Lawrence addiction-treatment center marks first year, nears Medicaid access

Lawrence’s first inpatient addiction-treatment center spent its first year proving it could stay open, but access still turned on insurance. Avalon Wellness and Recovery Center, the 60-bed facility in a former Super 8 motel at 801 Iowa St., treated 140 patients in its first nine months and was nearing Medicaid acceptance, a shift that could open the door for more Douglas County residents who cannot afford thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Staff and former patients marked the anniversary with punch and cake, a small celebration for a center that began treating patients in April 2025 and initially operated with just eight beds while it built toward full capacity. Executive director Ken Vick said the center’s early work centered on licensing, staffing and lining up insurance contracts, the unglamorous steps that determine whether a treatment program can actually serve the people who need it.

The biggest barrier has been cost. By January, Avalon had in-network agreements with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, TRICARE, Ambetter and Cigna, but Vick said patients without an in-network plan could face single-case agreements and bills of about $5,000 to $6,000. In-network care could cost less than $2,000. That gap, he said, had already pushed some people away when they were asking for help.

Avalon’s first-year numbers point to both demand and limited room. The residential program averaged about 20 people staying at a time, and the center said about 75% of clients completed treatment successfully. Its 28-day program often kept patients for an average of 30 days, underscoring how long care can take even after someone gets through the door.

The Lawrence center was first reported in late 2024 as a project still moving through inspections and licensing after about 2 1/2 years of planning, design and construction. Founders David Hawley and Aaron Thakker had said the site would eventually offer detox, medication-assisted treatment, residential care, individual and group therapy, and peer-support options including 12-step and SMART Recovery. Hawley tied the project to his own recovery and to the addiction and mental-health crises visible downtown during the pandemic.

The push toward Medicaid comes as Douglas County continues to direct opioid-settlement and alcohol-revenue money into prevention, treatment and recovery support. County fund balances reported in March totaled $577,870 in the Municipalities Fight Addiction Fund and $254,420 in the Special Alcohol Programs Fund. For Lawrence, Avalon’s first year has become less a ribbon-cutting story than a test of whether specialized care can stay local, stay staffed and stay within reach for people who need it most.