A Drug Rehab’s Responsibility is not to just offer Treatment, but to Serve the Community

This is certainly not a call out of drug treatment facilities, as many of them engage in this type of community service. And this is certainly not a claim that many rehabs don’t engage in such positive community support. However, there are a number of addiction treatment centers who still seem to believe that their role is to offer treatment and nothing more. While numerous drug treatment center’s scream from the rafters about the need to break the stigma of addiction, that addiction impacts “everyone,” that addiction is a family disease and that addiction is a public health crisis (all true), many facilities scream about these issues while offering little in the way of solutions, service and support for their local community and only focus on filling beds with patients or direct patient care.

It is our belief that part of the responsibility of any addiction treatment program is to go beyond direct patient care and offer ongoing support, education, advocacy and community service to not just their patients, but to those patient’s families and friends and the local community of which they are a part of.

We believe that addiction treatment centers are at the center of the solutions in overcoming our addiction epidemic. Of course, this means offering comprehensive, evidence-based treatment to patients, but we believe it needs to go further and deeper than that. Rehabs must be community leaders in education, training, advocation, and support. As an example, Maryland Addiction Recovery Center is based in Baltimore County, Maryland, so while we serve patients and families nationwide, we have a specific mission to be a community servant for our local and state population. Some of the examples of things MARC has done and continues to do include offering a free parent and family support group weekly for the community, engage in advocacy work on a local and state level, offer free trainings for local clinicians to keep up to date with the latest in addiction treatment techniques and approaches, get involved in the local Baltimore County ROSC (Recovery Oriented Systems of Care) group and help spearhead the new DC-Maryland-Virginia Professional Liaison’s Association (DMV-PLA), offer free community events regarding education about addiction and break the stigma by speaking out at opportunities to large community groups, offer free consultations for families and loved ones that need direction and support for an addicted loved one, even when that loved one isn’t prepared to accept help or access treatment.

We are not special and there are many treatment centers that do similar things, engage in similar initiatives and many larger organizations go even further. That being said, it is important not for other treatment centers or addiction treatment professionals to be aware of this, but rather for the local communities to understand that an addiction treatment center should be a trusted leader regarding solutions and support for addiction and mental health in their local communities and a place those community members can turn to both in crisis but also on a regular basis to find the help that they need.

If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or dual diagnosis issues, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment in the Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or your loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (410) 773-0500 or email our team at Contact us today. For more information on all of our drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring disorder services and recovery resources, please visit our website at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.