By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rosecrance is renovating its Griffin Williamson Campus to provide more beds for residential services for adults.
The private, nonprofit provider of mental health treatment and substance abuse recovery has undertaken a $750,000 project at its 50-acre Griffin Williamson Campus, 1601 University Drive, to renovate space formerly dedicated to residential treatment for teens into 40 adult residential beds.
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Rosecrance announced the renovations on Monday at a news conference the campus.
“Our need for service for young people has exploded on an outpatient basis and actually declined for residential,” said Dave Gomel, president of Rosecrance.
Meanwhile, the need for residential services for young adults has risen due to insufficient early intervention, he said.
“We all understand that we’re in a tragic time in our society with overdose deaths occurring at unprecedented rates … and we need to get people access to care,” Gomel said. “So, we’re converting units and residential beds here at Rosecrance Griffin Williamson Campus to better meet that need.”
The renovations include bedrooms as well as a shared day area space, group rooms, bathrooms, furnishings, flooring and tranquil spaces such as the mindfulness studio. About 30% of the renovations are complete with a goal to finish the work in roughly two to three months, Gomel said.
The feel of the space is going from a “high school dorm look to something adults would feel more comfortable with,” he said.
Rosecrance has launched a capital campaign to pay for the construction, and said it has covered about 80% of the cost so far. The fundraising was aided by $250,000 in state funds secured by state Sen. Steve Stadelman.
“Our society is really starting to understand the full cost of untreated mental health and substance-abuse disorders,” Stadelman said. “Adults, families and communities are impacted by emotional, economic and social costs. … Just look at our county jails and the number of inmates who are dealing with mental health issues and substance-abuse disorders.”
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Rosecrance will still maintain up to two dozen beds for teenagers at its Griffin Williamson Campus.
The campus opened in 2004 in response to demand for substance-use disorder services among teens and adolescents in northern Illinois. Since opening, it has provided treatment to more than 15,000 young individuals.
The scenic campus contains a gymnasium with a basketball court and fitness center, an on-site school, a chapel, softball field, an outdoor dining patio, a conservatory and a healing garden alongside ponds with natural stone waterfalls.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated from its initial version to correct that Rosecrance is a nonprofit organization.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas