Innovative residential services model receives grant in Portland, ME area

A new and innovative residential substance abuse treatment program model was announced this week at The Recovery Center at Mercy Hospital in Westbrook, Maine.

Mercy, along with its consortium partners Youth Alternatives Ingraham and Crossroads for Women, were awarded a grant of $1,000,000 from the Substance Abuse and Mental  health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to carry out the project..

The project has two main goals:

1. To increase residential level treatment capacity in greater Portland (Maine) for those suffering from alcohol and other substance abuse, via cross-agency collaboration and innovative program design, and;

2. To use the collective power of the consortium to transform the current system of care into a patient-centric, collaborative, and financially sustainable model.

The partnership of the three organizations will provide those in need of substance abuse services, who typically fall through the cracks, access to safe housing, medical care, behavioral health treatment and case management all in one place.

According to Barbara Dacri, executive director at Crossroads for Women, “It is our hope that this consortium can be used as a national model that will ultimately reduce the cost of treating addiction and promote a more client-centered and recovery-oriented approach.”

Read the official press release from Mercy

See the news coverage

Celebrating Women in Recovery at the Blaine House

Governor John Baldacci proclaimed May 17 – 23 “Celebrating Women in Recovery Week” at the annual Silver Tea on May 20th. Held at the Blaine House in Augusta, the tea honors courageous women who make a difference in their own lives and recognizes their contributions to others in the journey of addiction.

The Blaine House was packed with women in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction as well as supporters of recovery, treatment and prevention of alcohol and drug addiction. Those in attendance represented more than 400 combined years of addiction recovery. Certainly, testimony that addiction treatment does indeed work!

Included in the audience were staff members and clients from Crossroads for Women’s halfway house. Our own Nikki Oliver, program manager at the halfway house, was recognized for being nominated as a leader for women in recovery. It was a great way for women of all ages and backgrounds to connect. It was also a great way for women new to recovery to see that long-term recovery is possible.

Inspirational Quotes to Celebrate Recovery Month

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. To celebrate, here are some inspirational quotes taken from RealMentalHealth.com.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
– Thomas Edison

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It does not matter how deep you fall, what matters is how high you bounce back.
– unknown

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Superman’s not brave. You can’t be brave if you’re indestructible. It’s every day people, like you and me, that are brave knowing we could easily be defeated but still continue forward.
– unknown

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Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget about everything except what you’re going to do now – and do it.
– William Durant

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You don’t have to control your thoughts; you just have to stop letting them control you.
– Dan Millman

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Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.
– Og Mandino

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Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
– Ambrose Redmoon

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Determination, patience and courage are the only things needed to improve any situation.
– Peter Sinclair

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Fall seven times, stand up eight.
– Japanese proverb

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We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.
– Martin Luther King “

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Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.
– Elie Weisel

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Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
– Dr. Dale Turner

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To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
– Anatole France

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He who has hope has everything.
– Arabian Proverb

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Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
– Helen Keller

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technorati tags: recovery month, addiction, inspirational quotes

Women’s problems with addiction different from men’s | Portland Press Herald

Polly Haight Frawley, Crossroads for Women’s chief of operations, wrote an article for the Portland Press Herald’s Maine Voices editorial section in response to a quote in a past article about the Diane Schuler tragedy. As the title suggests, it addresses the differences between men and women when it comes to addiction. It was published on August 15, 2009. Click on the link below to read the article.

Women’s problems with addiction different from men’s | Portland Press Herald

Or, read it on Crossroads for Women’s website.