MANCHESTER, N.H. – Members of the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen were invited last week to tour Live Free Recovery’s new facility on Lowell Street.
The facility, formerly part of New England College’s scattered campus in the Victory Park area, has been transformed to offer medical detox, residential, and various types of outpatient care for different types of patients on the ASAM criteria continuum, a scale to standardize levels of treatment for patients coping with addiction ad co-occurring conditions.
In addition to the on-site housing for individuals, clinical and office space can be found inside the building, including specialized areas for non-traditional therapy methods such as weightlifting, playing music, and yoga.
Ward 2 Alderman and Former Manchester Fire Department Chief Dan Goonan was suitably impressed with the facility following the tour.
I’m really impressed with this building, I think this is something we’ve needed in Manchester with what we’ve been dealing with for the last decade,” he said. “I’m really taken aback at how nice this is compared to other (facilities) I’ve been to, and I’ve seen a lot of them.”
Live Free Recovery CEO Ryan Gagne appreciated the ability of the Aldermen to tour the facility and stressed that progress has been made in New Hampshire toward helping those struggling with substance abuse and addiction, more work is needed as the problem continues to evolve.
“When we look around, we can see the distress that people are experiencing in their every day lives. I think when it comes down to people experiencing addiction, part of the problem comes from the disconnect that often have from other people and society as well as new forms of drugs that are incredibly potent and far more lethal,” he said. “The explosion of mental health disorders that have arisen from these new drugs has also increased.
The facility is expected to welcome its first patients in early October. More information can be found on the Live Free Recovery website.
