Setting Boundaries and Building Trust for Healthy Relationships in Recovery
Recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is a transformative journey, not just for the individual but also for their relationships. It's a process of rebuilding trust, establishing healthy boundaries, and navigating the complexities of family, friendships, and romantic connections. While it's a path filled with hope and healing, it also presents challenges that require patience, ...
Spectrum Board Member Spotlight: Cheryl Gallant
Spectrum Health Systems is proud to highlight Cheryl Gallant, Spectrum’s board chair, a dedicated board member with over 30 years of human resources expertise and a deep-rooted passion for helping those struggling with addiction. Putting People First Cheryl Gallant's extensive career in human resources began in the Midwest, where she held various HR management roles ...
Distancing Yourself from Trauma Triggers in Addiction Recovery
Trauma leaves a lasting impact, and its effects can resurface through triggers – those seemingly innocuous events, sensations, or situations that unexpectedly ignite a flood of emotions and memories. For individuals in addiction recovery, understanding and managing these triggers is crucial for maintaining recovery and fostering overall wellbeing. What Are Trauma Triggers and How Do ...
The Key Role of Addiction Treatment Services in the Justice System
Despite widespread understanding of the disease model of addiction, substance use is still perceived as a criminal act. Every year, 1.16 million Americans are arrested for the sale, manufacture, or possession of illicit substances. Incarceration is a common punishment for drug-related crimes, with the National Institutes of Health estimating that 65% of the U.S. prison ...
A Letter from Our President: Kurt Isaacson Reflects on 2023
2023 was a year of remarkable progress and achievements at Spectrum Health Systems. We took numerous strides toward our goal of making treatment more accessible for the most vulnerable populations while continuing to look for ways to retain and recruit staff that make it all possible. One of Spectrum’s proudest achievements came in February when ...
Twelve-Step and Non-Twelve-Step Meetings: Which is Right for You?
Twelve-step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are some of the most popular formats of addiction recovery meetings. These programs are based on a broad concept of spirituality and encourage members to work through a series of steps to solidify their recovery. While many people have found long-term recovery through twelve-step programs, ...
Congratulations to Athena Haddon on her Salute to Excellence Award
An incredible amount of effort is needed in our mission to provide a comprehensive continuum of addiction treatment and recovery supports. That’s why Spectrum Health Systems is proud to employ individuals that are skilled, qualified—and most importantly—passionate about recovery. One employee that embodies these characteristics every day is Athena Haddon. Athena has worked at Spectrum ...
Setting Boundaries and Building Trust for Healthy Relationships in Recovery
Recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is a transformative journey, not just for the individual but also for their relationships. It's a process of rebuilding trust, establishing healthy boundaries, and navigating the complexities of family, friendships, and romantic connections. While it's a path filled with hope and healing, it also presents challenges that require patience, ...
Spectrum Board Member Spotlight: Cheryl Gallant
Spectrum Health Systems is proud to highlight Cheryl Gallant, Spectrum’s board chair, a dedicated board member with over 30 years of human resources expertise and a deep-rooted passion for helping those struggling with addiction. Putting People First Cheryl Gallant's extensive career in human resources began in the Midwest, where she held various HR management roles ...
Distancing Yourself from Trauma Triggers in Addiction Recovery
Trauma leaves a lasting impact, and its effects can resurface through triggers – those seemingly innocuous events, sensations, or situations that unexpectedly ignite a flood of emotions and memories. For individuals in addiction recovery, understanding and managing these triggers is crucial for maintaining recovery and fostering overall wellbeing. What Are Trauma Triggers and How Do ...
Nicole Orlando Smith Discusses Her Return to Spectrum
Nicole Orlando Smith applied for a role at Spectrum Health Systems on a whim in 2014. She had comprehensive experience working in mental health—addressing issues like depression and anxiety after earning a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling with a focus on trauma—but she had no direct experience in addiction recovery. “I was very green, ...
Spectrum Health Systems Announces Changes to 2023 Board of Directors
Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., a longtime not-for-profit organization providing a comprehensive continuum of addiction treatment throughout Massachusetts, announced today the appointment of Thomas Turco, former secretary to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, to its board of directors, and Cheryl Gallant, vice president of Human Resources at Coghlin Companies, Inc., as board ...
The White House Hopes to Curb Overdoses by Unveiling New Dashboard
Last month, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy unveiled a new data dashboard in partnership with the National Highway Safety Administration to track non-fatal opioid overdoses. The dashboard uses a map to display Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data collected in each state and U.S. territory. The effort is aligned with President Biden’s ...
A Letter from Our President: Kurt Isaacson Reflects on 2022
2022 was an interesting year in healthcare. With much of the world finding its footing in the ‘new normal,’ providers were hard at work continuing to keep clients and patients safe while deciding which pandemic-era policies and practices were here to stay, and which could be discontinued. This was no easy feat, and the entire ...
Spectrum Health Systems’ Chief Medical Officer Receives Award for Outstanding Contributions to Opioid Treatment
Spectrum Health Systems, Inc., a longtime not-for-profit organization providing a comprehensive continuum of addiction treatment throughout Massachusetts, and a range of recidivism reduction programming for justice-involved individuals throughout the country is pleased to announce that the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) has awarded Dr. Jeffrey Baxter, Chief Medical Officer at Spectrum ...
Get to Know Lisa Blanchard, Chief Clinical Officer
With a background in both the clinical and administrative sides of behavioral health care, Lisa Blanchard knows that making treatment accessible is key to affecting positive change amid the addiction epidemic. It’s a philosophy that she embodies in her role as Chief Clinical Officer at Spectrum Health Systems, where she works to design programming and ...
