I joined community members, recovery advocates, and partners in Chinle to celebrate the opening of the Day At A Time Club Chinle Recovery Center. This moment represents years of persistence and partnership to restore critical recovery services for our people.
The Day At A Time Club has served the Navajo Nation since 1978 and remains the longest-running recovery provider on our Nation. Following the loss of the Talbot House facility in 2018, the Chinle community worked tirelessly to restore these essential services.
Through ARPA funding, we were able to invest in real solutions. In 2023, I had the honor of signing a $780,000 contract with Day At A Time Club to expand alcohol and substance abuse counseling services. That investment helped lay the groundwork for the center that opened today.
We also want to thank Dr. Joe Shirley Jr., Apache County District I Supervisor, and his team for donating the building that will be used for these treatment services.
The need for recovery services across the Navajo Nation remains a pressing reality. But we also know our people are resilient, and many are finding strength, healing, and long-term sobriety. Centers like this can help our people heal physically, mentally, and spiritually, allowing them to rejoin our communities. This should be our mission: to provide the support systems that make recovery possible.
The Chinle Recovery Center will offer 12-step meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Family Groups, and Wellbriety Talking Circles, alongside cultural healing practices like Sweat Lodge ceremonies and telehealth counseling services through community partnerships. Together, these programs support healing of the mind, body, and spirit.
Today is a new beginning for this center and our local communities as we now have a facility to help our people and their internal struggles.
Congratulations again to the Day At A Time Club Chinle Recovery Center on this grand opening. May this place continue to bring healing, strength, and hope to our people for generations to come.
Ahéhee’.
-Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren
