Four-Star Gen

Four-Star Gen

FOUR-STAR GEN. BARRY MCCAFFREY (Ret), Former National Drug Policy Director, Points and Recognitions atNational Recovery Month Headquarters Event, CRC Bowling Green Brandywine Treatment Center, September 21, 2012

I am proud to participate in The National Recovery Month Headquarters news conference event here at CRC’s Bowling Green Brandywine Treatment Center. Over 100 facilities nationwide are joining us today.

We are celebrating everyone already in recovery. The event underscores the importance of quality treatment programs in this country.

But we are also highlighting the 24 million-person national drug and alcoholism treatment “gap” – the people whom HHS/SAMHSA say “need but do not receive treatment”-- and one million without treatment in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

I am pleased to join our other speakers and officials today:
* Pennsylvania Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Gary Tennis

and Deputy SecretaryKim Bowman;
* Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, prime creator of the new state Cabinet Department on Drug and Alcohol Programs, a national model, and his colleague state representatives DoyleHeffley and Thomas Murt;

* Kennett Square Mayor Matthew Fetick;

* Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone;
* Philadelphia Phillies1980 World Series Champion pitcher Dickie Noles;
* Teamsters National Fund Administrator Andy Johnson;
* The host CRC Health Group, the nation’s largest behavioral treatment provider, Chief Operating Officer Jerry Rhodes and others from CRC (Joe Procopio, Melissa Preshaw, Bob Weiner, and others);
* Bowling Green Alumni President Jim Phalan;
* And our Emcee, Lisa Olander, Executive Director of Bowling Green Brandywine and Regional Director of White Deer Run’s 20 Pennsylvania facilities.

  • We also are proud to have with us national and local treatment advocates and experts, as well as treatment alumni, families, and law enforcement officials.

Bowling Green Brandywine was selected as the National Recovery Month Headquarters this year because its expansion announced today of 40%, with 42 new beds and 23 new jobs, is testimony to the importance of addressing the national and state treatment gaps, and because the facility rightly takes pride in serving as a national model in assisting the most difficult and specialized populations – including the opiate population, pregnant women, and first defenders. Bowling Green Brandywine has over 30 years of providing drug and alcohol treatment services.

One of our prime concerns tearing apart the country as well as PA-DEL is opiate prescription explosion. It is “the new heroin.” We want to highlight Bowling Green Brandywine Brandywine’s opiate treatment services, including its serving as one of the few non-hospital treatment facilities to treat opiate dependent pregnant females in the country. There is an opiate prescription drug epidemic in this country : Abuse has quintupled in the past decade according to SAMHSA together with the number of opiate related deaths. Opiate addiction is a primary reason for the bed expansion.

Today we urge the national policy makers I’ve worked closely with – the directors of ONDCP, DEA, NIDA, the Secretary of HHS, the President and Vice President, all the candidates in this season, and officials at the state and local level, to maintain and expand treatment,

In addition, we urge federal officials to listen to former congressmen Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad to complete the regulations for “parity”, providing the same care for mental and substance abuse issues as for physical health. While I was at ONDCP, we wrote and passed the rule for federal officials to have parity, and Congress then extended it for everyone—but without final rules, the private sector has too many loopholes. We need to get that done.

Immediately following the news conference speeches, and before lunch,today’s event includes a tree planting, a ribbon cutting for the expansion of the Brandywine facility, and a balloon liftoff.

National Recovery Month, sponsored by SAMHSA, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has as this year’s theme, "Join the Voices for Recovery: It's Worth It." Our Tree Planting theme of “Recovery Takes Root” emphasizes that while the road to recovery may be difficult, the benefits grow and are significant for individuals, families, and communities.

A little more detail on Bowling Green Brandywine’s selection as this year’s Recovery Month headquarters based on its excellence in service. It has achieved the following:

  1. Has treated over 40,000 patients in the 30 years of business.
  2. 87% of all patients complete treatment successfully or are transferred successfully to the next level of care.
  3. Provide experts in the Opiate Treatment population – specifically the epidemic related to Prescription Meds. Utilization of Cutting Edge Treatment Methods such as Vivitrol.
  4. Only facility in Northeastern United States that will accept and treat Addicted Pregnant Women
  5. Unique specialty program to treat FIRST RESPONDERS developed in tandem with the NYPD, specifically focusing on the trauma related to a job where they will inevitably be re-traumatized: STATT Program (SubsTance Abuse Trauma Treatment). This program is run by a Program Director who is a retired DE State Trooper and Veteran of the Vietnam War and also includes a contracted Trauma Specialist.
  6. Licensed as a Co-Occurring Treatment Facility; contracts with highly regarded psychiatrists allows facility to treat more complex patients.
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