RiverValley to open Emerald Lodge men’s residential treatment program in Hawesville

By Jennifer Wimmer
Emerald Lodge, a new 16-bed men’s residential treatment program operated by RiverValley Behavioral Health, is tentatively expected to open in Hawesville the week of May 11.

Anyone interested in the program can call now to start the assessment process and get on a waiting list; they do not have to wait for an official opening date, said Michelle Nobles, a licensed psychological practitioner and RiverValley’s vice president of outpatient and crisis services.

“We’re very excited. It’s been a long time coming,” Nobles said. “We’re super thrilled to be able to open this location. We’re hoping in the next couple of weeks we will have an official opening date.”

Once the date is set, it will be announced in The Hancock Clarion.

The lodge will offer a structured, live-in setting where residents receive integrated care for substance use and co-occurring mental health needs. Services will be delivered by a multidisciplinary clinical team in a quiet setting that is surrounded by nature, giving residents space for reflection and recovery.

The program includes full assessments, individualized treatment plans, individual and group therapy, education and relapse-prevention services, case management, peer support and access to medication-assisted treatment. It also offers a year of extended aftercare to support long-term recovery.

Staff emphasize a trauma-informed, person-centered approach that focuses on treating the whole person — physical health, mental health, spiritual well-being and social connection — while helping residents build stable, sober lives and reconnect with their communities.

Nobles said the program is designed for men with substance use disorders who have not succeeded in outpatient or self-help approaches and who often have co-occurring mental health conditions.

Hancock County residents will be prioritized, though the lodge will accept clients from across the region, she said.

“Our focus is local,” she said. “We wanted a rural setting so people don’t have to travel far to receive this level of care. If there are local people who are needing this and have been hesitant, we’re right here where you all are and we want you to feel connected to home and not feel like you have to travel far away to go get treatment. It is definitely a priority of ours to serve rural individuals in Hancock County, but we will also open ourselves up to anyone who reaches out for help.”

Men do not need transportation to begin treatment at Emerald Lodge. RiverValley’s staff can complete assessments in person, by telehealth or by phone. If residential care is appropriate, staff will transport clients to the Phoenix Center in Owensboro for stabilization before moving them to Emerald Lodge.

“Our admissions process goes through our crisis services team,” Nobles said. “Individuals call our crisis line at 270-684-9466, complete a brief triage and then connect with our mobile crisis team for an assessment in person, by Zoom or by phone. We determine the appropriate level of care and make referrals if residential treatment is not the best fit.”

Emerald Lodge is classified as a clinically managed, high-intensity residential program, which Nobles said is a step above what most people think of as traditional residential treatment. It is designed to treat substance use and mental health conditions together, with admission based on a detailed level-of-care assessment.

All referrals begin at RiverValley’s Phoenix Center in Owensboro, where clients stay several days for screening and stabilization before transferring to Emerald Lodge. Services there include a nursing assessment, physical exam, psychiatric evaluation and, when appropriate, medication-assisted treatment.

Nobles said the approach focuses on addressing all contributing factors to substance use.

“If you just address one need, and if we spend the whole time focusing only on substance-use abstinence or recovery dynamics, and not looking at the other pieces that are contributing to substance use, then we are doing a disservice by not helping address those components,” she said. “We want to make sure the environment we’re creating does that. And I think this environment is perfect for that. It’s a beautiful location in a rural setting, so they’re going to be able to really spend time in nature and focus on looking inward.”

A full initial workup will assess a range of factors, including sleep quality and possible nutritional deficiencies. Medication use is optional and based on client preference.

“We are addressing all of that,” Nobles said.

Emerald Lodge is part of a yearlong continuum of care that begins with residential treatment and extends through intensive outpatient services and aftercare.

During the 28-day residential stay, clients receive high-intensity treatment with about 20 hours per week of structured therapeutic activities, including group and individual psychotherapy, peer support, life-skills training, coping skills and relapse-prevention work.

Staff also help residents plan what comes next, including the option of moving into RiverValley’s Jade men’s recovery housing program in Owensboro or returning home, depending on their needs and preferences.

After discharge from Emerald Lodge, the typical path is a 12-week intensive outpatient program with group therapy three days a week for three hours a day, followed by weekly group and individual therapy in aftercare, which usually carries them to the one-year mark that RiverValley considers completion of the continuum of care.

“We will have a family night component,” she said. “We’ll be taking the residents out one night a week to meet at a local location for our family night visitation. That’s where we do a lot of education both for the family and the client. We’re introducing recovery topics and how families can support their loved ones who are going through this process and this journey. We provide some of that education for them and allow them some time for a visit as well. We don’t want folks coming directly to our location; we want to keep that location private.”

Nobles said the program is best suited for men who have struggled with long-term recovery and need a higher level of care.

“This program is for men who haven’t found success with outpatient care or self-help alone,” she said. “Maybe they’ve tried different approaches to outpatient care or they’ve tried strictly going to AA or NA and those options haven’t been successful long term. Maybe they’ve been to some other residential treatment programs and haven’t found success. For those who also recognize they have underlying mental health conditions that are likely contributing to their substance use, they are definitely the individuals that we want to consider for Emerald Lodge. But it is certainly for anyone struggling with a substance-use disorder interested in taking that next step to try to find long-term recovery.”

For those hesitant about residential treatment, she said a change in environment can be essential to recovery.

“I think sometimes we just have to take a step outside of our situation,” Nobles said. “If what you’re doing or what you’ve tried to do is not working in your current setting, maybe the living environment that you’re in is just not supportive or conducive to long-term recovery. Or, the steps you’ve tried to take in the past just haven’t been successful. Maybe you’ve been able to stay away from substances for a few weeks or a month at a time but then you find yourself back in it. Sometimes we just have to take a step back from our current lives and place ourselves in an environment that is going to allow us to really spend some serious time reflecting on where we are, where we want to be and how we’re going to get there.”

She said Emerald Lodge is meant to give men a chance to step away from overwhelming temptations and cravings into a safe, refuge-like setting where they can focus on what is driving their substance use. In that environment, they can look inward, work on finding themselves and build a long-term recovery, rather than repeatedly cycling in and out of use.

“We’ll come to you for the assessment,” she said. “You don’t have to get to Owensboro for the assessment.”

You can begin by calling 270-684-9466. Assessments are available in person, by telehealth or by phone. Transportation is provided if residential care is recommended.

“We hope to be open in the next couple of weeks, so we want folks to be on the lookout for that,” she said. “If folks are interested in entering, they can call as early as now and we can look at getting their name down on a list; they don’t have to wait. If there are folks who need help right now, even though we aren’t fully open yet, we can take their information, get an assessment going and be ready as soon as the doors open.”

Nobles said Emerald Lodge is staffed to open but still has two vacancies: a residential nurse manager and a full-time residential therapist. Until those roles are filled, nurse managers and clinicians from other RiverValley programs will help cover the work, and she added that they hope to hire a local, master’s-level licensed clinician for the therapist position.

RiverValley also operates the Amethyst Center for women and the Onyx Center for men in Daviess County. Emerald Lodge will be the organization’s second men’s residential program and its first in Hawesville.
RiverValley Behavioral Health’s Hancock County outpatient clinic, at 1210 Fourth St. in Lewisport, provides outpatient mental health and substance use services for adults, children and families. For more information, call 270-831-8489 or visit rvbh.com. Updates are also available on the RiverValley Facebook page.