New recovery community center opens in Sikeston

SIKESTON — A new recovery community center in Sikeston called “We Do Recover Community Center” has opened as part of the Gibson Center for Behavioral Change.

Ryan Essex, chief operating officer of the Gibson Center for Behavioral Change, a behavioral health organization, said Gibson has been serving in Southeast Missouri for about 45 years and in Sikeston for 30 years.

Essex said several years ago, Gibson was presented with an opportunity when the state decided to open a few recovery community centers throughout the state.

“We were lucky enough to first open one up in Cape Girardeau, which has been open for four years now,” Essex said. “But this last year came the opportunity to add one in the Sikeston area.”

According to Essex, the new We Do Recover center has been open in Sikeston for about a month, and he’s excited to spread the word about the new recovery community center.

Courtney Frazier, manager of the Recover Community Center (RCC) Sikeston, explained the recovery community center’s mission and purpose.

“We Do Recover Community Center is a peer-operated center,” Frazier said. “Our mission is to engage, empower and encourage those seeking recovery from addiction and provide a platform for people to experience recovery through advocacy, pro-social activities and community-based events.”

According to Frazier, the center performs a variety of functions.

“Anybody seeking recovery or in recovery can come in our doors,” Frazier said.

Frazier said the center provides recovery meetings, ping pong and cornhole tournaments, guided meditation, volunteer opportunities, movies, fellowship, games, a coffee bar, employment assistance and more.

“Basically, it’s just a place for them to come and hang out with like-minded people and get that accountability and mutual support of someone else being in recovery,” Frazier said. “When you come into recovery, it’s important to change people, places and things. You don’t want to go back to that old lifestyle, and that’s what we are."

Essex also added: “Gibson has been around for a long time, but these recovery community centers are an opportunity to open up these programs that are much different than what we traditionally do, which is formal treatment and counseling, therapy and case management. These recovery community centers are to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for those individuals that are in early recovery or long-term recovery. It gives them the opportunity to have a place to be sober and safe.”

For more information, contact the center at (573) 475-9108.