How to Start a Rehab Center: A Guide to Opening a Drug Rehab Facility

 

Addiction rehabilitation programs help people with substance abuse disorders regain control of their lives. A recovery center may provide therapy, medical care and education that teaches residents how to live without addiction. Learning how to start a rehab center could save lives and make your residential recovery center a valuable part of the community.

Opening your own treatment center requires extensive planning. If you’ve never run a business before, you’ll have to start from the bottom and plan for every step of the way, including possible roadblocks. Learning how to conduct business results in a successful rehab center.

Is Your Project Feasible?

A feasibility study evaluates your potential for success. If you jump in without completing a study, you might have a failing business within a year. Feasibility studies help you determine whether you should tackle this project or try a different investment.

Your feasibility study could include the following:

• Business plans. Describe the services you want to offer, such as inpatient, outpatient and partial hospitalization programs.
• Location research. Study nearby facilities to see if the area is accessible or oversaturated. Review building codes and zoning laws, or look for preexisting residences.
• Scheduling. Create a timeline from initial planning to opening day.
• Market analysis. Review local and national trends to see what kind of care your community needs.
• Funding sources. List your sources of start-up funding, including personal savings and investors.
• Employment considerations. Estimate the type and number of employees you’ll hire, and research local labor laws.
• Marketing efforts. Start a plan with a marketing budget that includes traditional and digital advertisements.
• Target market. Determine who’s most likely to use your services to effectively market your treatment center and hire staff that meets their needs.
• Projected expenses. Consider start-up costs, employee salaries, insurance plans, your development budget, consultant fees and other expenses.
• Building structure. Discuss the size and layout of your treatment center, asking yourself questions like “How many beds do I need?”
• Technology use. Research technologies that rehab centers use, such as software that stores patient files and medical devices.
• Potential losses. Come up with plans for possible challenges so you don’t sink thousands of dollars into a failed project.
• Expected revenue. Bring everything together to see how much your recovery business could make.

A feasibility study doesn’t guarantee success, but you can estimate a potential return on your investment. You’ll also have a business plan that guides you and makes your rehab center more attractive to business partners.

If your study has unfavorable results, you don’t have to abandon your plans. You might simply need to find a different location, wait for the economy to change or adjust your center’s focus. However, if advising agencies recommend against the project altogether, you could try another investment, such as building office space.

What Services Will You Offer?

While your first instinct might be to treat every mental health disorder, each condition requires specialized care. A counselor who treats drug addiction could help a patient lose their dependency but might not know how to treat the PTSD that caused the addiction in the first place. As a result, the resident may relapse after they graduate.

Likewise, a broad specialist may not have the tools to address specific issues. Some counselors treat general problems, such as depression and anxiety, but can’t help residents with schizophrenia, personality disorders or dissociative identity disorder.

Hiring experts for every condition can strain your budget and leave you with unneeded employees on your payroll. Instead of trying to open your doors to everyone, focus on common issues in your area. Does your region have high rates of heroin addiction? Do people frequently seek treatment for bipolar disorder?

Focused care helps you hire the best people. Your caseworkers provide high-quality services because they’ve worked with the same demographics for years. Once you’re running a successful addiction treatment center, you can start treating other conditions. You might even add new wings to your facility.

What’s Your Business Plan?

Outpatient Programs

A treatment center typically includes an outpatient program, which treats patients without providing full-time residence. Clients visit your community for therapy, classes and medical services until they can transition back to regular life.

Outpatient programs are flexible because clients can attend to work, school and family responsibilities while receiving mental health treatment on their schedules. You can offer day, night and weekend classes and extend the program as long as necessary.

Inpatient Programs

For intensive care, your rehab center can include an inpatient program. Clients typically start with a medically supervised detox while they wait for the substances to leave their system. Afterward, they live in your community until they complete the treatment program.

Inpatient services include a daily schedule with three meals a day, group and individual therapy, exercise classes and goal assessments to measure each resident’s progress. Graduates join an aftercare program so they can cope with their drug and alcohol addiction after they leave the residence.

If you offer inpatient services, your rehab center will need 24-hour staff and enough beds to meet the demand. Review your location and target market, and ask yourself, “How many patients should I expect?”

Partial Hospitalization

Partial hospitalization provides intensive care without full-time residency. Clients live at home but visit your rehab center every day for scheduled activities. Like inpatient programs, partial hospitalization involves meals, classes and therapy. Typically, clients abide by your schedule instead of choosing their own hours because they need the structure.

Who Should You Hire?

Your treatment center staff should include:

• Executive director
• Medical director
• Caseworkers
• Therapists
• Medical staff
• Marketing staff
• Janitorial staff
• Clinical director
• Clerical staff
• Intake staff
• Administrators

A residential facility might have additional needs, such as cafeteria workers, yoga instructors and groundskeepers. Twenty-four-hour hotlines need around-the-clock operators.

What’s Your Digital Marketing Strategy?

Digital marketing raises awareness so you generate leads shortly after you open your doors. A solid marketing plan results in a steady traffic increase and positive recommendations. Save room in your marketing budget for these essentials.

Advertisements

Most people won’t go beyond the second or third page when they search online for treatment centers. Google Ads makes your rehab center appear at the top of search engine results. Google also provides a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign where you pay for advertisement clicks, not impressions.

Other options include paid partnerships, banner ads and sponsored social media posts. You can pay to display clips before YouTube videos or place sponsored posts in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds. Most sites provide analytics so you can view clicks and page views and gauge your strategy’s success.

Social Media

Thousands of potential residents browse social media every day. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter profiles promote your rehab center as they scroll. If someone has already searched for “treatment centers” or looked up relevant profiles, social media algorithms place your posts in their feeds.

Social media can also provide updates on your drug rehab center. Program graduates will likely follow your profiles to stay in touch with your community. Celebrate accomplishments, showcase employees, highlight aftercare programs and provide pictures of revamped facilities.

Most social media users prefer immediate gratification, so make your posts short and direct. Long paragraphs can turn off users.

Website

Once you’ve directed traffic to your site, you need a clean, professional layout that produces lead generation. Websites with lots of white space make visitors think about a sanitized, state-of-the-art facility. Include glowing reviews that show you’re at the top of the recovery industry.

Search engine optimization (SEO) uses strategically placed keywords to increase your local search rankings. Your site appears in organic search results without paid advertisements, increasing your visibility. A lead generation company could seamlessly incorporate keywords, such as “rehab center near me,” into your site.

Additionally, placing your phone number at the top of the page encourages visitors to call you immediately. Once you’ve answered their call, you can suggest next steps that may include checking into your treatment facility.

How Should You Market Your Operation?

Your marketing strategy should promote optimism. Avoid making negative or frightening statements, such as “this is your last chance” or “you’re ruining your life.” Instead, frame mental health treatment as a positive opportunity where clients process old traumas, challenge their addictions and move on with their lives.

A drug rehab center should never promise to “cure” patients. No cure for addiction exists, but your community promotes sobriety and reduces each resident’s chance of relapse. Point out that graduates receive ongoing education that supports them when they leave.

Finally, highlight the traits that make your community stand out. Do you offer holistic wellness programs? Is your financial plan flexible? Do you communicate with residents’ loved ones? You can measure success as you’re handling inbound leads.

Discuss How to Start a Rehab Center

Lead to Recovery can build and launch a marketing plan that spreads the word in your area. Get a free quote to discuss our services, such as content creation, social media posts, infographics and conversion rate optimization.