Years of community advocacy take shape in the Tri-Cities as the Columbia Valley Center for Recovery welcomes its first clients
The Columbia Valley Center for Recovery (CVCR) has opened it’s doors – a landmark moment for the Tri-Cities region and a testament to what communities can accomplish when they come together around a shared cause.
CVCR is a county-owned facility made possible through a grassroots effort spearheaded by the Benton-Franklin Recovery Coalition, bringing together community advocates, organizations, and local leaders united by a common goal: creating a place where people can access the behavioral health care they need, close to home.
Comprehensive Healthcare is proud to be part of that vision. As a founding program partner, we are opening four specialized programs within CVCR. These four programs will expand our continuum of care and contribute to a facility that will serve this community for years to come.
“CVCR is the result of a community that refused to accept the status quo,” shared Jodi Daly, PhD, CEO of Comprehensive Healthcare. “We are deeply honored to bring our programs and expertise to what has been built.”
Four Programs, One Continuum of Care
Comprehensive Healthcare’s four programs within CVCR are designed to meet people at every stage of crisis and recovery, and to work together seamlessly as individuals’ needs change over time.
The Crisis Relief Center
For individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis, the Crisis Relief Center offers an immediate, welcoming alternative to emergency rooms or law enforcement intervention. This short-term stabilization program provides a safe space where people can receive rapid assessment, support, and connection to next steps. Clients are able to stay in the Crisis Relief Center for up to 23 hours and 59 minutes, as this step in the recovery process is intended to function as a triage center for behavioral health.
The Crisis Relief Center functions as a sort of emergency room for behavioral health. This is a place where individuals can land before moving on to the appropriate levels of care, effectively freeing up the medical emergency rooms in our community to focus on what they do best.
Crisis Stabilization Unit
For those who need a higher level of support during a mental health or substance use crisis, the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) provides short-term, intensive stabilization services. The CSU bridges the gap between crisis and ongoing care, helping individuals stabilize and develop a plan for continued recovery before transitioning to the appropriate level of support. The typical stay in CSU is 2-3 days before transitioning on to either a lower or higher level of care, as needed.
Secure Withdrawal Management/Evaluation and Treatment
Recovery often begins with the difficult, and sometimes dangerous, process of withdrawal. Our Secure Withdrawal Management/Evaluation and Treatment program provides medically supervised detoxification in a safe, structured environment. Clinical staff support individuals through withdrawal while beginning to lay the groundwork for long-term recovery, ensuring that the first step in the journey doesn’t have to be taken alone. This unit is our highest level of care, offering both voluntary and involuntary treatment as needed.
Co-Occurring Residential Treatment Center
Many people facing substance use disorders also live with mental health conditions – and treating one without the other often isn’t effective. The Co-Occurring Residential Treatment Center provides integrated, long-term residential care for individuals navigating both substance use and mental health challenges together, offering a more complete path toward lasting recovery.
A Community Effort Years in the Making
The opening of CVCR is the result of years of advocacy, coalition-building, and community investment. That it exists at all is a reflection of what this region decided it deserved – not a patchwork of crisis responses, but a dedicated space designed from the group up to support recovery.
Across Washington State, the demand for behavioral health services continues to outpace availability. For communities in the Tri-Cities and Yakima Valley, that gap has had real consequences: longer wait times, missed intervention opportunities, and people falling through the cracks of a fragmented system.
“The opening of CVCR is a meaningful step toward closing that gap,” said Daly. “We look forward to serving our neighbors here for years to come.”
Recovery is Possible – And Now, More Accessible
As we welcome our first clients through these doors, we do so with deep appreciation for the community that built this place and the staff who will bring it to life. Recovery looks different for everyone. CVCR – and the programs within it – exist to make sure more people have a place to begin.
CVCR is the result of a community that refused to accept the status quo
Jodi Daly, PhD, CEO of Comprehensive Healthcare
