SPHS Care Center opens “Chris’s Room”
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Family and friends of Chris Wall, SPHS employees and others, including Jason Snyder, special assistant to the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, listen to music being played in Chris’ Room, a new area offering a peaceful spot for those seeking help at the SPHS Care Center.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A laundry room and a shower are available for those seeking help for their addictions at the SPHS Care Center.
Christopher Wall was quick-witted, loved music, coached youth soccer, was an avid reader and held a degree in industrial engineering from Penn State.
He also was a victim of addiction. His life ended in May 2016 when he was just 33.
Along with friends and family who will remember him, Wall will be recalled through a quiet room at the Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services Care Center on East Maiden Street in Washington. It opened Tuesday morning, with Wall’s family in attendance.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Chris’s Room
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A dedication plaque hangs on the wall inside the newly opened Chris’s Room at the SPSH Care Center in Washington.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A sanctuary is available for those suffering from addiction, offering a place for peace, reflection and meditation.
Made possible by donations to the SPHS Care Center following Wall’s death, Chris’ Room is meant to be a tranquil oasis where clients of the center can visit. Adjacent to it is a sanctuary room that has inspirational sayings on its walls, and is designed for meditation and reflection.
“It’s just a wonderful tribute to Chris,” said his father, Bill Wall. “But it’s also a wonderful place for people who are battling addiction.”
The center sees clients who are grappling with substance abuse and mental health issues, and Kellie McKevitt, the executive director of SPHS Behavioral Health Services, said people in that position “have a lot of stuff to deal with when they are in the early stages of recovery.” A site like Chris’ Room could also help people trying to break out of addiction from returning to the streets and falling back into old habits, McKevitt pointed out.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A cairn sits on a table in the sanctuary room of Chris’s Room inside the SPHS Care Center in Washington.
“A sanctuary is a great word for it,” said Jason Snyder, special assistant to Pennsylvania’s secretary of human services. Snyder, himself, has confronted addiction, and he explained that “for people who are struggling with active addiction, it can be a safe place to go for support and find some people who can help them.”
Along with Chris’ Room, Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services recently marked the first anniversary of its participation in the statewide Centers of Excellence program. The centers direct those dealing with opioid addiction toward treatment and assistance, and make sure they receive follow-up care.