Official OKs center name to inspire those fighting addiction

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP) — Mohave County Supervisor Hildy Angius initially balked at the idea of naming a new residential treatment center for women as “Hildy’s House.” But she ultimately went along on the condition that people be told only that “Hildy” was an alcoholic/addict who reached out for help, got it and then promised to help others.

Angius said she opposes naming things after politicians and cringed when Cherly DeBatt, WestCare area director, suggested naming the recently dedicated facility in Bullhead City after Angius, who had been instrumental in getting it off the ground.

“So I asked Cheryl if I could think about it before she did anything. And I thought hard,"" the Mohave Valley Daily News reported.

Angius said she thought about the purpose of the center — to save lives, to improve lives, to provide hope — and eventually relented., but with the caveat that the namesake not be identified as an elected official who helped raise money for the center.

Rather, she said, “ I want them to be told that Hildy was an alcoholic/addict who reached out for help in November of 2006 only to discover there were no residential treatment facilities in Bullhead City or Mohave County.

With the help of a residential treatment center in California, and Alcoholics Anonymous, she recovered and went on to be an elected official in the community. She said she promised herself and others that she would help other women recover from their addictions.

Dick Steinberg, president and CEO of the WestCare Foundation, said Angius “has gone to bat for people in this community like nobody else."

Angius said it was an emotional journey that led to the center's dedication on Feb. 7.

“I want the women who walk through that front door to know that there is hope, that they can recover and that they, too, can have a life far beyond anything that they ever dreamed for themselves.”

Once operational, the center will be a temporary home for women suffering from chemical dependency.

The 16-bed facility is expected to open in late March or early April.

WestCare already owned the building, which it previously used as a safe house for women in domestic violence situations.

The house was remodeled with the help of a state grant, local fundraising and contributions from the community.

The facility will be “a place where women can come and stay for up to 30 days and change their lives, getting clean from drugs and alcohol, changing their behavior and learning to make their lives positive and productive, all in a place that offers the comforts of home,” DeBatt said.