BURIEN, Wash. — Tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Burien, Schick Shadel Hospital has drawn tens of thousands of people who were ready to say "enough."
“All of us are here for each other because of Schick Shadel and have remained a very, very tight nit group and I am saddened that more people are not going to be able to find this,” said former patient Andrea Brower.
The addiction treatment center operated since 1935. Current and former patients were recently notified it would close for good in June.
“They’re shutting it down so abruptly that they’re people who were on the fence of trying to get in and now they can’t,” said Sheila Fend, a former patient from Enumclaw.
“We feel it was kind of an abrupt loss and this is the last place of it’s kind in the US,” former patient Wayne Gerhart added.
Medical Director Dr. Erick Davis served the center in some capacity since 1979. He said the closure of the facility is the work of the parent company Universal Health Services.
Through a spokesperson, the hospital said it’s closing “due to diminishing demand exacerbated by the pandemic.”
“Right now, because of the pandemic, in the last couple of years access other than telemedicine is very difficult there is just not enough services or staffing out there,” said Davis.
Davis said staffing has posed an ongoing challenge, adding the facility's methods aren’t for everyone – specifically “counter conditioning” or “aversion therapy” – a somewhat controversial process which ties unpleasant sensations with drugs and alcohol.
“It’s never been fashionable, I can assure you of that. It’s difficult treatment. If a person goes into have this treatment it’s demanding physically. It’s not Malibu, you’re not going to be watching sunsets and singing kumbaya,” said Davis.
Regardless, the program has no shortage of success stories. Take the more than dozen former patients who agreed to speak to KING 5 about their experiences.
"Schick was so profound on me that I actually changed careers and I am now a substance abuse disorder counselor at another facility. And I would not have had this wonderful experience in my life without Schick Shadel and the people around me backing me,” said Brower.
The hospital has served more than 80,0000 patients since it’s founding in the 1930’s. It will discharge it’s final patient this summer.