SalusCare Opens First Recovery Residence

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Dec. 14, 2017 - PRLog -- Men who are recovering from the disease of alcohol and drug addiction now have a new place to live to maintain their sobriety.  "SalusCare Place" opened Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting on the campus of SalusCare's Transitional Living Center in central Fort Myers.

The Bryce Burke House is the brainchild of Don and Lizabeth Pine to honor the memory of their son who died of a heroin overdose in 2015.

"My son's time at SalusCare, they were the best 28 days of his life," Pine said. "There are so many gaps in the system between rehab and recovery.  Our goal was to try and reduce the gaps,"

The Pines recruited dozens of volunteers to help with the renovation of the three-bedroom home on South Street in Fort Myers that will become home to up to six men who want to work on their recovery in a clean, sober environment.

SalusCare Place is unlike other SalusCare facilities because no treatment is offered there.  Residents of SalusCare Place will establish their own rules within a sober environment.

"The goal is for those living in the recovery residence to support each other and form their own family unit.  They will cook and eat meals together, clean and maintain the home, and offer support to each other – much like a family does," said Rosemary Boisvert, Assistant Vice President of Residential Services for SalusCare.

The first recovery residence is three bedrooms and two baths which will serve up to six people with each bedroom housing one to two residents.  This first recovery residence is for men only, ages 18 and older, although Boisvert said additional recovery residences for both men and women are planned at SalusCare Place.

Because SalusCare Place is self-supporting with no government subsidies, residents are expected to pay a fee, which can be as low as $18.76 per day, which will include all utilities.  Food costs are additional.

Boisvert said the program is modeled after standards set by the National Alliance of Recovery Residences (NARR) and the Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR).  "Studies show that persons in recovery residences have a greater rate of success than those who follow a traditional residential course of treatment and aftercare," she said.

A 2012 study of 245 individuals found that two out of three individuals who entered a typical aftercare program reported some level of drug and/or alcohol use after six months, compared with just one in three individuals who were part of a recovery residence.

Potential admissions will be screened to ensure appropriateness for the community.  Individuals admitted to the program will work with a recovery coach to ensure that they remain on their chosen path to sustainable recovery.

For more information about SalusCare Place, admission criteria or community procedures, please contact Steven Hill at 239-600-6131, ext.6102 or visit www.saluscareflorida.org.

ABOUT SALUSCARE:  SalusCare, Inc. is a Fort Myers, Florida based not-for-profit mental health and substance abuse service provider incorporated in 2013 after the merger of Lee Mental Health Center and Southwest Florida Addiction Services (SWFAS).  SalusCare has seven locations throughout Southwest Florida and serves more than 16,000 people each year.  Our fees are affordable and may be adjusted to the means of our patients based on household income.  SalusCare accepts Medicaid, Medicare, Visa, MasterCard and some major health insurance providers.   SalusCare provides services for all regardless of disability or handicap. All substance abuse programs and most mental health services are accredited by CARF International, an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services.