CUMMINGTON — By the middle of October, the property that housed Swift River Academy for troubled youth will become an addiction treatment facility.
The former school was bought and renovated by a Tennessee company, Addiction Campuses. The 12 buildings and nearly 600 acres will reopen as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, called Swift River.
Company officials said the facility will feature wilderness therapy, adventure therapy and equine and canine therapy to help addicts kick their habits and form healthy connections.
To start, the center can treat up to 46 people at a time, though company officials said they will seek additional licensing as they grow to house up to 120 people in recovery.
Brent Clements, CEO of Addiction Campuses, said the company chose to open a fourth location in the Northeast because of the enduring heroin epidemic in the region.
Clements said the company’s model, which involves assessing and placing people in customized treatment programs, has seen success at its facilities in Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi.
The standard program at the facility, he said, is 45 days. Beyond that, he said there’s a one-year follow-up plan, during which outreach coordinators work with clients’ physicians, families and others in their extended network.
Brian Sullivan, a spokesman for Addiction Campuses, said the company has so far employed 56 local people and is still hiring. Tuition, he said, will vary from client to client. He said the program costs about $22,000 at the high end, though he emphasized that the company never turns anyone away and offers scholarships that can reduce the price tag substantially.