Valley Hope opens new outpatient addiction treatment center in Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Valley Hope has opened an outpatient addiction treatment center in Columbia, offering continued care for people with substance-use disorders who do not require overnight treatment.
The center provides an intensive outpatient program that includes group therapy, education and individual counseling. Patients can continue living at home and going to work or school while receiving treatment.
Missouri recorded 1,461 drug overdose deaths in 2024, according to final data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state’s age-adjusted overdose death rate was 23.7 deaths per 100,000 people. West Virginia leads the nation with 48.9 deaths per 100,000 people, the CDC reports.
Valley Hope CEO Patrick Hall said the organization opened the Columbia location after seeing a need for continued treatment among patients in the area. Valley Hope also operates a residential treatment facility in Boonville.
Hall said Valley Hope previously provided outpatient services online but wanted to establish an in-person location in Columbia.
“Because of the demand and the need to keep patients in treatment for as long as possible to improve their recovery outcomes, we had a mission to open an outpatient location here in person,” Hall said.
Hall said the intensive outpatient program generally includes nine hours of treatment each week, divided into three-hour sessions on three days. Unlike residential care, patients do not stay overnight at the facility.
Carrie Harris, Valley Hope’s alumni coordinator, received treatment through the organization in 2008 and 2009. Harris said she did not initially believe she had an alcohol problem because she was employed, had a car and continued paying her bills.
“With the education that they provided me at Valley Hope, I came to know that my life was unmanageable and I really did have an issue with alcohol,” Harris said.
Harris said substance-use disorders can affect people from any background.
“What I want people to know about addiction is that it doesn’t discriminate,” Harris said. “It affects every class, every race, every religion. None of us are exempt.”
She said having a treatment center in Columbia could make care more accessible for people balancing recovery with work, school or family responsibilities.
Angi Allphin, Valley Hope’s executive director and clinical expert, said substance-use disorder is a disease and should not be viewed as a failure of willpower.
“Some of the strongest people I’ve ever met in my career are people who have substance-use disorders because they know that struggle,” Allphin said. “They are now reaching out and saying, ‘I can’t do this alone anymore.’ Those are the strong people.”
Allphin said intensive outpatient treatment can help people transition back into their normal routines after completing detoxification or residential care. She said returning home can expose patients to familiar situations, habits and cravings while they are still adjusting to recovery.
The Columbia program offers morning and evening groups, with both in-person and telehealth options. Allphin said telehealth can reduce barriers for patients who lack reliable transportation or cannot regularly travel to the center.
Valley Hope leaders said the outpatient center is intended to provide continued support as patients move through different stages of treatment and recovery.
