A SHIFT from Maleny’s rolling hills has sparked an increase in professionals entering rehabilitation on the Sunshine Coast.
The Health Retreat, which had two facilities in Maleny, has moved into one central facility in Kiels Mountain.
The major relocation earlier this year sparked a flurry of high-profile professionals seeking treatment at the facility.
Owner Francis McLaughlan said the shift to a “more central location” had led to more professionals coming to the centre.
He said being closer to the airport had also made a difference, as people flew in from interstate and overseas.
“Within 10 minutes (of landing) they’re in a room,” Mr McLaughlan said.
With the new semi-rural setting Mr McLaughlan said it enabled people to go for early-morning beach walks three to four times a week.
“The accommodation is brilliant now too,” he said.
The new facility, according to Core Logic property data, boasts 11 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms and was an old bed and breakfast, complete with commercial kitchen, fireplace, cabins and pool spread over 5.9ha.
Mr McLaughlan said they’d spent “a few hundred thousand” on the facility during the transition and they were currently building four new cabins, which were due to be finished by the end of the year.
The new facility has a doctor and psychologist on staff and Mr McLaughlan said they were now delving deeper into the physiological side through blood testing and other analysis to help patients.
Depression and anxiety are the two main issues the retreat deals with, as well as the self-medication of alcohol, drugs and prescription medicine associated with the two disorders.
Mr McLaughlan said patients ranged in age from late teens to recent attendees, women aged 65-70, who had spent decades in the mental health system.