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40 acres donated for treatment unit

A branch of the PAR village, a program for chemically dependent women and their children, is the most likely option.

By SEUNG MIN KIM
Published August 26, 2005

Operation PAR has received a 40-acre chunk of land in east Pasco near the Hernando County line from a donor who just wants the regional treatment facility to use it to give back to others.

A leading contender for whatever is to be constructed on the property, south of County Line Road and west of Shady Hills Road, is a Pasco branch of the PAR village, a program for chemically dependent women and their children, officials said. "It's just one of our better programs," said Marvin Coleman, vice president of community relations for Operation PAR. "There is a chance that that may not happen, but the village idea has been mentioned as being a great program for that site."

If built, the village in east Pasco would be structured in the same way as its counterpart in Largo. What makes the program unique is that children accompany their mothers to the facility, allowing the mothers to undergo treatment while simultaneously honing their maternal skills.

"If you take an individual and put them into a controlled, structured environment and then she has to go back into being a mom, it can be a source of relapse," Coleman said. "This way, they can continue to be a better mom and cope with some of the issues that may have led them to using drugs in the first place."

On average, the mothers undergoing care at PAR village are there for 18 months, though some programs are accelerated depending on the participant.

Operation PAR has about five years left to finalize its plans for the land, or else it will be returned to the donor, who wished to remain anonymous until a decision was made regarding the land, Coleman said. Of the 40 acres, only about three-fourths are usable because the rest are zoned as wetlands. Only grass and trees are on the land now.

The treatment center operates two programs in Pasco, but one facility on the county's west side treats adolescents, while the other specializes in methadone maintenance and detoxification.

Coleman said Operation PAR served 16,000 clients in the area in fiscal 2004 - the bulk in Pinellas County.

If not the village facility, some variety of a mental health or substance abuse treatment center will take root on the grounds.

The treatment center's leaders are scheduling meetings with lawmakers and other community officials to determine how to use the land, raise funds and solicit public opinion on the project.

"We anticipate it being well received," Coleman said. "Since we do have the time to kind of really look at it, we want to plan it with all the things in mind."

[Last modified August 26, 2005, 01:36:21]