Kentucky’s Addiction Recovery Care announced Wednesday it aims to open a new treatment center in Greenup County late this year or early 2024.?

ARC, based in Louisa, said it’s closed on a purchase agreement with Bon Secours Mercy Health for a portion of the former Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital site in Russell. That hospital announced its closure in Jan. 2020.?

The new treatment center could mean 200 new jobs for the area. Those could include nurses, counselors, case managers and maintenance workers. It will also have a focus on mental health care. Renovations should start by the end of the first quarter, ARC said.?

Tim Robinson, founder and CEO of ARC, said in a statement the purchase is “an exciting milestone as we continue our work to deliver lifesaving treatment and recovery services to our community members who are struggling with substance use disorder.”?

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of clients entering treatment who are diagnosed not with just substance use disorder, but with severe mental illness, as well,” Robinson said. “ARC’s Greenup County facility will help meet the growing demand for comprehensive behavioral health services that address the needs of one of our most vulnerable populations.”

ARC has 30 treatment programs in 21 Kentucky counties, including Jefferson and Fayette. It focuses on four phases of recovery over the course of a year that includes counseling, primary care, substance use treatment, education and job training.?

The Wednesday announcement received bipartisan praise.?

“We are facing an unprecedented mental health and substance use disorder crisis across the country, in the wake of the COVID pandemic,” U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers, a Republican who represents Kentucky’s 5th District, said in a statement. “The good news is that we are more equipped than ever before to provide the treatment necessary to help save lives.”?

Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, said the facility “will make essential mental health and recovery services more accessible for our Eastern Kentucky families while also creating nearly 200 new, quality jobs.”?