June 2018

236 237 fairly large –we have about 80 people, and that includes full- time, part-time, and contracted employees,” Saul reports. “The therapist to patient ratio is six to one, which allows us to individ- ualize the care.” The center’s treatment mod- el consists of a multi-faceted approach that deals with the physical, emotional, behavior- al, spiritual, intellectual, and interpersonal challenges of each patient. “We distinguish ourselves from others by the organic component of our care,” says Saul. “We’re a dual-diagnosis facility.We’re treating the mental health com- ponent at the same time we’re treating the addiction compo- nent. And those can vary widely, as well. Treatment of substance addiction is typically the same, whether it’s alcohol or opioids. But everybody’s situation is unique in terms of all of the other extenuating factors that are involved in that addiction process. So, every treatment for every person is a little different.” That respect for the individual begins well before he or she ever comes to a Brighton facility. “When people call us for admissions, they don’t get a call center or an answering service,” Saul states. “Somebody BRIGHTON RECOVERY CENTER JONATHAN SAUL CEO and Executive Director on the admissions team is going to answer that phone and answer the questions about who we are and what we do.We talk about the people and their families, what the situation is, and what they’re going through. And it can be time consuming, because people aren’t always in the best head space to have a conversation like this – they’re calling after that last drink or after that last use of whatever they had. So we hold their hand and walk them through the process. “I would challenge you to call any of the bigger treatment centers in the country and ask a couple of questions –one of the first questions you’ll get back is ‘What’s your insurance?’ or ‘What’s your ability to pay?’ But I view this as a service to peo- ple.When every callback comes through, we run it as ‘How can we be of service to the person and their family?’ If the person calls and they’re not the best fit for us, we’re not just going to throw them to the wind; we’re going to help them find some place that’s good for them. So, we spend a lot of time on the phone with people, and people really appreciate that.” This respect for an individual’s particular needs is heightened by a staff that Saul says is over 50 percent in recovery, themselves. “They’ve been through some kind of treatment,” he notes. “The other percentage is people who are not in recov- ery, but have a direct experience with others in their lives that have issues with this disorder. This disease has no boundaries –no socio-econom-