- April 23, 2024
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The Vince Carter Sanctuary, an $8 million Bunnell-based detoxification, substance abuse and co-occurring residential treatment facility, recently celebrated its third anniversary.
At the Aug. 28 celebration, Vince Carter and his mother, Michelle Carter-Scott, also joined in the dedication of the facility’s recently completed Counseling and Activities Building.
The new building, which is approximately 8,000 square feet, will house clinicians, three group treatment rooms, a hobby room, more than 3,000 square feet of activity rooms and a full gym. It is the fourth building on the premisis.
Carter and Carter-Scott made the lead donation in the capital campaign when the facility first opened three years ago. The facility is a program under Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare.
Deborah Zeoli, president of the Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare Foundation, said Carter and his mother expressed concern for substance abuse with friends, family members and coworkers, and wanted to have a positive impact to help people.
The facility’s location, which is located off Justice Lane, in Bunnell, was chosen by U.S. Rep. John Mica because it’s located on the I-95 and I-4 corridor, a section that has high substance abuse rates, Zeoli said.
“It was truly a public-private partnership,” she said, adding that Bunnell, Flagler County and the state all worked together.
Since day one, the Vince Carter Sanctuary has helped more than 250 patients battle substance abuse. Zeoli said the numbers were smaller during the first year, but the number of patients has increased each of the last two years.
“The vision and the goal of the Vince Carter Sanctuary is to have a world-class facility that is known nationally as the premier place to come for substance abuse treatment,” Zeoli said. “That is what we’re trying to do.”
Griffis named Executive Director
James Griffis was recently named executive director of the Vince Carter Sanctuary. Griffis, a health care executive with more than 30 years of experience in the field of addiction and mental health, is a 22-year U.S. Navy veteran.
For the past eight years, Griffis has worked as a consultant to treatment organizations throughout the United States, as well as Belize and Mexico.
“In Jim Griffis, we have found a person with the right combination of knowledge, experience and ability to continue Vince Carter Sanctuary’s development,” said Chet Bell, CEO at Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare.
