Acadia Healthcare to open 50-bed drug rehab center in East Hempfield Township

In-house addiction treatment is coming to East Hempfield Township, with operations expected to begin in about a year.

A 50-bed inpatient alcohol and drug rehabilitation facility that includes opioid treatment and an outpatient program will open in the township after supervisors held a legislative public hearing this week and voted 4-0 to unanimously approve a zoning text amendment that, for the first time, allows this kind of business in East Hempfield. Supervisor Roger Brubaker did not attend the meeting.

Acadia Healthcare Inc., which owns the country's largest chain of for-profit psychiatric hospitals, will construct an addiction center at 3040 Industry Drive on 3.2 acres now under contract by the company's real estate division. The property, owned by J Holdings LLC, has been listed for sale for about two years, David Tshudy, Acadia's attorney, said Friday. He said he is unable to disclose the sales price or any other details.

The zoning text amendment defines residential addiction centers that serve more than six people, a building maximum of 13,750 square feet for a building and allows such centers to operate in the township's enterprise zone. Previously, East Hempfield offered no areas for these operations. The amendment also outlines 10 safety rules operators must follow. The facility also will offer outpatient treatment, a use already allowed.

The township's planning commission unanimously approved the measure Aug. 1, and no one spoke against the amendment during this week's hearing, although resident Patty Clark asked if the center would accept patients who have Medicaid. Acadia accepts Medicaid and tries to work with all other insurance plans, Brett Lechleitner, the company's regional vice president, told her.

"I looked them up, and they are a for-profit company," Clark said after the vote. "I wanted to make sure they would accept everyone, not just people who can pay."

Safety concerns discussed "I think the ordinance as presented is fairly drafted," Susan Peipher, township attorney, told supervisors after the hearing ended. "It certainly solves the issue of providing for the use in the township while also setting up sufficient supplemental regulations to address any safety concerns."

For instance, the amendment says that treatment facilities must be at least 1,000 feet from any school, day care, public library or playground and must be at least 500 feet from any residence.

Other security measures include filing a detailed plan with the police department, ensuring all operators hold current licenses and ensuring that these licensed staff members are on-site around the clock.

"These facilities are heavily regulated," Tshudy told supervisors. "They are subject to inspection at any time," he said, mentioning the state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, the state Department of Health and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as possible visitors.

In addition, the company will close its White Deer Run treatment center in Lancaster city and move those patients to East Hempfield, Lechleitner said. The Lancaster outlet, which has 27 beds, serves men only because the space is not large enough to house males and females separately, said Christina Kamau, White Deer Run's regional manager. The East Hempfield center will serve men and women, while a York facility also treats females.

"It's something that's definitely needed in our community," Supervisor W. Scott Wiglesworth said before the vote. "Women are going to be treated in Lancaster County, and that's very important. I know there are concerned citizens about these types of facilities, but everyone wants to have a place their loved ones or friends can go."

"Having the leading name in this business in our community will work really well for us," Thomas Bennett, chair, said.

Supervisor Robert Johnson, however, mentioned a recent New York Times investigation that said Acadia held some patients against their will.

"I just want to give you an opportunity to address that if you choose to," Johnson said.

"We are aware of the New York Times ," Tshudy said, adding that he has no authorization to discuss the issue. "It's a media report. I do want to point out it dealt mainly with the acute psychiatric facilities and did not deal with the drug and alcohol facilities, which are heavily regulated and subject to inspections by numerous government agencies."

Acadia, based in Franklin, Tennessee, operates 253 centers in 39 states, Tshudy said. The company has three acute psychiatric hospitals and 11 drug and alcohol campuses in Pennsylvania.

The East Hempfield facility could open in about a year, Lechleitner said before the meeting, noting that Acadia would supply some of the spaces lost with the recent closure of Retreat Behavioral Health, a for-profit center in Ephrata.

Acadia also has hired some of Retreat's former employees to work at the company's other facilities, Kamau said before the meeting.