A new residential addiction treatment clinic is coming to Ketchikan next month, filling a much-needed gap. The community has been without a residential facility since KAR House, operated by Akeela, closed in Oct. 2023.
True North Recovery is a Wasilla-based nonprofit that has had success in recent years providing services to patients in the Mat-Su and in Fairbanks. Karl Soderstrom is CEO of the organization, which he described as one that’s challenging the traditional models of substance misuse treatment.
“We really believe in core pillars of recovery, which of course, is treatment, because we’ve got to learn coping skills, address our anger, all of those things,” Soderstrom said. “But fundamentally, we also need to focus on housing, education, employment and building natural community supports.”
True North will operate a 16-bed inpatient facility out of the same building KAR House used, and is aiming to open Dec. 9.
Ketchikan also recently welcomed a new outpatient addiction clinic, the RISE Wellness Center, which started taking patients in mid-October. That facility, which is a partnership between the Ketchikan Indian Community and the regional provider SEARHC, is operating out of the same building Akeela formerly provided behavioral health care.
Soderstrom said they hope to work closely with RISE, and complement their offerings on the continuum of care. While some patients may only need outpatient services, Soderstrom said those with more intensive needs typically start in a residential facility and then graduate to outpatient.
“We’re going to get all the drugs out of your system, we’re going to provide shelter for you, food for you, supports for you, we’re going to get you healthy again,” Soderstrom said, describing their approach to residential treatment. “We’re going to teach you some new skills, and then we’re going to set a plan in place where we can get you back into your community.”
Once it’s open, Soderstrom said the facility will have a welcoming environment where people can come in and ask questions before committing to anything or filling out paperwork.
True North will be hosting a Q&A and open house on Friday, Dec. 6 from noon to 3 p.m. In the meantime, patients can fill out an intake form on their website.
