Aug 2, 2023
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA -- The Gables, owned and operated by NUWAY Alliance, is celebrating 40 years of treating women for substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.
The Gables was the vision of founders who recognized the unmet need for addiction treatment services for women in Rochester, MN. After purchasing the historic Gray Gablesmansion in 1983, a four-story Tudor-style mansion located in Rochester's historic southwest neighborhood, they set about creating one of America's earliest examples of gender-responsive treatment programs for women in Rochester and surrounding communities experiencing substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.
Gender-specific treatment offers significant benefits to clients of all genders. Women living with active addiction are far more likely than the general population to experience violence, sexual assault and other traumas, housing insecurity and homelessness, and adverse health effects. Treatment programs specializing in treating women and transgender people offer the safety and therapeutic focus that allows clients to feel comfortable engaging in treatment, reduces stress, and helps them establish vital connections to community resources, support groups, and peers that support their health and recovery. Females also face unique challenges that can reduce their ability to seek and receive effective treatment. For example, women are more likely than men to be responsible for rearing children or caring for family members. And, despite decades of public education efforts, the stigma surrounding substance use disorders can be a deterrent to seeking treatment.
The demand for high-quality behavioral healthcare greatly outweighs available resources in Rochester and nationwide. According to the Surgeon General, just ten percent of people who need substance use disorder treatment receive specialized care. Of these, less than half receive treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders.
In 2020, NUWAY Alliance acquired The Gables from its founders, who sought retirement and a buyer that would continue the program's mission. NUWAY Alliance, one of Minnesota's largest nonprofit behavioral healthcare providers, was an ideal successor. After acquiring The Gables, NUWAY Alliance began a series of enhancements to the program's infrastructure and introduced treatment innovations used at other NUWAY Alliance treatment programs. These updates to The Gables' physical plant and programming help make treatment more comfortable and effective.
The Gables provides community-based, medium-intensity residential treatment in a medically monitored setting for adults. Programming is individualized based on the client's needs and goals. The facility offers on-site nursing and 24-hour staff support and supervision. Clinical practices are evidence-based, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Twelve Step Facilitation, Motivational Interviewing, and more.
A June 28 event celebrating The Gables' 40th anniversary was attended by Rochestermayor Kim Norton and other local, state, and federal officials to commemorate this momentous occasion and to highlight the need to support treatment access.
NUWAY Alliance Chief Community Relations Officer Monique Bourgeois discussed the work being done today and hope for future expansion in her remarks. "NUWAY Alliance is proud to continue the 40-year Gables' legacy of ensuring that women have safe, effective treatment. Eliminating barriers to treatment and providing gender-responsive care and recovery-supportive environments are some of our key goals. NUWAY Alliance has grown continuously in recent years, and ongoing expansion across levels of care will make extended substance use and co-occurring mental healthcare accessible to more people with low recovery capital throughout Minnesota."
Rochester Mayor Kim Norton asserts that the compassionate and welcoming community of Rochester is an apt home for the Gables. "We are so fortunate to have resources in this community like the Gables, which provides gender-responsive care and a loving and welcoming atmosphere along with the supports women in recovery need to be successful," says Norton.
Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson noted the important connections between mental health and addictive disorders and the prevalence of these disorders among incarcerated people. "Olmsted County is a designated High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. We have a huge problem with mental health and addiction, and studies we have done show that, at some times, as many as ninety percent of people in our detention center have one or both conditions. Corrections facilities can do little to address these issues, so we are grateful that programs like this one are available in our community."
About NUWAY Alliance
NUWAY Alliance is a private, non-profit organization serving individuals recovering from substance use and mental health disorders since 1966. We emphasize developing, sustaining and nurturing freedom from substance use disorder and mental illness. We support our clients as they learn skills to maintain sobriety and health and integrate into a level of successful independent living in the community. Many of our clients have had previous attempts at recovery.
For more on NUWAY Alliance.
