CRC Health Group Inc., a Cupertino, Calif.-based behavioral health and substance abuse treatment provider with facilities nationwide, says it's planning to open an outpatient clinic in Spokane Valley.

John Peloquin, vice president of operations for the company's western region, says it hopes to open the facility sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, though he adds a location for the clinic here hasn't yet been secured.

Peloquin says the Spokane Valley treatment center, which has yet to be named, primarily will offer outpatient services for people with chemical dependencies. The process to set up the clinic here could take several months due to city zoning and state licensing requirements, he says.

The private-pay facility will be the first CRC Health Group clinic in Eastern Washington, Peloquin says. He adds that the company operates four other clinics in the state, all of which are located in Western Washington.

"We have been looking at Spokane for a very long time," Peloquin says. "The demand has always been there, but we got hit with the economy and held off on projects of this magnitude."

The Spokane Valley clinic mostly will treat people with opiate dependencies, through medicated-assisted treatment and non-medicated counseling, he says.

Peloquin says CRC's patients typically are referred to its clinics by a doctor, but also can enroll in a treatment program on their own.

He says the clinic here is expected to employ between 12 and 18 people, depending on how many patients it begins treating in the first few months after opening. He adds that its patient capacity would be around 350 people, and that the company is looking for a building here with between about 5,000 and 7,000 square feet of floor space.

CRC Health Group operates 60 outpatient treatment facilities across the U.S., and treats around 28,000 patients a day, Peloquin says.

In addition to treating patients with chemical dependencies, some of CRC's clinics also offer programs for both adults and children struggling with behavioral issues, eating disorders, obesity problems, pain management, and learning disabilities.