New upscale rehab center in Cape Girardeau County targets professional clients

An increase in demand from professionals has led to the opening this week of HillCrest Pointe, an upscale addiction treatment center in Cape Girardeau County.

The Gibson Recovery Center has in recent months seen a dramatic increase in calls from those in the banking and investment industries, according to the center's executive director.

"About 70 percent of our inquiries are from professionals," John Gary said. "A lot of professionals work in high-stress, demanding jobs, and they say that the level of stress and anxiety in their lives have increased threefold in the current economic climate."

Gary will serve as executive director of HillCrest Pointe, which like the Gibson Receovery Center is set up as a not-for-profit corporation. Members of the Gibson board of directors also serve on the HillCrest Pointe board.

"Professionals have a different set of needs than many consumers that are seeking recovery services," said board member Alex Ogburne on a video made to promote HillCrest Pointe.

HillCrest Pointe offers a secluded setting for addiction treatment.

While that may sound elitist to some, Gary said it is merely a matter of creating an environment that is more likely to result in successful rehabilitation.

"It's a matter of what people are accustomed to in their personal lifestyle," Gary said. "If you put people in an environment they are comfortable with, they will do better."

Amenities at HillCrest Pointe include a large in-ground swimming pool, gourmet meals and luxury transportation to and from the airport. The eight-bed facility is on three acres.

Professionals looking for a more luxurious locale to receive addiction treatment have previously had no options in the Midwest and have usually resorted to East Cost and West Coast facilities, marketing director Dana Hukel said.

HillCrest Pointe is marketing to five states next to Missouri. "We're also targeting the broad Midwest," Hukel said.

Since the idea of a facility targeting professionals was first brought before the Gibson Center board of directors in March, the project moved quickly. The HillCrest Pointe property was located in April, and the board gave its approval to buy it in May, Gary said. Recent weeks have been spent preparing the building for use as a recovery center.

While Gibson Center patient services are typically paid for by various state and charitable agencies at little or no cost to the patient, HillCrest Pointe treatment, at a cost ranging from $830 to $1,050 per day, will be paid for either by the client or their insurance company, with no tax dollars or donations going to the new facility.

Another difference between Gibson and HillCrest Pointe is the approach to treatment. State-regulated facilities such as the Gibson Center focus on treating the disease of addiction, Gary said. HillCrest Pointe will take a more individualized and broader view of treatment.

"The treatment is a more holistic, a wellness model, looking at changing behavior, making healthy decisions," Gary said.

Gary said three of the facility's eight beds were already booked, and "we've received numerous calls that we're following up on."