April is Alcohol Awareness Month – A Time for Understanding and Healing
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing understanding and reducing the stigma surrounding alcohol addiction. This month highlights the dangers of alcohol misuse and provides resources to seek help. The Prevalence of Alcohol Misuse in the U.S. The numbers are staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive ...
Creating Space for Addiction Recovery Support
Seeing a loved one struggle with substance use can be heartbreaking and confusing. You may want to help but are unsure how to approach the conversation. Creating a safe and supportive space for open communication is a crucial first step in getting them the help they need. Is There a Problem? Warning Signs of Substance ...
Women in Recovery: A Spotlight on Kim Patterson
Kim Patterson's story is an inspiring testament to the power of human resilience. Her path through addiction recovery has equipped her with a profound understanding of substance use disorder (SUD) and a fierce dedication to empowering women on their own journeys to healing. From Struggles to Strength Kim's experiences with SUD began at a young ...
National Recovery Month: The Impact of Peer Recovery Centers
Peer recovery centers are crucial to the recovery community, serving as safe meeting places where people in all walks of recovery can both give and receive support. At these free centers, individuals participate in recovery meetings, find parenting and employment resources, learn helpful skills like anger management and financial planning, attend yoga and mindfulness classes, ...
National Recovery Month: Spectrum’s Voices of Recovery
A hallmark of substance use disorder and treatment is that there is no one recovery journey—everyone experiences different roadblocks and successes on different timelines, and almost always requires a unique combination of support services along the way. For National Recovery Month, we spoke with several of our clients and staff members in recovery themselves to ...
How Spectrum’s Mobile Treatment Unit is Bringing Change Directly to Communities
Spectrum Health Systems’ pioneering mobile treatment unit has made promising strides since it began service in February. Seven days a week, this innovative vehicle delivers addiction treatment medication and other clinical resources to the Central Massachusetts residents that need them most. Years ago, the concept of using a vehicle to meet addiction treatment needs and ...
Observing International Overdose Awareness Day
International Overdose Awareness Day occurs every year on August 31st, serving as a stark reminder of the devastation of the opioid crisis. In the past few years, overdose deaths have increased dramatically. In the United States, more than 100,000 people die as the result of an overdose each year. That’s more than double the number ...
April is Alcohol Awareness Month – A Time for Understanding and Healing
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing understanding and reducing the stigma surrounding alcohol addiction. This month highlights the dangers of alcohol misuse and provides resources to seek help. The Prevalence of Alcohol Misuse in the U.S. The numbers are staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive ...
Creating Space for Addiction Recovery Support
Seeing a loved one struggle with substance use can be heartbreaking and confusing. You may want to help but are unsure how to approach the conversation. Creating a safe and supportive space for open communication is a crucial first step in getting them the help they need. Is There a Problem? Warning Signs of Substance ...
Women in Recovery: A Spotlight on Kim Patterson
Kim Patterson's story is an inspiring testament to the power of human resilience. Her path through addiction recovery has equipped her with a profound understanding of substance use disorder (SUD) and a fierce dedication to empowering women on their own journeys to healing. From Struggles to Strength Kim's experiences with SUD began at a young ...
National Recovery Month: A Look at Spectrum’s Outpatient Services
As part of National Recovery Month in September, we are spotlighting the missions and roles of each of our areas of service, as a full continuum of accessible treatment options is crucial for truly making recovery possible for all. Our outpatient services, with 15 locations throughout Massachusetts, play a vital role in delivering low-barrier access ...
Recovery High Schools Offer Struggling Teens a Path to Sobriety and Success
For many teens, the transition to high school can be a stressful time. This is especially true for teens who are struggling with substance use disorders. Fortunately, the burgeoning recovery high school movement offers a compelling alternative where teens can complete their coursework while also receiving the support they need for continued healing and recovery. ...
Local College Partnerships Deliver Key Employee Benefits
Offering robust, ongoing professional development opportunities is one of the important ways we keep our team, at every level, on the forefront of behavioral health. In so doing, we are also able to fulfill our mission of providing the highest quality of services while being an outstanding place to work. Spectrum’s educational benefits, in conjunction ...
Get to Know David Nefussy, Vice President of Payor Relations
A keen focus on innovation has helped David Nefussy successfully navigate the ever-shifting dynamics of the health care business. As Spectrum Health’s Vice President of Payor Relations, he is responsible for crafting agreements and negotiating reimbursement with insurance companies, managed care organizations, and third-party payors to ensure the company grows its provider network while maintaining ...
A Journey to Acceptance: LGBTQ+ Client Story
Theia came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community on Christmas Day 2020. The lifelong struggle to accept and reveal her true gender identity went hand-in-hand with a dependency on drugs and alcohol that resulted in her first stint in rehab by the age of 16. Having battled substance addiction for over two decades, ...
Get to Know Theresa Amico, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management
Developing processes and policies to keep our organization financially healthy is vital to continuing our mission of providing the highest quality treatment services. In this regard, we are fortunate to have the bold leadership and vast experience of Theresa Amico, recently promoted to Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management. In her new role, Amico provides ...

