Marshall
Heights Community Development Organization, Inc.
3939 Benning Road, NE, Washington, DC
20019
202.396.1200 Facsimile
202.396.4106 www.mhcdo.org
PRESS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
July 11, 2001
Contacts:
Anthony Smith, Aftercare Program Coordinator
202/397-7300 x11
Catherine Hargrove, Vice President, Health & Human Services
202/396-1201 x106
MHCDO/Providence
Launch Substance Abuse Treatm
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Continues Support East
of the River
Washington, D.C. – The Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, Inc. (MHCDO) announced today the creation of a new, highly structured aftercare program to support the substance abuse treatment services provided by Providence Hospital and other healthcare organizations in the area.
The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation – the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to
health and healthcare – will provide initial funding for the aftercare
program. As part of its
anti-drug initiative called “Fighting Back,” the Foundation sponsored
from 1989-2001 a substance abuse treatment and prevention program that was
jointly administered by MHCDO and Providence Hospital.
Like “Fighting Back,” the aftercare program is located in a
low-income neighborhood that lies east of the Anacostia River.
“Aftercare is an
integral part of treatment services,” said Loretta Tate, President of
MHCDO and former director of the local Fighting Back program.
“Marshall Heights Community Development Organization is pleased
to partner with Providence Hospital and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
to provide individuals with support that will help them to continue
leading substance-free lives.”
Curriculum for the aftercare program is based on a 24-week model developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Program goals include helping clients to acknowledge their addiction, to commit to a sustained recovery, and to eliminate or reduce the causes of drug use. Participants will receive individual counseling and meet in groups of 5-8 twice per week. The aftercare program also features alumni groups who support program graduates and encourage ongoing participation in a 12-step fellowship.
Substance abuse treatment providers and individuals interested in the aftercare program should contact Anthony Smith, Aftercare Program Coordinator, at 202/397-7300 x11, or visit the John Wilson Resource Center at 3732 Minnesota Avenue, NE.
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