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THE
CREDO COMMUNITY CENTER
FOR THE TREATMENT OF ADDICTIONS, INC.
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THE
HISTORY |
| Credo Community Center has been in the business of providing services and treatment for over 30 years to individuals, groups, families, adults, adolescents and children, whose lives have been negatively impacted by substance abuse. The agency has grown and developed to meet the changing needs of the clients, the community and society. Program and site development have happened in many ways and in many directions. |
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The one constant has always been Credo’s philosophy;
any individual needing and wanting treatment for substance abuse problems
deserves to have the opportunity. |
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A Merge |
In March of
2000, after a yearlong effort, the merger between the Community Center for
Alcoholism of Jefferson County, Inc. and the Credo Foundation, Inc. was accomplished
for the benefit the residents and community of Jefferson County and upstate NY. The
merge was motivated not by financial need but to strengthen existing services while avoiding
duplication of services. For years Credo and the Community Center had worked cooperatively,
so when the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse began to finalize the consolidation
of drug and alcohol licenses, the merge seemed a natural progression. The timing was also
fortunate in that Pat Hinckley, the Executive Director of the Community Center,
coordinated her planned retirement with the date of the merge. The emerging entity was named the
Credo Community Center for the Treatment of Addictions, Inc. James P.
Scordo, the Executive Director of the old Credo Foundation, was named Executive Director of the new Credo
Community Center. (Click here for the history of
the Community
Center for Alcoholism, Inc. and the
Credo
Foundation, Inc. )
Services that had previously been managed separately by the two agencies were
consolidated. Two Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Clinics were combined into one Chemical
Dependency Clinic at 595 W. Main. The women previously living at the farm moved to the
women’s residence on State Street. Combining these two previously underutilized programs
allowed them to use the staffing resources more efficiently and creates a wider range of
residential program levels to meet the varying needs of the clients.
In January of 2001 the St. Hilda’s Corporation and the Community Center Foundation
consolidated to create the Credo Community Center Foundation, Inc. The mission is to
morally and financially support the mission of the Credo Community Center for the Treatment of Addictions.
In September of 2001 the administrative offices moved from the Woolworth Building to 595
W. Main, further consolidating the agency. This move was not only cost saving but also
strengthened communications between administration and the clinical services.
Two capital requests received approval late in 2001. One allowed much needed renovations
and an addition on the Aftercare home on Winthrop Street. The addition allowed for the
bed space capacity to be raised from 11 to 15. The second capital request financed the
expansion of the women’s residence on State Street. This addition makes it possible for women to come
into treatment with their children, eliminating the need to seek alternate care for the children and
maintaining the mother-child bond throughout treatment. Both of these capital projects are broke
ground in the Spring of 2002 and were completed in the
Summer of 2003.
A Central Intake Unit was established in September 2003
to handle all assessments, financial screenings and intakes for the agency at one site, rather than six different sites handling their own.
This unit eliminates duplication of service, saves staff time, and allows referral sources to access
intake procedures at one 800 number instead of six separate numbers. The Central Intake Unit has
the ability to screen potential clients and route them to the most appropriate level of care.
In January 2004 the
Carthage Clinic was converted to a Satellite Office in a cost-saving move
and efficient use of staff shared between Carthage and the Chemical Dependency Clinic on W. Main.
The Spring of 2004 brought a new endeavor to Credo Community Center in the
development and establishment of Healthy Lawn Styles, Inc. Healthy Lawn Styles is an outdoor seasonal
maintenance business that employs current and past consumers of the Credo Community Center
for the Treatment of Addictions, Inc services. The mission of Healthy Lawn Styles is to provide the
customer with quality, professional outdoor maintenance services. Healthy Lawn Styles is a for profit
business that is not funded by Credo but exists to strengthen vocational and earning skills of the clients
and provide a service to the community. Any profits seen by Healthy Lawn Styles will be reinvested
in the service. |
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