White House invites Mountainside Alcohol and Addiction Treatment Center to Washington D.C.

    /24-7PressRelease/ - CANAAN, CT, August 25, 2005 - Mountainside Treatment Center in Canaan, CT was recently honored with an invitation by the White House to meet with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and its Director, John Walters. In attendance at the meeting were Mountainside board members Don Van Dyke and Chief Executive Officer Terence Dougherty, Chief Financial Officer Martin Fedor along with Adele Smithers-Fornaci. Adele Smithers-Fornaci, along with Mountainside board members Terence Dougherty, Larry Kudlow, and Don Van Dyke have been working to advocate the vital importance of abstinence-based treatment for alcohol and substance abuse. Also in attendance at the White House meeting was Lance Leggitt, Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Health Policy along with respective White House staff members.

Recognizing the growing international recognition that Mountainside Treatment Center has been receiving, the White House invited its representatives to discuss future expansion and the ground-breaking initiatives that are generating phenomenal success with not only the residents of the treatment center, but the surrounding communities that participate in Mountainside's Outreach Program. Of particular interest to White House representatives was the Outreach Program, wherein residents of the treatment center go into high schools on a weekly basis to share their experiences with nicotine, alcohol and drug dependence. This progressive approach to prevention builds self-esteem in the residents who participate and provides the students with an honest account of the pitfalls of alcohol, nicotine and substance use. Prevention is an important part of Mountainside's philosophy. "Having residents earnestly share their story and communicate their hope has a profound impact on these kids" says Executive Director Bruce Drever. John Walters commended Mountainside for continuing to perform this service for our nation's youth, while also providing affordable treatment.

Faced with an overwhelming demand for treatment, Mountainside discussed their future plans for capacity expansion. The Office of National Drug Control Policy supports Mountainside in its efforts and is supportive of the upcoming expansion of its facilities. Currently with a fifty-bed capacity, Mountainside is planning to increase its program to 130 beds. With a waiting list that is approximately 30 people at any given time, the expansion of Mountainside will be able to provide for those desperately in need of affordable treatment for alcoholism and addiction.

Mountainside Alcoholism and Addiction Treatment Center is located in the Berkshires at the base of a mountain in Canaan, Connecticut. Some alcoholism and addiction services provided by Mountainside include intermediate to long term inpatient treatment, addiction prevention, community outreach, and job training. If you are interested in learning more about Mountainside's drug addiction or alcoholism treatment services please contact us through the information provided below.


Mountainside Treatment Center provides affordable substance abuse treatment services. We utilize innovative methods in order to achieve stellar results.

A list of drug addiction services provided by Mountainside is:

In-patient drug addiction treatment - intermediate to long term treatment for alcohol and substance abusive persons.

Alcohol and Drug Addiction Prevention - Mountainside has an Outreach Program where senior residents go into high schools and teach the lesson of prevention to students.

Phase IV program [ Half-way house] - Mountainside has a long term addiction treatment program where residents live a half-way house setting and take part in a job training program. As part of the program residents are given a job in the Mountainside Cafe which is a public restaurant that Mountainside bought for job training purposes. Residents hold a job, open a bank account, and are expected to adhere to specific a criteria that focuses on life and living skills.

For more information please go to www.mountainside.com

Mountainside Treatment Center provides affordable substance abuse treatment services. We utilize innovative methods in order to achieve stellar results.

A list of drug addiction services provided by Mountainside is:

In-patient drug addiction treatment - intermediate to long term treatment for substance abusive persons.

Drug Addiction Prevention - Mountainside has an Outreach Program where senior residents go into high schools and teach the lesson of prevention to students.

Assisted Living and Job Training - Mountainside has a long term addiction treatment program where residents live a half-way house setting and take part of a job training program. As part of the program residents are given a job in the Mountainside Cafe which is a public restaurant that Mountainside bought for job training purposes. Residents hold a job, open a bank account, and are expected to adhere to a special criteria that focuses on life and living skills.

For more information please go to www.mountainside.com

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