Syracuse, New York — A new interactive wellness center has opened in Syracuse, aiming to give community members a safe space to manage stress and prioritize their mental health.
Quinica Richardson Dre’s Safe Place — Located at E Molloy and Thompson Road.
Created as a safe haven for members of the surrounding community, it has also become a refuge for herself and a place where her son’s legacy will continue.
“After losing Drequan to a drug overdose in 2015, I sought help from Hope for Bereaved as a support system and, as a psychiatric nurse, I worked with several families dealing with grief, mental health issues and substance use issues,” Ms Richardson said.
Her motivation is to provide others with the support they need. Her son, Drekan, popularly known as “Dre”, died at the age of 20.
He is one of literally millions of people who have died after using fentanyl-laced drugs in this country over the past decade.
There were 155 fatal opioid drug overdoses reported in Onondaga County in 2023. Nearly all of those deaths involved fentanyl.
Dre’s Safe Place takes an unconventional approach to prevention and treatment.
The focus is on overcoming any mental challenges people may face as they go about their day to day lives.
“People needed a place to cry,” Richardson said. “People needed a place to vent. People needed a community that would nurture and support and understand them, not judge them. People needed to practice self-care because they were worried about everything else in their families.”
The space features five interactive rooms.
There is access to a soundproof “scream room” – a virtual reality guided meditation, a release room with punching bags, a breakthrough room, an affirmation room and a relaxation room.
All are exclusive to those who enter the store.
“This space, especially for our community, breaks down the stigma,” Richardson says, “and lets me know it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay, but it’s okay, but it’s a space to let me nurture myself for when I’m not okay. Let me come here and relax a little bit. Let me release what I’m holding in, and then it’s okay to move forward.”
Her hope is that the healing will have a lasting impact.
The Wellness Center also hosts monthly workshops for all ages.
