Recently, our peer recovery centers received a home makeover! As we celebrate our 50th anniversary of serving those struggling with addiction throughout Massachusetts and beyond, we thought it was time for some new digs.
Blog: News & Views from the Field
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Working in addiction treatment can be tough, but our incredible staff love their jobs. This week, we’re talking with one of our Master’s level clinicians, Shannon Coolahan, who has worked in our outpatient treatment center located in Waltham, Massachusetts for the past two years.
As you may have heard, Spectrum Health Systems has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! We’ve come a long way since the company’s founding in 1969. As substance abuse has changed over the past 50 years, so too has Spectrum – in order to better treat individuals impacted by substance use disorders.
Many believe that addiction only affects the unemployed and homeless when, in reality, most are employed. In fact, of the estimated 96 million adults reported to have a substance use disorder, 72 percent are employed.
Back in 2010, Senator Kent Conrad spearheaded a campaign to create an official form of recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through a “day of awareness.” Senator Conrad was passionate about the creation of an awareness day as a tribute to North Dakota National Guard serviceman, Staff Sergeant Joe Biel, who took his own life in 2007 following two tours in Iraq. Staff Sergeant Biel’s birthday was June 27th, thus its selection as National PTSD Awareness Day. In 2014, the entire month of June was designated as National PTSD Awareness month.
Pride Month is here! The month-long celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community is a time for fun, raising awareness and reflection. The LGBTQ community faces many hardships, from accepting their own identities to coming out to facing social and political adversity.
Four of our talented employees recently celebrated their 20th anniversary with Spectrum! Barbara Tingley, Lisa Blanchard, Earl Warren, and Carole Palaima have all dedicated decades to our organization. To show our gratitude for their hard work and support for Spectrum’s mission, we hosted a celebration luncheon for all home office staff. After lunch, CEO Kurt Isaacson asked why they have chosen to stay with Spectrum for so long.
While mental health has become a widely talked about topic in recent years, May is the official observance for mental health awareness.
50 days from today, the team at Spectrum Health Systems will be celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary. Since our inception, we’ve seen a lot of positive changes in the addiction treatment field and recovery community. While many improvements have been made, there’s still much work to be done.
According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 7.9 million Americans have been diagnosed with both depression and addiction. Each disease can be difficult to deal with on its own, so dealing with both at the same time is obviously more challenging. With depression being one of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the United States, it’s no surprise that many depressed individuals also suffer from a substance use disorder.
