Healthcare integration represents one of the most significant challenges facing modern treatment facilities, particularly when attempting to address patients’ spiritual needs alongside evidence-based clinical care. Most organizations struggle to move beyond theoretical acknowledgment of whole-person care to practical implementation that meaningfully addresses multiple dimensions of human experience. The closure of innovative treatment models creates both loss and opportunity, as the healthcare field examines what elements of successful integration can be preserved, adapted, and implemented elsewhere.
Key Success Factors in Integrated Care Delivery
Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center demonstrated several essential elements that enabled successful integration of faith-based and evidence-based care over its 15-year operation. The facility’s foundational commitment to treating patients through attention to “mind, body, and spirit” provided the philosophical framework necessary for comprehensive care delivery. This holistic approach extended beyond marketing language to practical program design that addressed clinical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of recovery.
The optional rather than mandatory nature of faith-based programming emerged as a crucial success factor. The Grace Program, introduced in 2019, allowed residents to “integrate principles of Christian faith into the evidence-based therapies and services” they received while maintaining the facility’s inclusive environment that welcomed “women of all religions, faiths, and beliefs.”
Professional competency in spiritual care represented another critical element. Timberline Knolls employed qualified professionals, including a board-certified chaplain with a Doctor of Ministry degree, who provided evidence-based spiritual interventions and continuing education programs focused on “evidence-based research on spirituality and gratitude in recovery.”
Acadia Healthcare’s organizational support enabled the facility to maintain sophisticated integrated care systems throughout its operation. The parent company’s commitment to individualized treatment approaches provided the resources and flexibility necessary for complex care coordination between clinical and spiritual care providers.
Challenges and Solutions in Implementation
The operational challenges of integrated care delivery required systematic solutions that Timberline Knolls developed over years of program refinement. Coordinating care between “spiritual leaders and behavioral health professionals who are skillful at incorporating spiritual topics into discussions and education” demanded clear communication protocols and shared treatment planning processes.
Staff training requirements for successful dual-track programming extended beyond traditional clinical preparation to include spiritual competency and interfaith sensitivity. The facility’s educational initiatives provided models for teaching healthcare professionals to address spiritual concerns appropriately while maintaining clinical boundaries and professional standards.
Physical space design at Timberline Knolls accommodated both clinical and spiritual activities through dedicated areas like “The Sanctuary,” which served as “a sacred space on our campus that offers a supportive place for our residents to pray, meditate, and reflect.”
Future Directions for Holistic Treatment
The closure of Timberline Knolls in February 2025 created both challenge and opportunity for the healthcare field. Other facilities within the Acadia Healthcare network and beyond can examine elements of the integrated care model that proved successful and consider adaptation to their own patient populations and treatment contexts.
The growing recognition of spirituality’s therapeutic value suggests continued demand for integrated care approaches that address patients’ comprehensive needs. Future implementations will likely build upon lessons learned from Timberline Knolls’ experience, particularly regarding the importance of optional programming, professional competency in spiritual care, and systematic coordination between different care disciplines.
The facility’s legacy demonstrates that whole-person approaches to behavioral health treatment remain both necessary and achievable when healthcare organizations commit to the complex work of true integration rather than superficial acknowledgment of diverse patient needs.
