New Chippewa Falls Treatment Center Ready to Serve Community

Officials from Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan gathered in Chippewa Falls on Tuesday for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The new LSS L.E. Phillips Center is located on County Highway I in Chippewa Falls at the site of the former L.E. Phillips Libertas Treatment Center, which closed in 2024. The new substance use treatment facility aims to address the growing need for addiction recovery services in the Chippewa Valley over recent years.

Hector Colon, President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, says they’re trying to fill the gap in care left behind by the closure. “When Libertas left over two years ago, it was a big gap in this community,” he said. “We are filling that gap, rising to the occasion, and coming here to serve this community.”

In addition to the support received from Chippewa Valley community members, bipartisan efforts at the state level were also crucial in making the facility a reality. Democratic State Senator Jeff Smith was joined by Republican State Senator Jesse James and State Representative Clint Moses at the ribbon cutting, and highlighted the importance of the collective effort in making the replacement of the closed treatment center possible.

“It should never have happened, but it did,” he said. “And the community stepped up, and we all should be proud of that. The state stepped up, the community stepped up, and those who have the greatest need for this service is going to be served again.”

The new facility will operate as a 50 bed inpatient recovery center focused on helping adult men rebuild their lives through evidence-based treatment, peer support, education, and long-term recovery planning. Available treatment services will include counseling, group recovery programs, relapse prevention education, and life skills development.

Organization officials say they expect to be able to help around 200 individuals each year. They also say the organization has raised about $4.5 million of its $4.6 million goal through its Love Big fundraising campaign to support the renovations at the site and treatment services.