photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

The Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County was dedicated Thursday evening. Members of the public joined county officials, center staff and figureheads in the county's behavioral health landscape to celebrate the occasion.

The Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County has been a project years in the making, and the community celebrated that its doors will soon be open at a dedication and ribbon cutting for the space Thursday evening.

Center staff, county officials and figureheads in the county’s behavioral health landscape were on hand to commemorate the occasion.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

LMH Health CEO Russ Johnson; Laura Howard, the Secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services; Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center CEO Patrick Schmitz; Dr. George Thompson, the center’s executive director and medical director; Douglas County Commissioner Shannon Reid; and Bob Tryanski, the director of behavioral health projects for Douglas County, are pictured from left to right, as Thompson cuts the ribbon on the Treatment and Recover Center of Douglas County..

The Treatment and Recovery Center entered its final stages of construction earlier this year. Construction first began on the space in 2019. It was funded in part by a quarter-cent sales tax voters overwhelmingly approved in late 2018.

Speakers on the night included Bob Tryanski, the director of behavioral health projects for Douglas County; Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center CEO Patrick Schmitz; Laura Howard, the Secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services; LMH Health CEO Russ Johnson; Douglas County Commissioner Shannon Reid; and Dr. George Thompson, the center’s executive director and medical director.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Dr. George Thompson, the Treatment and Recovery Center’s executive director and medical director, speaks during Thursday evening’s dedication.

Tryanski said Thursday was, for many, a day that was “a long time coming.” He gave credit to the many people who have had a role in helping to make the center a reality. He also recognized the building that stands today as a product of years of hard work, and as a place that will have a real impact on the lives of those who need it.

“Today’s a day to celebrate, and the real cause of celebration is that this building behind me will save lives,” Tryanski said. “The people who work in this building to serve the people who come to this building will help them to change their lives for the better. That’s what happens when people come together to do what’s right, when it’s right, because it’s right.”

Other speakers, like Johnson and Reid, said the center is a direct result of the county’s voting body taking action using its collective voice to say something like this should be a priority.

The center doesn’t yet have a set date it will begin operation, but Tryanski said staff is working hard to make it as soon as possible.