July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
Road Map for the Coming Year
Institute for Health & Recovery (IHR) leaders update our mission and road map every year. We ask, how well does our work reflect our mission: “To develop a comprehensive continuum of care for families, individuals, youth, and pregnant and parenting women affected by alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, mental health problems, violence/trauma and HIV/AIDS, while advancing principles of health equity and social justice”? How well are we addressing IHR’s core components: “Counseling and Behavioral Health Treatment and Support; Training and Technical Assistance, and Program Development”?
We look for feedback on this road map through our staff and board communications, through our website and social media outlets, and through regular surveys for both staff and clients.
Pandemic Response
IHR does not give up; during the pandemic years we have increased our efforts to reach out to families and break down their isolation, support them in the face of stigma, address their mental health challenges, and help them find concrete resources. As one of our participants stated in 2021:
“They helped me get stabilized with my mental health … so I can move forward. My therapist was always there when I needed someone to talk to…. She was persistent and didn’t give up on me.”
The Coming Year
In the coming year, IHR will:
Provide high-quality substance use and mental health treatment to families, and high-quality training, technical assistance, and capacity building services to service providers.
How?
We focus on serving those with complex needs such as pregnant and parenting women, families involved in the child welfare system, and families affected by FASD. IHR serves over 3,000 individuals each year.
We collaborate with partners to offer training focused on family recovery, and on healing trauma histories through building compassionate, wholistic, equitable models of care for both staff and participants.
We hire talented, caring, compassionate staff, and support them in their work. In 2019, IHR staff answered the question “I want to stay with IHR because…”:
- “We are doing essential work with families and professionals across the state…, at the forefront of cutting edge educational and clinical topics.”
- “I like working for a values-based agency. IHR deliberately serves people who are difficult to serve and cares about them.”
Measure outcomes and demonstrate success.
How?
We utilize data from our calls, waiting lists, and Electronic Health Records to better understand the needs of our families and how well we are meeting them.
We ask! Our families receive follow-up surveys and phone calls after treatment to ask how they are doing, and how our services helped them. We set annual goals to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our services, as well as the satisfaction of persons served, and their ability to access services in a timely manner.
- “My therapist has played a huge role in why I am clean and sober today. They are amazing!,” said one family member.
- “The approach my therapist uses has been helpful. They combine mindfulness with a very client-centered therapy,” said another.
We review all evaluations from our trainings and workshops and incorporate feedback to help us improve our trainings.
- A participant in IHR’s training on The Nurturing Program for Families in Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery said: “other groups are more about psychoeducation and basic recovery, but the NP is more about the spirit and the soul... It’s more about internal healing”.
- “I did not find a need for improvement, the training was very well planned and well attended, which made it much more engaging”.
Maintain financial sustainability and achieve growth.
How?
We have a strong track record of receiving federal grants, state contracts, and donations, as well as contracting with insurance companies for our clinical services. We reach out to current and potential payers to highlight our unique model of family-based clinical services and its positive outcomes. We develop ongoing relationships with our payers to form partnerships that are financially viable and support our work.
- One funder described IHR in 2019 as the “go-to” organization whose work is always “of the highest caliber.”
- Another said, “We so appreciate the collaborative nature of IHR and the appreciation of family focus.”
We set a goal each year of increasing revenue from third party payments for services rendered, which have increased from approximately $300,000 in 2017 to $440,000 in 2019 to $472,000 in 2020.