Burrell Behavioral Health acquires Columbia property for residential treatment center

COLUMBIA — Burrell Behavioral Health and its parent company, Brightli, closed on the property that was once Rainbow House at 1611 Towne Drive in Columbia on Jan. 17. The 1.49-acre property houses an 18,000-square foot building that will be re-developed into a residential facility for persons undergoing treatment for behavioral health conditions.

The Towne Drive property will be transformed into an intensive residential treatment services (IRTS) center. Burrell Behavioral Health Vice President of Integrated Health Services Vince Winn explained it will fill a tremendous need in mid-Missouri.

“It’s appropriate for people who can tolerate regular interaction with their peers, but maybe have significant difficulties with activities of daily living,” Winn said.

The facility will have 16 bedrooms capable of accommodating Burrell clients for spans of six months to two years while they seek treatment.

“It’s not meant to be a permanent residence for anybody,” Winn said. “It’s not in lieu of a psychiatric hospitalization if a client is in need that experience and level of observation.”

The first Burrell clients will move in and begin treatment at the Towne Drive property in the late spring of 2025. 

“There will be a lot of referral bridges that will be built from our current programs,” Burrell North Central Chief Operating Officer Megan Steen said. “I’m really excited for the mid-Missouri region.”

Rainbow House opened in 1986 and served as a place for children who experienced abuse and neglect to stay as their long-term futures were decided in the Missouri court system. Rainbow House was meant to provide more stability than foster care, which could involve children moving from house to house as their cases progressed in court.

The Rainbow House emergency shelter and its child advocacy center moved to the Towne Drive location in 2004. Rainbow House accepted its last child for shelter in September 2024. Advocacy operations will be handled at Child Advocacy Center of Central Missouri.

About Burrell Behavioral Health: Burrell Behavioral Health is part of Brightli, an organization that employs more than 5,000 people. Burrell Behavioral Health serves 18 Missouri counties and provides behavioral health, substance-use treatment, case management, crisis, developmental disability, and employment services. Learn more at burrellcenter.com

About Brightli: Brightli, Inc.’s subsidiaries include Burrell Behavioral Health, Preferred Family Healthcare, Places for People, Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health, Adult & Child Health, Firefly Supported Living & Employment Services, Comprehensive Mental Health Services, and Clarity Healthcare. While these organizations operate independently and are governed by separate boards of directors, Brightli’s parent-company model allows them to collaborate, share resources and system supports, increase team member recruiting and retention efforts, increase access to specialized care, and meet the growing demand for behavioral and addiction recovery care. Learn more at livebrightli.org

Contact: Mary Kate Hafner, Communications Business Partner, Brightli, mary.hafner@burrellcenter.com, (573) 301-4508