Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. has kept former Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s dream alive by including the Adolescent Treatment and Healing Center as a priority in the County of Kaua`i Holo Holo 2020 vision. Based on advice of his Blue Ribbon Committee, Mayor Carvalho has expanded this vision to include an assessment center and outpatient services to provide the continuum of care for youth and their family to recover and heal on Kaua`i.

The Adolescent Treatment and Healing Center (ATHC) will be a public facility serving adolescents and their families,
as well as the entire community of Kaua`i.

It will consist of an integrated treatment and healing center with the capacity to provide a comprehensive, collaborative, community-based, clinically-sound, and family-centered infrastructure for delivery of mental health and substance use related supportive services to adolescents.

Life’s Choices Kaua`i, an agency of the County of Kaua`i, proposed to develop the ATHC on a 5.825 acre parcel along Maˉ`alo Road, between Hanamaˉ`ulu and Lihu`e, in the vicinity commonly referred to as Kapaia.

This rural location was chosen because of its distance from residential neighborhoods and the tranquil surroundings that complement the array of substance abuse treatment services, agricultural training programs, and family focused recreational activities that will be provided at the ATHC.

The center will offer residential long-term care and outpatient treatment for adolescents with mental health and substance use disorders. It will bring together a broad constituency of stakeholders that are focused on providing (1) mental health/substance use assessment services; (2) day treatment programs; (3) residential and outpatient treatment, with an aftercare component for all levels of care; and (4) family counseling support.

The County plans to contract with an experienced service provider or a coalition of providers to operate the facility.

The Hawai`i State Department of Education will provide a part-time teacher. The school/educational component will be based on the State of Hawai`i, Department of Education (DOE) curriculum, structure, and testing, and will include Summer school sessions. Culinary arts, physical education, life skills training, agriculture/farming and other vocational training and cultural opportunities will be incorporated into the educational program as well.

The ATHC will serve as a beacon of hope for our entire community by providing a new standard of treatment and healing on Kaua`i that is guided by the philosophy, “Where healing begins, hope is discovered, and opportunities unfold” If you have any questions, please call Theresa Koki at 808-241-4925.