HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) – A 500-acre ranch for active duty military, veterans and first responders struggling with addiction, PTSD and mental health issues is on the verge of opening its doors.
Warriors Heart has a location in Texas and if approved, its first East Coast location will be opening in Caroline County next month.
Warriors Heart said the governor’s office reached out to them a few years ago about opening a facility in Virginia.
Tuesday night, the Caroline County Board of Supervisors gave its unanimous approval for their grand opening in September.
“I know that this is a very real problem and I know that it’s a problem we can’t wait on,” said Mike Marotta.
Marotta is a former San Antonio Police officer and U.S. Air Force veteran. He said the bar is set incredibly high for first responders and military members, and sometimes the pressure can be too heavy to bear.
“The nation, our communities, depend on support from them, and when folks call 911, we expect our first responders,” Marotta said. “When there’s anything abroad, we expect our military to respond quickly and without hesitation.”
Warriors Heart is an addiction and PTSD treatment center exclusively for veterans, active duty military members and first responders.
They currently have a 100-bed facility just outside of San Antonio.
Marotta said the facility in Caroline County, north of Richmond, would be their first on the East Coast.
“It’s not like your average facility,” Marotta said. “It really is like a resort. This is not a lock down facility. This is a voluntary program.”
It’s a 500-acre ranch where veterans will be able to focus on their healing journey through counseling and treatment programs like art therapy, wood shop and equine therapy. Eventually, they’ll have therapy and emotional support dogs too.
It’s a 42-day in patient program and they offer a detox on site that can take anywhere from one to 7 days. The patients also go through an in-take process to figure out what parts of the facility would best benefit them. Each week they see a dual diagnosis clinician as well as a chemical dependency clinician.
Marotta said something else that’s unique is that they’ll never let your insurance, or lack of insurance, get in the way.
“We welcome everybody into our program and meet them where they’re at,” Marotta said.
Marotta said for about 70% of their clients, the substance of choice is alcohol.
“It’s maladaptive coping right,” Marotta said. “I mean, you are taking cumulative stress, traumatic stress, with no way to deal and process through that. We’re going to treat the substance abuse but also everything we are attempting to cover up with the substance usage.”
Virginia is home to more than 780,000 veterans – and the facility aligns with Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Right Help, Right Now Initiative to transform the state’s behavioral health system. The governor believes the current system is failing to meet the needs of Virginians and hopes programs like these will help save lives.
“These are husbands, these are wives, these are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, they’re human beings,” Marotta said, “and now it’s our turn to step up and support folks.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can begin the admission process early to see how Warriors Heart can help you. Click here for more information.
