WALKER — After 25 years at the White Oak facility in Mountwood Park, Pressley Ridge is closing its program in Wood County.

In a press release, Lisa Kahle, manager of Marketing and Development Communications for Pressley Ridge, announced it has recently given notice to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources of its intention to close the White Oak Level III Residential program in Walker.

“We will focus our attention on expanding the array of foster care and community based services in the state of West Virginia as well as redesigning our existing smaller residential programs,” Kahle said. “We are aware that the state plan is to reduce traditional residential care over the next four years and this action is consistent with that direction. This decision does not come easy and was not without serious contemplation,” she said.

Pressley Ridge is committed to a seamless transition for those youth who are currently enrolled in the program and will work collaboratively with DHHR to ensure their needs are met, Kahle said.

“We are also committed to transitioning as many staff as possible to other positions in Pressley Ridge programs throughout our organization,” she said.

For the past 25 years, Pressley Ridge has been providing services to the state of West Virginia and remains committed to the children and families who need access to all services, Kahle said.

The White Oak closure will affect about 19 clients and 80 staff members, who Pressley Ridge hopes to transfer to other facilities. The facility at Mountwood Park has been in operation for 20 years.

“In an era of declining funds for residential programs, our goal is to focus on re-designing our services in our existing residential care programs and expand our continuum of community based and treatment foster care services,” she said.

“We remain dedicated to being a good partner to the state of West Virginia as we seek effective and creative solutions to sustaining such programs and creating new alternatives. Our mission to meet the needs of kids and families in West Virginia and everywhere we operate is unwavering,” she said.

Pressley Ridge serves communities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.

Wood County Commissioner Blair Couch, who serves on the Wood County Parks and Recreation Commission, which operates Mountwood Park, as the commission representative, said the Mountwood Park board and Pressley Ridge have worked together for many years to operate and maintain the White Oak Village facility.

Couch said Pressley Ridge took care of youth from ages 9 to 18 from the local area and throughout the state of West Virginia.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the clients they served and the people they employed,” he said.

Couch hopes some good can come of the closure. Within the next few weeks, the park board will begin discussions regarding the White Oak facility’s future usage.

The Mid-Ohio Valley is experiencing an opioid epidemic and there is a lot of discussion about options to address that situation. Couch believes the facility might be a strongly positive factor in future planning in that regard, much in the way it has helped youth for many years.