2021 was another difficult year for many. The COVID-19 global health pandemic raged on. It continued to cause widespread challenges to mental health worldwide. The rise of fentanyl drove fatal overdoses in the United States to record highs, with over 100,000 Americans dying of a drug overdose between April 2020 and April 2021.
However, there was also some positive to take away from 2021. Here at MARC, there were many positives to highlight as we close out 2021 and look towards a brighter new year ahead. So, as we end 2021 and look towards 2022, we wanted to share some of the highlights that occurred here at Maryland Addiction Recovery Center over the past year.
- As the country rolled out vaccines, here at MARC have just under a 100% staff vaccination rate. We also helped and continue to help our patient population receive vaccines while in treatment
- We were granted a three-year accreditation from The Joint Commission
- Continued to offer virtual and in-person continuing education (CEU) events for clinical professionals, as well as ongoing virtual and in-person networking events
- We were asked to take part in several events to offer expertise on the treatment of addiction, with MARC Co-Founder and Executive Director Sam Bierman taking part in a virtual panel hosted by Stevenson University, “Mental Health Among Healthcare Workers”, as well as a virtual event hosted by the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC), “Creating a Healthy Workforce- Recognize, Respond, and Resources”, alongside colleagues from Sheppard Pratt and Kaiser Permanente
- Stevenson University granted MARC its Outstanding Field Placement Award in gratitude of providing outstanding learning and internship experiences for Stevenson University students
- Several members of our Community Living Treatment recovery support staff received their ADT (Alcohol and Drug Trainee) status, as well as their peer recovery certifications
- MARC was awarded by Newsweek, for the second year in a row, the honor of one of America’s Best Addiction Treatment Centers. MARC received a score of 88.5%
- Of the 2021 MARC Family Surveys, given to family members of patients, 98.21% of families said that they would recommend MARC to a family member, friend, or loved one (a 1.5% increase from 2020)
- Of the 2021 MARC Patient Surveys, 92.24% of patients would recommend MARC to a family member, friend, of loved one (a 3.0% increase from 2020)
- In 2020, 21 patients enrolled as students while receiving treatment at MARC at colleges and universities as part of the Caron’s College Success at MARC collegiate recovery program. 2 patients completed high school graduation. Students enrolled in higher education classes had a 2021 cumulative GPA of 3.05
- MARC patients volunteered at numerous non-profit organizations to give back to the local community, including at the Helping Up Mission, ShareBaby, the Maryland Food Bank, and Project PLASE
- MARC’s Sam Bierman, Clare Cardoni, and Caroline Farrell ran in the 2021 New York City Marathon under the banner of the Release Recovery Foundation. Release Recovery Foundation and the runners we competed in the NYC Marathon raised a total of over $400,000 that will go to treatment scholarships for individuals in need of help overcoming addiction
- During National Recovery Month in September, we hosted a free community handout and education event in the Baltimore area, giving out 75 free Narcan kits as well as education for the local community. This event was in partnership with the organizations Chayeinu, Jewish Community Services, the Daniel Carl Torsch Foundation, Maryland Coalition of Families, and the office of local Maryland State Delegate Dalya Attar
- MARC Co-Founders Sam Bierman and Zach Snitzer were honored by Baltimore Magazine as 2021 “GameChangers”
- MARC Clinical Director Dr. Jennifer Richards was named “Top Mental Health Practitioner” by local voters in Baltimore Style Magazine
- We hosted our annual Thanksgiving and Christmas family feasts, allowing patients and their family members to come together during the holiday season and create important sober memories
- MARC sponsored an important NAATP Membership Roundtable event in Philadelphia
- We attended and supported numerous events, such as the Caron Treatment Centers galas in Washington, D.C., New York, and Philadelphia, an event honoring the retirement of outgoing Caron Treatment Centers CEO Doug Tieman, the Phoenix Foundation of Maryland annual gala, and the NAATP National Addiction Leadership conference, the Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders, and NCAD-East
- MARC made donations to the following non-profit organizations: The Phoenix Foundation, the Helping Up Mission, Release Recovery Foundation, and Shalom Tikvah
- We continued our joint management of Encore Outpatient Services in Arlington, Virginia alongside Caron Treatment Centers
It is important, as we all continue to walk together through tough times, to highlight the good things, find gratitude in all things, and look at the positive outcomes that have occurred during the last year. Here at MARC, even during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have never wavered in our mission of offering the highest quality, comprehensive life-saving treatment to those suffering from addiction and co-occurring disorders. While we look back on the good things brought forth in 2021, we continue to look forward with hope to all the success coming in 2022. We hope you will take some time to appreciate and be thankful for the things that you can be grateful for this past year and wish you the same hope of success in 2022.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorder 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 info@marylandaddictionrecovery.com. For more information on all of our drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring disorder services and recovery resources, please visit our web site at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.