The Retreat Opens The National Center for Women's Recovery
$10.5 million project provides space, services geared to women in recovery
WAYZATA, Minn., May 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Retreat, the continuum of recovery services that provides effective, affordable programs and resources to help people live free from addiction to alcohol and drugs, today announced the opening of The National Center for Women's Recovery in Wayzata, Minn., providing programs and services for women seeking to live in recovery. The National Center for Women's Recovery is part of a comprehensive $10.5 million building project launched two years ago to enhance and expand facilities on The Retreat's Wayzata campus.
Removing obstacles for women seeking recovery
Andrea Bruner, Women's Program coordinator at The Retreat, said the new facility provides 32 beds for women – a 50 percent increase – and also includes new meeting, social, wellness and community spaces designed to support women in their recovery journeys. Among these is a cabin on the edge of Wayzata's Big Woods that will be home to informal gatherings, and group and family activities for guests and visitors.
Bruner said The National Center for Women's Recovery is designed to remove the obstacles that women commonly encounter when seeking recovery resources. "These can include social expectations, relationships, peer pressure and work and family obligations, and unfortunately the end result is that fewer than half of women seeking treatment actually get help," she said, "yet deaths attributable to substance abuse – especially among women – are increasing significantly."
Built upon the Minnesota Model
The Retreat is steeped in the "Minnesota Model" of recovery: community-focused and grounded in the Twelve Step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. It has served some 24,000 guests since opening in June, 1998, and Founder and CEO John Curtiss said the new facilities – part of a two-year remodeling of the former Cenacle retreat center that has been home to The Retreat since 2004 – extend The Retreat mission to provide accessible, affordable educational services and the caring community that are essential to life in recovery.
"We know the model works, and without question the need is growing," Curtiss said. "We decided it was the right time to commit to the future, and expand and enhance our spaces for both men and women so that we can better support more guests and the broader recovery community."
Bruner said facilities at The Retreat are designed to break down barriers to access and provide women and families a more supportive environment for recovery, one that fosters community, caring and connection. She said reinforcing and restoring dignity are essential to life in recovery, so spaces are intentionally designed with social, spiritual, wellness and family needs in mind.
The Retreat has made it a priority to offer the resources and environment that can encourage long-term recovery for women seeking to live free from addiction. In addition to the 30-day Women's Residential Program, it offers a range of educational programs, social and sports clubs and outings that provide ongoing connection and community for people in recovery. For example, Women in Recovery, a thriving community that gathers every month for educational, social and spiritual programs, was launched at The Retreat.
"We connect people who want recovery with people who have it," said Curtiss. "There is a growing body of research that shows how community connections support improved long-term recovery rates. Our hope is that our new spaces will help to foster more of these connections, and in doing so help more men and women find life in recovery."
About The Retreat
The Retreat provides affordable, effective recovery programs and educational services grounded in the Twelve Step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous that help to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities affected by alcohol and drug dependency. These include men's and women's residential programs, family programs, evening programs, 55PLUS, and relapse and renewal programs offered at The Retreat locations in Wayzata and St. Paul, Minn. The Retreat also operates six long-term sober living residences in St. Paul. www.theretreat.org
Contact
John Shaughnessy
651.269.1717
[email protected]
Peter Hubbard
952.476.0566
[email protected]
SOURCE The Retreat
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