By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                The owners of a proposed psychiatric addiction and recovery center have offered to locate it in the former Williston Middle School, but the city council wants community input before making a decision.

            Council President Debra Jones said a business item has been placed on the next agenda to set a date for a meeting to gather community input on the proposed Oaktree Addiction and Recovery LLC.

            The former school facility hasn’t been in use since Williston Middle High School opened several years ago, but the gymnasium is used by young people for basketball games. The former school also has a cafeteria.

            Dr. Sayed Zaidi, a board-certified psychiatrist for 30 years who has an additional certification in addiction psychiatry, and Ali Mirza, an Oxford University-educated financial expert with work experience in London, Zurich, and New York are the two business partners in Oaktree.

            WMS is located in what is commonly referred to as East Williston and lies in the unincorporated area of the county just across the street from Williston’s city limits. The former school would have to be annexed by the city.

            Jones corrected Mirza at one point saying there is no East Williston. She said, “it’s Williston.” Portions of what is commonly called East Williston have never been annexed into the city.

            Mirza said he talked to county officials about getting a zoning change since the facility lies in the county, but they suggested contacting the City of Williston to get annexed by Williston.

            County Coordinator Wilbur Dean was asked Tuesday if he remembers talking to officials from the company.

            “No sir, I did not talk to that group,” Dean said. He said he doesn’t know if anyone else from county government talked to the company.

            The psychiatric facility would have to be annexed by the city before it could be rezoned for a medical facility.

            Jones told Mirza and Zaidi the council would like to get community input before deciding whether it wants to annex the facility into the city.

            A PowerPoint presentation presented to the council said the facility would provide clinical services for substance abuse and mental health.

            Zaidi said he has worked extensively with military veterans and he would like to continue working with veterans if the city will give the company permission to open.

            The PowerPoint slide presentation said the facility “will provide a comprehensive program that offers inpatient treatment, partial hospitalization, and outpatient treatment.

            Among the services that would be provided are emotional detoxification therapy, equine therapy, psychoeducation, emotional regulation, workplace program, medical, and ancillary care by qualified medical doctors, substance abuse therapy, holistic treatment approach, grief and loss counseling, art therapy, life job skills training, anger management, crisis intervention, nurse support from licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and advanced registered nurse practitioners, mental health therapy, relapse prevention, comprehensive care management, and stress management.

            The facility would accept referrals from physicians, hospitals and treatment facilities and agencies, individuals and families, managed care companies, and some county authorities.

            “At the end of treatment, we expect our patients to return to their county of domicile,” the slide presentation said.

            The slide presentation said the proposal is to convert the former school into a state-of-the-art medical facility.

            “Our site will be secure and fenced, that blends into the local environment, and is architecturally palatable,” the presentation said.

            One councilman noted that since patients are voluntarily admitted, they aren’t forced to stay there and can leave if they desire to do so. Mirza confirmed that patients are free to leave. It would be a voluntary facility.

            “We are not building a detention center for criminals,” Mirza said.

            The slide presentation said the patients are medically vulnerable that have mostly come through professional medical treatment facilities. They would come there voluntarily.

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City of Williston Regular Meeting December 6, 2022; Posted December 27, 2022