ABERDEEN, Wash — Richard Mitchell is studying to be an addiction counselor, but for now, he is still a patient.
"I thought I was going to die in active addiction and to be honest with you… I was OK with that. I figured that was the choices that I made," Mitchell said.
When he lost custody of his child due to a methamphetamine addiction last year, he became one of the first to be treated at the Quinault Indian Nation's wellness center.
Mitchell has not used since and credits the wellness center for his recovery. Along with addiction treatment, the facility offers mental health counseling, child care and even dental services.
"My teeth are 100% fake… but they're amazing," Mitchell said.
Cristina Hill battled meth and opioid addiction for a decade but hasn't touched any drugs since arriving at the center in February.
"I was living in a tent along the river and I was really bad in my addiction and my friends said, 'Hey this place is working for me,'" Hill said.
"This facility truly has saved my life," Hill added.
Several other tribes across the state have opened or are planning to open similar facilities, which will offer care to both tribal and non-tribal members.
The Quinault put up $20 million to open the Aberdeen facility and is hoping the state will help pay for an expansion to double the number of patients it can help.
"I thought it was the worst thing in the world when my child was taken by CPS, but looking back on it, it probably saved my life," Mitchell said.
According to information provided last year from the Quinault Indian Nation when the center opened, the number of people in Grays Harbor County seeking help for opioid addiction has increased more than 300% in the past decade.