Phoenix Clinic expansion in Columbia means more help for substance use disorder treatment

Burrell Behavioral Health celebrated two years of the Phoenix Clinic at Burrell in Columbia with more than 100 people in attendance for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an appearance by Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe. 

Phoenix Clinic at Burrell has provided residential and outpatient substance use disorder treatment for more than 50 years and continues as part of Burrell's Certified Community Behavioral Health Organization. Phoenix Clinic is a residential rehabilitation and recovery center for clients struggling with substance use disorders.  

Sixteen clients are ready to move into the rooms to start or continue treatment on Dec. 18, and it won’t be long until the residential treatment program is at full capacity. 

Common experiences shape the Phoenix program 

Bobby Reichert knows a great deal about recovering from substance use disorders. It’s a life he’s been living for 25 years, and he passes on everything he learned to others who are struggling as part of his job. 

Reichert, Director of Recovery at the Phoenix Clinic, told the crowd at the ribbon cutting that he began using alcohol and drugs as a teenager, and his addiction progressed for years, to the point where he had severe health problems from drinking. 

“It got to a point where I could not accurately predict what would happen when I used alcohol or drugs,” Reichert said. “In a moment of clarity, so to speak, I was referred to the Phoenix Clinic. I went there, and I was granted a gift of desperation and became willing to do what was necessary to recover.” 

In 1999, Reichert checked into the Phoenix Clinic and met the team members, whom he said changed his life. 

“Immediately, it was a place where I wasn’t judged; I was loved, cared for, taught and educated until I could do everything for myself,” Reichert said. 

The Phoenix Clinic facility on Leslie Lane 

Through $1.57 million in funding from the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH) and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), Burrell Behavioral Health renovated Phoenix Clinic’s residential facility, kitchen and service provider space and upgraded its electronic health record (EHR) system. The renovation increases the Phoenix Clinic’s client capacity by 56%, from 16 clients to 25 clients daily. 

“The expanded space and upgraded facilities will make a tremendous difference in the quality of life for our residents,” Burrell Behavioral Health North-Central Regional President Mat Gass said. 

Guests toured the new residential unit to get an idea of how residential clients will live during their time at the Phoenix Clinic on Dec. 13. It’s a warm space with calming decor and natural light from skylights in the common area. 

“We have seen facilities that used to be kind of scary, Friday the 13th-ish.,” Brightli CEO C.J. Davis said. “To have a facility like this really speaks to the innovation and creative energies that organizations including ours across the state are putting forth to make treatment really successful.” 

Brightli, Burrell’s parent company, has a mission to provide seamless access to comprehensive, compassionate and innovative care. 

“When you think of addiction services, our goal is to make treatment and obtaining treatment as easy as it is to get drunk or high,” Davis said. “When you think about the goal and the backdrop and the energy that we’ve put into that, we’re not alone.” 

More expansion and stigma stopping ahead 

The staff at Phoenix Clinic expanded with four new full-time positions.  

Burrell Behavioral Health’s investments to expand service in mid-Missouri will continue in 2025. In September 2024, the City of Columbia allocated Burrell $3 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to construct a new Behavioral Crisis Center (BCC) on the same campus as the Phoenix Clinic.  

Gov.-elect Kehoe called for Missourians to support friends and loved ones who might need intensive treatment for substance use disorders. 

“The problem with mental health and addiction services[...] is that it’s probably the No. 1 issue we have in our country and state, and it’s the No. 1 thing nobody wants to talk about,” Kehoe said. “The first step is being able to face it, and then the treatment can come.” 

Not just a Columbia problem 

Across Missouri, more than 38,000 people utilized treatment programs like the one at the Phoenix Clinic in 2023. Missouri Department of Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn thanked Burrell Behavioral Health for developing a continuum of care in its recovery program, so patients can continue seeking care at the Phoenix Clinic as they recover from substance use disorders. 

“If you need inpatient treatment, inpatient treatment is an option now,” Huhn said. “You can continue your treatment with outpatient treatment, and so it’s not just one location, one thing that happens because of what is going on here. It truly is creating a continuum, and it is allowing us to meet people where they at when they need the help the most.” 

About Burrell Behavioral Health: Burrell Behavioral Health is part of Brightli, an organization that employs more than 6,000 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