(L to R) James Gresham, Chairman and CEO, Timberline Knolls; Kirsten Haglund, 2008 Miss America and founder of the Kirsten Haglund Foundation; Mayor Brian Reaves, City of Lemont, Ill.; Dr. Kimberly Dennis, Medical Director, Timberline Knolls; Tom Dattalo, Timberline Knolls Administrator

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:
Danielle Bickelmann
Susie Lomelino
Michael Burns & Associates
214-521-8596
dbickelmann@mbapr.com
slomelino@mbapr.com

CHICAGO (April 6, 2010)--Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, providing treatment for adolescent girls and women with eating disorders, substance abuse, mood disorders and co-occurring disorders, announces the opening of Pine Lodge on its Lemont, Illinois campus.  Completed in April 2010, Pine Lodge represents the first new adult housing to open on the campus since Timberline Knolls began accepting residents in 2006, expanding total campus capacity.

“Our focus has always been about developing programs that meet the needs of those women who seek treatment and need our help,” said Kim Dennis, M.D., medical director at Timberline Knolls. “Opening Pine Lodge offers so many wonderful opportunities for our residents – and allows us to expand our comprehensive treatment program.”

The planning for Pine Lodge began in early 2009 at about the time Timberline Knolls began seeing more women in their 30s and 40s seeking treatment for eating disorders. “We went, literally, from having zero at any given time to having a subgroup of anywhere from five to 10... It's a big increase,” said Dr. Dennis. Since its opening in early 2006, Timberline Knolls has served hundreds of adolescent girls and women of many ages who have needed treatment for a variety of eating and co-occurring disorders, substance abuse and addiction.

In conjunction with the opening of Pine Lodge, Timberline Knolls has partnered with former Miss America, Kirsten Haglund, and her foundation, the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, to educate women all over the United States on eating disorders and the necessity for treatment.  During the Pine Lodge opening ceremonies, Timberline Knolls will be the first treatment center to donate a bed to the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, which will identify a woman who is currently in need of help yet treatment has been beyond her reach.

When Timberline Knolls welcomed its first residents, the two campus housing options, Maple Lodge and Oak Lodge, accommodated a capacity of 52 residents. But over the past four years, adolescent girls and women seeking treatment at Timberline Knolls continued to increase and currently women are waiting for available space and treatment. This is not a scenario that Dr. Dennis prefers. “When adolescent girls and women need our help, we need to be immediately available for them,” said Dr. Dennis. “Our expansion into Pine Lodge will support our efforts and help us to better fill the growing service needs.”

By expanding its services and capacity, Timberline Knolls also has increased its scope of new programs, such as the Young Adult program, which was developed in conjunction with the opening of Pine Lodge. As Timberline Knolls’ resident base has grown in age and maturity, the need for additional programming along with new residences became apparent. The Young Adult program, for young women ages 18-21 who have completed high school, focuses on providing attention and training to prepare these young women for daily decision making, independent life skills and college with its many campus challenges. The adolescent program, for girls who are 12 to 18 years of age, will continue with dedicated residence in Oak Lodge.

“Monthly phone calls from individuals and families seeking treatment for themselves or a loved one have increased more than 300%,” said James Gresham, Timberline Knolls CEO. “We got the message loud and clear that there was a greater need for treatment. It was up to us to understand how we could make a difference for those seeking treatment. One of our solutions was the development of Pine Lodge, and the other one is to partner with Kirsten to further our own efforts to educate women that there are no barriers to finding recovery.”

Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center is located on 43 beautiful acres just outside Chicago, offering a nurturing environment of recovery for women ages 12 and older struggling to overcome eating disorders, substance abuse or drug addiction, mood disorders and co-occurring disorders. By serving with uncompromising care, relentless compassion and an unconditional joyful spirit, we help our residents help themselves in their recovery. For more information, call 877.257.9611.