McNabb Center Groundbreaking of First Ever Transition Campus
Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Marie Williams and Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell joined in the ceremony as the McNabb Center broke ground today on its Blount County Transition Campus in Maryville, Tenn. This all-in-one comprehensive accessible campus will be the first of its kind in the state using a multi-disciplined approach to provide mental health, substance use and social services to adult clients. The McNabb Center staff members will provide a full range of these services for incarcerated individuals with co-occurring disorders. 
“The vision of this project is for all re-entry services to be provided on one campus, removing barriers to accessing the essential care and support residents need to successfully reintegrate into the community,” stated Shannon Dow, McNabb Center Senior Director of Blount County Services.
More than five years ago, Mayor Mitchell appointed the CARES (Corrections and Recovery Saves Committee), a group of community members tasked to find a resolution to reduce recidivism and jail overcrowding while matching the needs of this population with social, recovery and mental health services. The focus became creating a transitional location inclusive of housing, transportation, job placement, job training, life skills, financial literacy education and specific treatment from a multi-disciplined treatment team to help each individual transition successfully from incarceration into the community.
Mona Blanton-Kitts, President and CEO of the McNabb Center explained the collaboration between Blount County, the CARES Committee and the Center stating the campus, “reflects our collective commitment to breaking cycles of addiction, reducing recidivism, and building a strong, healthy community. The Transition Campus represents a groundbreaking step forward in addressing the critical needs of individuals seeking a fresh start after incarceration.”
The residential campus will consist of six buildings and house 62 individuals at any given time. There will be a residential re-entry housing unit for men, a residential substance use services building, and four cottages to be used as recovery homes for men and women needing long-term care.
Commissioner Williams acknowledged the help of the governor and members of the legislature for allowing six million dollars to be allocated to this project. She agreed the campus “is a true collaboration. It’s putting money where the talk is.” “We could not be here if it were not for the vision of this CARES group, the Mayor, and then Mona and the Helen Ross McNabb team coming together. It’s a win, win, win … a leverage of dollars,” she added.
Funding for the project, which is slated to open later this year, was provided by the Opioid Abatement Community Grant and two grants from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
For more information about this project or other McNabb Center services, email Amy.Fellhoelter@mcnabb.org.
