ACCESS is preparing to begin opening its $25 million addiction and mental health recovery center in Dearborn in phases in early 2027, according to MLive.
The three-story, 53,000-square-foot facility at 10149 Michigan Ave. will add urgent care, withdrawal management, crisis stabilization and short-term residential treatment to ACCESS’s existing outpatient programs. The nonprofit celebrated the building with a Sept. 23 ribbon-cutting, ahead of Lina Hourani-Harajli’s Oct. 1 appointment as president and CEO.
The center is organized around a "No Wrong Door" model, meaning patients will be able to walk in for help without first figuring out which program they need. ACCESS’s Recovery Center website describes coordinated treatment and support services.
Services will include individual and family therapy, psychiatry, medication management, nutrition and wellness support, employment training and a permanent food pantry planned in partnership with Forgotten Harvest. Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun said at the ceremony that the center will offer programming in 23 languages, according to MLive.
About $19 million of the project's funding came from government sources, according to MLive’s report of Freij’s remarks. That includes $12 million from Michigan through legislative earmarks, $4 million from federal appropriations secured with the help of former U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, $2.5 million from Wayne County and a $500,000 state grant.
Dearborn also provided five nearby parcels and infrastructure work as in-kind contributions outside the $25 million campaign total, MLive reported.
Maha Freij, who worked at ACCESS for more than 35 years and served as its president and CEO, told the crowd the project grew from heartbreak over opioid losses in the community.
"We turned this heartbreak into action," Freij said, according to MLive.
The ceremony doubled as a farewell. Freij stepped down as CEO on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Chief Operating Officer Lina Hourani-Harajli took over as president and CEO on Thursday, Oct. 1, following the transition outlined in ACCESS’s leadership announcement.
ACCESS surprised Freij during the event by dedicating a community garden at the center in her honor, MLive reported.
The center will serve patients across Southeast Michigan, regardless of background or where they live. ACCESS already works with hospitals to connect patients leaving emergency departments with care, including people who are uninsured or covered by Medicaid, MLive reported.
More information is available on ACCESS’s Recovery Center website.
