recovery CEO Jacob Christenson. “Once the whole program is put together and things are finished (with construction and staffing), we will be able to offer everything from detox to inpatient stays to outpatient” recovery services.

Radix aims to launch its inpatient unit this fall with plans for 68 beds in total, Christenson said, and an average inpatient stay will range from 30 to 90 days, depending on an individual’s treatment and therapy needs.

Inpatient options will complement the rehab center’s ongoing outpatient services for individuals who do not wish to pursue inpatient treatment and/or those who are farther along in their recovery journey.

All of the facility’s services are voluntary — meaning participants willingly choose to enter the program and pay for treatment — and include a focus on holistic, trauma-informed approaches to substance abuse recovery.

“It’s exciting and complicated at the same time because one of the things we want is to set ourselves as the premier provider in Iowa” for substance abuse recovery services, Christenson said. “With that comes a lot of licensing and development, and it’s been really exciting to nail all that down.”

Christenson said the recovery and rehabilitation center project was spearheaded by a group of investors including local psychologist and Radix Recovery founder Courtney Brennaman, who was inspired by her own father’s triumph over addiction.

Cedar Rapids City Council members approved the necessary rezoning for the Radix project last year, at which time city officials heralded the project as a means to revitalize the historic Higley Mansion building rather than allowing it to fall into disrepair.

The building has served several purposes over the years but was most notably the home to Elmer Higley, an early Cedar Rapids developer and grandson of Cedar Rapids pioneers Abiel and Prudence Higley.

It was most recently a senior living facility that closed in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The structure proceeded to sit vacant for several years prior to the interior remodel that began last year ahead of Radix Recovery’s opening.

Plans call for game room, workout area, library and salon

Phase one of that project was preparing the building’s lower level for outpatient treatment, Christenson said, with those services rolling out this spring through a mix of individual and group treatment options. Now, construction is underway on the upper levels for the inpatient build out.

In addition to inpatient bedrooms themselves, phase two improvements will include features such as a nurses station, dining hall and community game room. Current plans also call for an on-site workout area, library and salon.

Radix Recovery Clinical Director Hannah Hewlett said amenities such as the salon and library will help residents feel more at-home during inpatient stays while also providing non-traditional sites for therapeutic growth that complement the center’s more structured recovery programming.

“It really shows people how to live their everyday life and open up to new experiences,” Hewlett said. “There's myriad different reasons why a person would benefit from that depending on their triggers, history and goals for moving forward.”

The Radix Recovery project represents an overall $4.6 million investment supported in part by a $2 million grant allocation from the state of Iowa awarded last year to support the facility’s substance abuse recovery efforts.

At full operational capacity, the recovery center is expected to staff between 40 and 50 people. To keep apprised of the center’s progress and the growing list of offerings, visit radixrecovery.com.

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com