With over 20 million people in the US suffering from a substance use disorder or drug addiction, there is an obvious need for professional care.
If you want to help this population, the idea of starting your treatment center may have crossed your mind. It’s a worthy goal, but not one with an obvious starting line. You probably won’t find yourself alone in asking how you do it.
Keep reading and we’ll give you a quick start guide about how to start treatment and recovery centers.
Legal Hurdles
Possibly the biggest legal hurdle you face is licensure. Each state runs a Single State Agency for Substance Abuse Services. That agency sets rules and policies for your state and signs off on new treatment centers.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration keeps a list of Single State Agencies. This list provides contact info for each state’s agency, which can provide state-specific info on licensure.
One potential hurdle you might face is a statement of need. That basically means proving an area requires the services you plan to offer.
A center focused on Eating Disorders and Modeling might get some traction in New York City or LA, but get shot down in a rural Tennessee.
It’s generally a good idea to run a feasibility study before doing anything else. A feasibility study will pinpoint the needs in an area and the population size requiring your services.
Logistical Hurdles
The logistical hurdles you face will mirror common hurdles all business face. For example, you must a property with the right commercial zoning that also fills your needs. You will need financing for the property and any renovations.
You must recruit staff for the treatment center, which may include . Granted, most of your staff will need licenses with professional medical boards. Since you will deal with private medical and personal data, you need some assurance that you won’t hire an identity thief.
You’ll also face many smaller logistical questions. For example, should you run everything on in-house servers or ?
Marketing Hurdles
Marketing a treatment center requires more fine-tuning than marketing for other businesses. You need a solid web site that uses SEO tactics and content marketing. This approach will drive visitors to your site who need your service or know someone who does.
You may also need some level of lead generation through traditional media and social media channels. This can help keep occupancy at the ideal level.
Parting Thoughts on How to Start Treatment and Recovery Centers
If you wondered how to start treatment and recovery centers, there’s good news. You can achieve that goal.
It will take a lot of perseverance as you navigate licensure, logistical hurdles, and marketing challenges.
The key thing is for you not to lose sight of the end goal. If you make a plan and keep the end goal in mind, you can make that dream a reality.
If you know of an existing center you think fits the bill, you can take a different approach. You can .
