Work starts on new Caron treatment building in South Heidelberg

by Steve Reinbrecht

Crews have started moving dirt for an $11 million treatment center at the Richard J. Caron Foundation campus south of Wernersville. South Heidelberg supervisors approved the project in February 2016.

The non-profit organization treats people suffering from substance abuse. The new building – the Carole and Ray Neag Medical Center – will serve as Caron’s welcome and admission center, according to the latest annual report on Caron's website.

The building is designed in part in response to increasing opiate addiction and the growing number of older people who need treatment, the report says. The 35,000 square-feet building will have six beds for detoxification and medical supervision and 14 private beds.

Benchmark Construction, of Lancaster, is the contractor.

The 78-acre property is tax exempt, according to county records. The foundation contributes $12,000 a year to the township in lieu of taxes.

Nobody from Caron returned my calls and e-mails asking about the project.

In August, the Berks County Municipal Authority voted to approve a bond issue of up to $28.5 million to finance the center, according to the Reading Eagle.

Caron has about 900 employees and annual revenues of about $100 million, according to the annual report. Caron has about 250 beds in South Heidelberg and treats about 3,000 people a year. The cost is about $34,000 for 30 days, though many residents get reduced fees. The foundation spent $16.6 million on charity care for about 1,200 people in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.