Pubdate: Sun, 26 Jul 2009 Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS) Copyright: 2009 The Halifax Herald Limited Contact: http://thechronicleherald.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180 Author: Suzanne Robicheau, freelance writer TAKING ON ADDICTIONS Recession Sparks Move To Convert Conference Centre Into Rehab Program AFTER 17 YEARS of running one of Atlantic Canada's leading centres for corporate training, Charles Bower and his partner have turned to drugs and alcohol. No, the lifelong entrepreneurs aren't getting high and drunk, they're developing an upscale residential rehab program for people trying to kick their addictions to drugs, alcohol or gambling. Ledgehill Recovery & Treatment Centre is situated near Middle-ton on a 44-hectare farm that Bower bought in 1986. Until recently, it was the site of Ledgehill, the Corporate Learning Centre , a retreat that Bower and Pauline Murray-Bower established in 1992 to meet the training demands of companies like Aliant, the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. and AgraPoint. "At the time, it was a successful business," says Fisher McKay, a retired high school principal who has known Bower for 40 years. "But with the economic downturn, corporate training is moving in house." Inspiration for a new enterprise came when a visiting rehab counsellor commented that the property was ideally suited for a residential treatment centre. Bower and Murray-Bower were quick to recognize an opportunity. "We gave it a lot of thought," Murray-Bower says. "Then we did a business plan." They were convinced that the market for rehab facilities, especially the high end type, is expanding. "And that was it," Bower says. "We were in the rehab business." The rehab business has come a long way since former U.S. first lady Betty Ford founded a non-profit clinic in her own name in California in 1982. Now, thanks mainly to celebrities, checking into a rehab facility has almost reached the sta-tus of joining a posh club. In the western U.S., swish facilities with names like Pas-sages and Promises can charge as much as $60,000 for a standard 28-day stay or $100,000 for a specialty program. At Ledgehill, a 28-day program will cost about $12,000, and while Middleton isn't Malibu, the Bowers' sprawling estate could easily pass for an upscale inn. Inside are sound proofed private bedrooms with four poster beds and ensuite baths and tasteful appointments like antique armoires and plush carpets. Outside is a beautifully landscaped koi pond that invites reflection and a wraparound porch that's well equipped for contemplative rocking. "As a corporate training centre, we were already set up to feed people and give them a place to sleep," Bower says. "One top notch facility translated well to another." Bower and Murray-Bower have assembled a full time staff of about 20, including themselves, their two managing partners who are emigrating from England, 10 clinical staff, two chefs and a number of qualified administrators to run programs in recreation, leisure and wellness. "Charles may not have a strong background in addiction recovery," McKay says, "but he knows how to put together a team that does." Addiction eats away at routines, so the days at Ledgehill will be a fairly structured mix of therapeutic treatment and recreation. "Downtime increases the risk of returning to old habits," says Shannon Doubleday, a senior counsellor who will oversee the clinical program and handle intake and admissions. "The purpose is to teach people how to reconnect with a sober culture." Unlike medical models that define people by their addictions and treat them with pills, Ledgehill will operate within a holistic framework and embrace all aspects of recovery: physical, mental, spiritual and emotional. The core program will be 28 days, an accepted period of time for residential rehab. Longer programs will run for 42 or 56 days. Marketing has been a challenge because of the confidentiality involved in treatment. Even the sign at the end of the driveway is a discreet single word: Ledgehill. "Addiction is a bit like the moose on the table," Murray-Bower says. "People don't talk about it." She and Bower will have to talk about it to get business. They'll talk about it in medical trade magazines, on the Internet and at national conferences on substance abuse. Despite the cloak of confidentiality, they'll also rely heavily on other people talking about it. "The Maritimes is a word-of-mouth place," Murray-Bower says, "and there's no one here who hasn't felt the impact of ad-diction on some level." Murray-Bower is a youthful 63 year old with years of experience in the business sector. Bower, equally young at 67, has 40 years of entrepreneurship under his belt and volunteer stints with Habitat for Humanity. They've done their homework on the treatment of addictions. Clients will go through some type of detoxification before coming to Ledgehill. They must arrive clean and remain clean to complete their program. According to Bower, chances are that about one third will return to their old habits. He hopes to improve the odds by sending clients home with key supports like scheduled weekly phone calls with a counsellor, community connections to recovery groups, coaches and therapists, and a pair of three day residential workshops, with the cost all included in the initial fee. He also wants to send them home with a better connection to nature. "People who are addicted are out of touch with their souls," Bower says. "Nature is more than a buzzword; it's a powerful healing process." Ledgehill's pastoral location positions it well to facilitate this kind of healing. The rural base is also unique in the world of private rehab. "There's nothing else like it in Nova Scotia," Murray-Bower says, "and nothing else that serves our demographic of middle to upper management and professionals." And she and Bower have knowledge and experience in dealing with that demographic. "We know how to work with it," Bower says. "It's the same demographic we've had for 18 years." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr