Reagan Daly, Clinical Outreach Representative for Willingway of Statesboro, shared the history of the addiction treatment center and its recovery program with Glennville Rotarians at their meeting on Wednesday, January 10, 2024.
A native of South Carolina, Reagan talked about her own personal recovery experiences and shared that she has a better grasp and understanding for people who struggle with addiction because of her own journey to recovery.
Willingway Hospital was started in 1971 by Dr. John Mooney, who had an addiction to alcohol, as did his wife. After spending time in a federal prison facility for medical violations, he became sober and began treating others out of his home. The success of his program spread until he resorted to buying land and building a facility behind Statesboro High School (on Jones Mills Road), which is for adults 18 years of age and older; later added was The Pines, which is a nearby facility that offers a program for teens 14 to 17 years of age. In addition to the adult and adolescent programs, Willingway offers addiction treatment specifically tailored for veterans.
“We work with a lot of veterans, through our program Tactical Recovery. In addition to struggles with substance use disorder, trauma during wartime extends into their lives after military service. Willingway is a community partner with the VA (Veterans Administration) and works with veterans from around the country. We have a four-to-six-week program for veterans and can work with them on an extended outpatient program as well,” she said.
Also, Willingway offers intensive out-patient programs in Augusta and Jacksonville, Florida, in addition to Statesboro.
“The standard length of residential stay at Willingway is usually four to six weeks; however, we also offer long-term residential treatment for men and women. Our long-term residential patients not only attend Intensive Outpatient Programming, but they also get involved in the community and attend several meetings a week. Most of our patients are from Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, but we have those who have come for treatment from California, New York, Virginia, and from all parts of the United States,” said Reagan.
“My job is to find people who are struggling with addiction and alcoholism, who need our treatment, and help them get care. I often visit penal institutions, acute care centers, and hospitals, where I network with case management personnel and physicians. I work to ensure these individuals get placed in the best facility for their substance use and behavioral health needs, removing as many barriers as possible,” she said.
“We are seeing a lot of fentanyl addiction cases now. Many of the drugs on the street today are dangerously mixed in lethal combinations. It really is a scary time for our state and country, with the number of overdose deaths occurring daily,” said Reagan.
Willingway provides private rooms and bathrooms for their residents. Staff includes an addictionologist, two PAs (physician assistants), and a full nursing staff. Willingway is in the network with most all commercial insurance plans, so out-of-pocket costs usually are minimal.
Overall, Willingway treats several thousand patients a year on their road of recovery. The facility averages about 60 in-house patients daily.
Six years ago, Willingway was sold by the Mooney children to Summit BHC, a privately owned network of addiction treatment centers.
About Reagan Daly
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Reagan attended graduate school at the Savannah College of Art & Design.
Her professional career includes experience in media and healthcare marketing (including Optim), public relations, and business development. She has been awarded the Statesboro Publishing Innovation Award for the creation and development of Moments Magazine. Reagan is a graduate of the inaugural class of The University of Georgia’s Lynda B. Williamson Foundation Women’s Leadership Academy, Leadership Bulloch, and the Statesboro Service League, and is a graduate of the Region 12 Georgia Academy for Economic Development.
Reagan and her husband, Michael Daly, who is a nurse practitioner for Pineland Mental Health, have a son, Kellen, a senior at Bulloch Academy who has recently been accepted to West Point Military Academy. In her spare time, she enjoys running, listening to music, and reading.
