As we are in the midst of the holiday season and approaching the end of 2015, I wanted to take this opportunity as the Executive Director of Maryland Addiction Recovery Center to reflect on where we as a program started in 2015 and on some of our professional and community accomplishments and growth throughout the year. As we all know, working in the field of addiction treatment is intense, our day-to-day jobs can be overwhelming and time for reflection is limited. Therefore, I wanted to offer this brief “State of the Program” overview for our friends, families, colleagues, professional partners, supporters and those in need in our local community.
MARC started 2015 with just 7 full time employees working out of a 3,000 square foot office. Some of our people were sharing office space, computers, and group rooms. We had created a very comprehensive intensive outpatient (IOP) program that was growing by the day but through our patients and community contacts we saw the need for more. As both a business and a program we live and grow by the principle of “where are we filling a need?” Towards that end, we saw the need for a place where people can not only get the therapeutic help and services they desired but also to provide a safe, comfortable, and structured living environment as well; a place where they could be in treatment long term and be transitioned back into the real world. A place that is centered around family and community and provides the tools, skills, supports, and transition necessary for long-term sustainable recovery. To provide such an extensive, comprehensive program, we needed more office space, more staff, more programming, and housing suitable for such a program.
In April, we moved into our current home at 8600 LaSalle Rd in Towson, Maryland. A space more than double our previous office space that provides such an environment suitable for our future, as well as multiple large group rooms, a patient lounge, a full conference room, a full kitchen for the patients, and enough office space for every clinician to create the best environment for treatment and recovery. In January we purchased a property for the Community Living Treatment extended care program and worked for the next 6 months to design it to fit our needs and most importantly the needs of our patients. Finally in July we were ready to open.
As a team, the MARC staff have created the first true comprehensive extended care treatment program in the state of Maryland. We now have 19 full time employees and a full continuum of care including our Community Living Treatment program, PHP and IOP programming. We’ve added vital holistic components including our yoga and personal fitness programs, an excellent psychiatrist and a fabulous 24 hour staff at the residences. We partnered with Caron Treatment Centers to start a completely free family support group that meets twice a month that immediately was a great success and we continued our free monthly educational seminar “Raising Drug Free Kids” that is open to the community. We’ve provided over $100,000 in scholarship dollars in 2015 to patients who otherwise might not be able to afford the quality of treatment we provide at MARC. To this date in 2015, we have treated over 150 patients and engaged with over 400 family members.
As most of these accomplishments are external in nature, we’ve also progressed significantly in our patient care, clinical philosophy, and grown closer and more cohesive as a treatment team. We have created a truly individualized treatment program that meets patients and their families where they are at in their lives. This means individualized in clinical approach, scheduling and goals, so that every patient is able to be set up for success in recovery as they transition through treatment. These are not just buzz words but the way we feel treatment must be done to be effective in successfully combating addiction. This is manifested in the numerous compliments and accolades we’ve received from referents, other treatment centers, community organizations and most importantly our patients and their families. To say the least, this year has been a great success all around.
It has been my absolute pleasure growing MARC with the amazing team we have assembled, getting to know our patients and their families and working together with our professional and community partners. It takes a special type of person to work in this field and we do not take our job lightly. The addiction epidemic is growing nationally and we are the ones that individuals and families turn to in their greatest hours of need. We must never forget that and we must continue to operate at to the highest standards of patient and family care. As a collective, the MARC team all feel very proud and accomplished of everything we have given our patients and families this year. It is a humble privilege to serve as the Executive Director of MARC and I couldn’t be more excited for what the future has in store.
Wishing all of you a happy and healthy holiday season.
With Love and Appreciation,
Sam Bierman
Executive Director
Maryland Addiction Recovery Center
If you or someone you know is in need of help because of drug and/or alcohol abuse or addiction, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive dual diagnosis substance abuse treatment in the Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia 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 and alcohol addiction services and recovery resources, please visit our web site at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.
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