The Abbey -- A Premier Addiction Treatment Center (Affiliate & Complementary Services)

Treatment Magazine
Cover Story, July 2009

“A number of years ago, in the 1990s, the Lemon family, a very large, very Catholic brood, took on a project they looked upon as a civic duty but that also, it turns out, became a pretty unique business opportunity…. And the property in question for the Lemons was an abbey about to close in Bettendorf, IA. Joe Lemon, an attorney with a business bent, successfully turned the property into a regional destination, the only Four Sta

The Abbey featured in Addiction Professional

Addiction Professional
September-October 2009

“In most cases, the conversion of a 95-year-old structure into a working treatment center would pose daunting challenges. Yet, the majestic site of The Abbey in Bettendorf, Iowa, its original design as a monastery for an order of cloistered nuns, and its subsequent renovation into a luxury hotel proved the perfect foundations for establishing a unique treatment center environment….

Since its opening in the fall of 2008, The Abbey generally has housed about 10 to 12 adults at a time in its coed facility, for a typical length of stay of 45 days. The Abbey has drawn its clientele mainly from the Midwest, treating individuals from diverse walks of life. It gives its clients many opportunities for reflection as well as for productive group activity.” Complete Article

r hotel for many miles around. But after more than a decade of turning nice profits at The Abbey, as the hotel was called, Lemon has returned more to the original civic mission of the property and converted it into one of the few boutique addiction enterprises to be found anywhere in the Midwest, also called The Abbey, and which opened late last year…. ‘Frankly, had we known about the treatment business opportunity, we would likely not have gone with the hotel, but would have opened a center right away,’ says Abbey founder Joe Lemon, adding t

Behavioral Healthcare
April 2009

“When we opened our doors at The Abbey last autumn, I felt an inexplicably divine sense that my work for the prior 17 years had been leading up to this moment. As I reflect on that transformational moment, I realize that my 17 years of unintentional preparation for opening an addiction treatment center were dwarfed by the nearly century-long wait our facility experienced….

Although I never had an inkling that I would ever start an addiction treatment center, I have taken to the field like a duck to water. Like my colleagues, I appreciate the tremendous reward associated with helping clients to win back their lives. Having now jumped in with both feet, I wonder why it took me so long to get started….”
Complete Article

hat treatment more befits the civic mission of an Abbey property.” Complete Article