Construction on a new drug and alcohol detox center is set to begin in Muskegon, as the city and surrounding area continue to struggle with addiction issues. The Detox center comes via Catholic Charities of West Michigan, and it’s a new $4.5 million campus in Muskegon that will help those detoxing from drugs or alcohol.
Calling it “the first of its kind in the area,” the building is expected to help hundreds of people per year, something the charity says, is needed, as Muskegon has long had a drug and alcohol addiction problem.
According to Dexur research, Muskegon County leads the state in opioid abuse hospitalizations and is eighth overall, in the nation. And to put that into perspective, Muskegon County's Medicare hospitalization rate for opioid abuse is more than six times the national rate, and more than four times Michigan's rate, according to the medical claims analysis.
Catholic Charities West Michigan CEO Chris Slater said in a Tuesday statement that the organization has “a significant and unmet need for drug and alcohol detox services in Muskegon.”
The detox center will be located at the new development going in on 7th Street near the intersection of W. Laketon Avenue and Park Street. Construction is set to begin by the end of the year.