Regis College Panel: Addiction Treatment – Pandemic Emergency Response and Beyond
The impact of COVID-19 has been particularly felt by people who struggle with addiction. For those of us who work in the field of addiction treatment, most of this year has been devoted to responding to the pandemic and strengthening our organizations so that we are prepared for future emergencies. Kristin Nolan, our Senior Vice ...
Spectrum’s Guardian Angel: Shana Adams and Masks Made with Love
At Spectrum Health Systems, we’re lucky to have an external network of dedicated individuals who donate their time and effort to help us with our mission. One of those incredible individuals is Shana Adams, founder of Masks Made With Love/MetroWest MA. “Back when the pandemic started here and nobody could get masks, I started a ...
2020 Recap: Expanding Addiction Treatment in New England
As another year draws to a close, we can’t help but reflect on just how different 2020 has been. It has created many challenges for addiction treatment providers, and we’re proud of the way our centers and employees were able to meet them. Before we enter 2021, we want to acknowledge Spectrum’s accomplishments over the ...
Three Things Dax Shepard is Teaching the World About Relapse
Recently, actor Dax Shepard shared a big secret with the world: he had relapsed after sixteen years of sobriety. On his podcast, Armchair Expert, he explained that he had been keeping an “enormous secret,” that he had been prescribed painkillers after a motorcycle accident and ultimately started misusing them. What started out as a prescription ...
Spectrum’s COVID-19 Unit Reopens to Meet Second Wave
At the outset of this pandemic, we established a dedicated COVID-19 unit to treat people who had tested positive for the virus, but also needed medical detoxification and clinical stabilization from addiction. Over the summer, the unit enjoyed a brief respite as the number of clients with COVID-19 dwindled down. Now, cases are on the ...
Finding Community & Support Through Virtual Recovery
National Recovery Month is a time to raise awareness about addiction and celebrate lives in recovery while gathering strength from the community. September 2020 was the culmination of more than half a year living in a global pandemic, a period that was for many the most difficult stage of their recovery thus far. As evidenced ...
A Look Back: Supporting Communities and Professionals with Training and Education
At Spectrum Heath Systems, we are committed to sharing our knowledge of substance use disorders and addiction treatment with our surrounding communities through our robust training and education program. Lisa Blanchard, Vice President of Clinical Services, has been leading the charge in providing these training sessions even during the pandemic, and is often joined by ...
National Recovery Month: Celebrating Strength and Community
Every September, we observe National Recovery Month, created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to raise awareness and educate people about substance use disorders and the many treatment options available to them. It is also a time to celebrate the advances made in addiction treatment, and the lives of people who ...
Get to Know Spectrum Health Systems’ Internship Program
Since Spectrum Health Systems’ internship program was founded nearly a decade ago, it has continued to grow and expand its relationships with local Massachusetts colleges and universities while giving students incredibly valuable hands-on experience to prepare for careers in the clinical field. We talked with the director of the program to give you an inside ...
An Inside Look at Spectrum Health Systems’ Young Adult Program
Young adulthood is supposed to be a time for fun, finding yourself, and a (relatively) carefree lifestyle. However, one-third of young adults in the U.S. are struggling with addiction and mental illness. In fact, one-in-ten young adults between the age of 18 and 25 have an alcohol-use disorder (AUD) and one-in-seven have a substance use ...
