CLINTWOOD, Va. (May 28, 2024) — Addiction Recovery Care (ARC), Dickenson County Board of Supervisors, and developer Greg May Southwest Properties, LLC today announced that they have been awarded $1.7 million in opioid abatement funds for the planned Wildwood Health & Wellness Center in Southwest Virginia (with plans to secure an additional $1.7 million in the 2026 fiscal year).
The Wildwood Health & Wellness Center will be phase 2 of the Wildwood Recovery Center project — the region’s first comprehensive residential treatment facility. This previously announced men’s recovery center will serve more than 100 clients at a time on its new campus at 230 Chip Mill Road near Chitwood. ARC announced plans in December to open a women’s treatment facility, Primrose Recovery Center, at the former Ervinton Elementary School in the nearby town of Nora.
The application made to the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority was a cooperative partnership application and includes a partnership with Lee and Scott County’s, with Dickenson County being the fiscal agent for the project. Further, a Memorandum of Understanding has been completed by Dickenson County and the Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health districts. This center will incorporate the Health District’s existing services—such as hepatitis C testing, TB testing, STD/STI prevention and education, vaccinations, and family planning—alongside new programs focused on fitness, nutrition, mental health services, substance misuse education, vocational training & rehabilitation, and recovery support. The aim is to provide a comprehensive suite of services that promote physical and mental well-being, cater to the community’s health needs, and address the opioid crisis with a holistic approach.
“We are thrilled to announce this significant funding to further expand ARC’s nationally recognized treatment program and support services into the Southwest Virginia region,” said Tim Robinson, ARC founder and CEO. “Like Eastern Kentucky, Dickenson County has been hit especially hard by the addiction epidemic. ARC’s further growth in this community will expand access to comprehensive recovery services in a place where we are needed most.”
The Wildwood Health & Wellness Center aims to address the overall health outcomes related to substance use disorder (SUD) for local residents. The facility will provide another core component of SUD treatment, providing recovery support, nutrition, meal prep and food storage courses, fitness programs, vaccination clinics, family planning, disease testing, education andprevention, and expanded public health services — available for residents of the Wildwood and Primrose recovery centers as well as the community at large.
“Our company, Southwest Properties, LLC, is excited to partner on another innovative community project with Addiction Recovery Care,” said Greg May, owner of Southwest Properties, LLC, in Pikeville, Kentucky. “We are proud to utilize this funding to help develop the Wildwood Health & Wellness Center — that will combat the addiction crisis and serve individuals and families across Southwest Virginia.”
May’s firm has previously assisted in developing three other addiction treatment centers for ARC in Kentucky — Riverplace (a men’s treatment facility in Pike County), Creekside (a men’s treatment facility in Knott County), and White Oak Hill (a women’s treatment facility in Martin County).
“The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors is thrilled to be in a position to continue to develop the necessary resources for individuals in our region”, said Dana Cronkhite, Dickenson County Director of Economic Development. “We recognize that our approach to improving community health as a means of workforce and economic development is unique and that we could not do it without the support of our partners, funding agencies such as the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA), and our elected officials. We are especially thankful for Senator Todd Pillion and his advocacy for this project.”
The addition of the Wildwood Health & Wellness Center will address specific needs as identified in the 2021 health needs assessment study conducted by Ballad Health, which include prevention, treatment, recovery support and the promotion of health and wellness to impact those intertwined issues effectively.
“This project is transformative for Dickenson County, Southwest Virginia, and the lives that will be positively impacted by the Wildwood Recovery Center,” said Senator Todd Pillion. “As chairman of the Opioid Abatement Authority, this more than $1.7 million investment reflects our ongoing commitment to initiatives that remove barriers to care and help break the cycle of addiction while improving lives and livelihoods.”
The Wildwood Recovery Center project has a total budget of more than $10 million, which also consists of $4 million from the Dickenson County Economic Development fund managed by the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA), and $250k of the $330k of the direct OAA funds Dickenson County has received.
To learn more about the Wildwood Recovery Center Project, please visit ARCcenters.com/virginia
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Addiction Recovery Care (ARC), headquartered in Louisa, Kentucky, operates a network of over 30 licensed addiction treatment centers in 25 Kentucky counties. Our mission is to create opportunities for people to discover hope and live their God-given destiny. For full details about ARC’s full array of services, please visit ARCcenters.com
